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.

12. Chapter 12 (Rewrite)

"You think you are so clever, I will sort you out. You are messing around with a wrong guy."

Kalusha Bwalya

Chapter 12: Titanic Defense

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

The sound of Kuroyuri's defense cannons firing bellowed across the air and rang through Li's ears. His heart was pounding and sweat did nothing but drip down his face. But his resolve wasn't shaken by the fear coursing through his body, as his hand continued to firmly grasp his bow and let loose arrow after arrow onto incoming bandits.

It all started like any other day. Li was taking his job as a defenseman on the walls as seriously as ever, even though there was no threat to be found. But they just came out of nowhere. Their cries echoed across the air before the emergency bells sounded across the city.

That was when everyone jumped into action. While half of the defensemen began evacuation procedures and escorted the citizens to the upgraded emergency bunker underneath the city, the other half quickly took up arms and took defensive positions along the wall. Those with the knowledge to operate them manned the cannons while the remaining fighters brought their own weapons and took aim at the charging horde. When they were in range, Li saw the banner the bandits all wore.

That was when he recognized the new enemy.

It was the wings of the Branwen Tribe. One of the most dangerous tribes in Anima.

Without hesitation, Li gave the order to open fire. Bullets, arrows, and artillery rained down upon the bandits. Many fell instantly to the onslaught of projectiles, but some of the bandits possessed Aura and were able to protect themselves while they continued the charge. And while the moat was able to stop some bandits and even cause a few to fall in, the stronger ones were able to make the leap across with little to no effort.

Along with the element of surprise, the bandits came with a risky yet effective strategy. Some of the bandits quickly made a break for the drawbridge controls, leaving them open for Li and several sharpshooters to take them down. But that also gave other bandits the opportunity to try and scale the wall using harpoon guns. Li and the others had little choice but to switch focus between groups of bandits, but that was easier said than done.

"They're getting closer!"

"How many of these bastards are there?!"

"I'm running low on ammo!"

Li grimaced, his gaze briefly flashing to his quiver. He was starting to run low on arrows as well. He had a few arrows with Dust tipped heads, but even those might not be enough. "Flynn should be here with more ammo soon!" he informed the rest of the defensemen. "We just have to-!"

"Li, look out!"

Li whirled around, his eyes widened briefly before a mace slammed into his chest launching him from the wall.

*BAM*

"Li!"

*CRASH*

Li grunted as he impacted the cobblestone path beneath the wall. The mace had knocked the wind out of him and his vision began swimming. Shaking his head, Li quickly performed a kip-up from his previous prone position as his Aura kicked in. His gaze turned up and saw a small group of bandits leaping off from the top of the wall. One of the bandits armed with the very mace that knocked him off the wall in the first place.

With a grunt, Li jerked his bow. The taut string retracted and the arms folded into the bow's body. Emerging from top half of the bow was a curved blade, a purchase he made once in Argus.

"Ha! Suck it, old man!" one of the bandits mocked as he drew an axe from his back, while the others also laughed as they drew swords. The mace-wielding bandit said nothing, but smirked at the pathetic display of defiance.

"If you think... I will let you come here... and take everything we built..." Li held his weapon up and took a defensive stance, fully catching his breath. "Think again!"

"Get him, boys!"

The bandits charged. The axe-wielding bandit swung with a vicious strike, but Li ducked and parried the blow before swiping his blade up, carving a gash into the bandit sending him sprawling to the ground with a cry. The other Bandits dashed together and tried to go for a pincer movement but Li quickly swerved around and swung down, breaking the opposing blades. Unlike his own blade, the bandits blades were apparently of very poor quality. Before they could even react, Li dashed between them and his blade danced in a flurry of strikes. The bandits Aura flashed indicating it protected them from the blades slashes, but the force of Li's swing sent the bandits flying.

"This is my home..." Li panted, glaring at the fallen bandits. "And I won't let anyone bring harm to it." That was when his words were packed with confidence once again. It seemed the Branwen tribe had numbers to make up for their lack of training. And that meant the town may have a chance.

"Oh, really?"

*CRACK*

"Ack!" Li cried out as he was struck and knocked down. His arm bent at an unnatural angle and his blade clattered to the ground, causing him to scream in agony.

"Not bad for an old man."

Li turned his head to the side to see the bandit with the mace. "But some of us aren't as stupid as that lot." He pointed to the fallen bandits and knelt down, staring into Li's pained glare. "Unlike them, I like to observe before taking action. Taking advantage of moments of weakness allows for a cleaner takedown."

"We're... not... weak..." Li protested, who ironically was feeling very weak at the present moment. The only reason he hung onto his resolve was because he learned how no resolve meant defeat was inevitable.

"Yeah, sure." The bandit shrugged uncaring. "Hiding behind walls like these, only a few fighters in this lot? You people just don't get it. Defenses like these are just a show. It's only survival of the fittest with the strong surviving in this world. And unfortunately for you..." The bandit stood up and brought his mace forward. Li's eyes widened. "I'm the strongest."

[Play 'Attack on Titan - The Reluctant Heroes' on YouTube]

*THWIP*

The bandit whirled around, pausing in confusion when he saw a steel cable with an anchor of sorts embedded in the ground. "What the-?"

*SWISH*

With a hiss and the sound of reeling, a blur shot forward and swung. The sound of a blade cleaving through flesh rung through the air, blood spewing from the bandit's throat. He fell to the ground clawing at his throat, gurgling as he tried to form words before the life quickly began to fade from his eyes.

The blur spun around in the air, landing gracefully on the ground. The blur revealed to be Eren, blades held up and glistening with blood. His eyes in a narrowed glare as he stared distastefully at the corpse of the bandit.

"E-Eren?" Li gasped, his eyes wide as he tried processing what just happened.

"Shit! Clive!" one bandit shouted. Turning towards the other bandits who found their way inside. "That brat just killed Clive!"

"Yeah..." Eren muttered, shaking his blade to clear excess blood. "Who's next?"

One of the bandits snarled and brandished his weapons. He quickly ran forward with two of his allies, but they fell to the ground when arrows struck them in their backs.

*SHICK*

*SHICK*

*SHICK*

Eren immediately prided himself in the success of the plan he had made. By killing the larger bandit to get the attention of the others, his friend went in for the kill.

"Nice shot, Cinder."

*THWIP*

Li turned his head and saw Cinder perched on a rooftop, holding what appeared to be a bow attached to some kind of harness. In fact, it was the same harness Eren was currently wearing.

"I knew a bow would work just as good as your swords," Cinder snarked. She dropped from her perch with a single step, gas hissing from the harness and slowing her descent as she landed next to Eren. "Mercury and Nora are on the other side helping the defense on the wall."

"Where's Ren?" Eren asked.

"He's helping with the evacuation." Cinder turned to Li and winced when she saw his arm. "Oh, that's not good." Kneeling down, she looked at his arm and other cuts. She quickly used her Semblance to cauterize the wounds, but that didn't change the fact that Li Ren needed a doctor. "Eren, he needs a doctor."

"We can't take him anywhere yet," Eren pointed out. "There are too many of these guys here. Come on, we'll help him into this house."

Cinder looked where Eren was looking and agreed. She and Eren helped Li stand up and guided him to an empty house. Once they had the chance, they would come back and get him to a doctor.

"What about... you?" Li grunted as he managed to stand up straight and cradle his arm.

"Don't worry," said Cinder, who opened the door to the empty house.

"We'll handle this," Eren promised as he laid the man out of sight.

"Gods be with you..." Li whispered as he gazed at the two. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes to rest was Eren and Cinder preparing to leave.

When they were outside, Eren and Cinder decided to use their new weapons together. First, they brought their controls up and pressed down on the triggers at the same time.

*THWIP*

Simultaneously, steel cables tipped with hooked anchors launched from barrels located by their waists and embedded themselves in the closest walls. With another press of the trigger, the cables began to rapidly reel back inside the gear and started to pull Eren and Cinder up into the air.

*HISS*

Suddenly, high pressured gas shot out of the exhaust ports located on their backs. Eren and Cinder were propelled forward at greater speeds. Eren felt himself to be familiar with feeling, even though he hadn't used vertical maneuvering equipment in years.

Cinder had to catch herself once or twice, but she didn't fall or hurt herself.

"You alright?!" Eren asked. He had to shout due to the wind moving across his face and ears.

"Yeah!" Cinder replied in the same manner. "I'm getting the hang of it!" Cinder released herself and fired another hook at a wall before she felt herself fly again. "It's kind of like dancing!" She smiled and laughed when she realized how silly that sounded.

Eren laughed as well, since this was the first time he ever heard someone compare this movement to dancing.

"We'll stick together!" he said. "I can watch and help you move when you need it!"

Cinder knew that she needed to train with her weapon, but give the circumstances, she settled for a trial by fire in order to help people faster.

"No, I'm fine!" she insisted. "We can cover more ground if we split up!"

Eren was reluctant to let someone untrained with vertical maneuvering equipment go on their own, but he agreed that coverinrg more ground was essential at a time like this.

"Okay! I'll go left, you go right!"

"Got it! Good luck!"

*HISS*

With a burst of fuel, Cinder re-positioned herself and began to traversing right.

As she soared through the air, Cinder's eyes raced across the area. Fires were littered across the area but were thankfully being contained and extinguished by other defensemen. Cinder's eyes narrowed and anger and disgust filled her being as she noted the bandits littered across town like an infection.

Kuroyuri was her home. And she wouldn't let it fall to these parasites.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Gunfire soon caught Cinder's ears. Down below she spotted a few civilians under fire by a group of bandits.

Cinder quickly connected her controls to the metal rectangles down by her sides. The components began unfolding into two white and black curved scimitar-like blades.

Releasing the cables and cutting off the gas, Cinder began her descent. Her blades flipped down and positioned tip first.

One of the bandits noticed movement above and looked up. His eyes widened. "What the-?!"

*BAM*

"UGH!" the bandit cried as Cinder slammed on top of him. Her blades had dug into the man's back and came out of his chest, and blood was pouring out all over. This was an attack Cinder had done before on countless Grimm, with swords not entirely different from the ones she was holding now.

She was ready for combat.

"Holy shit! Tom!"

"Where the fuck did she come from?!"

Ripping her blades free, Cinder pressed the trigger and dashed forward to another bandit with a burst of gas. The bandit barely had time to raise his gun as Cinder swiped her blades up. As a result, the swords cleaved the bandit's forearm off.

His scream of pain was cut off as Cinder delivered a roundhouse kick and knocked him to the ground. Sensing something coming up from behind, Cinder ducked down and dodged an overhead strike. Quickly spinning around, Cinder was able to slash the charging bandit across the abdomen sending him flying into the wall.

The two remaining bandits were shaking, staring in horror as their compatriots were cut down without mercy.

"Man, fuck this!" one bandit tossed his blade away and began running in the other direction. The other agreed and followed.

Cinder's eyes narrowed in distaste. "Oh, no you don't!" she said.

Detaching one of her blades from her controls, Cinder joined it on the end of her other blade to form her bow. Reaching into the pouch on her side, she drew two discs that extended into two arrows. She then knocked the arrows and drew back. Taking a breath and closing an eye for better focus, she took aim then released the string.

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

The arrows soared through the air and struck their targets dead center in their backs. The bandits toppled to the ground like dead weight.

"Cinder!"

Cinder whirled around and prepared to fire her bow at another bandit. But then, she relaxed as she saw a familiar green clad person running over "Ren! Quick, get these people to safety!"

"Already on it!" he said to Cinder before he helped the downed civilians up to their feet. Cinder raised her bow once again, but the bandits were too far to get a good shot.

"Heads up!"

Cinder's hair blew over her face as something flew over her head. Pushing her hair aside, Cinder saw Eren strike down the bandits that were too far from her. He struck at them like he would the nape of a Titan or the exposed flesh of Grimm. He had been training like this for a long time as well, among countless Grimm he either found or created himself.

He too was ready for combat. And with numerous bandits bleeding out from their wounds, Eren proved himself to be quite the warrior once more. He wasn't killing Titans anymore, but he was still fighting the good fight.

Eren Yeager was back.

"Show off."

Eren looked to the side to see Cinder shaking her head with a smirk. She had seen him kill all of the bandits just now, but she wasn't afraid. Instead, she was sarcastic and impressed.

Eren wasn't trying to show off; he was simply defending his home and the liberty he had here. But it seemed that it was Cinder's turn now, so he gave her a chance to do so when he pointed behind and above him.

"They're all yours," he said.

Cinder looked where Eren was pointing to see numerous bandits on top of the city wall. Nora and Mercury were on top as well, and they were fighting the way they had learned long ago. Mercury didn't have any weapons of his own, but he let his skills in kickboxing do the work for him while Nora let her hammer hit bandit after bandit. The rest of the defensemen were also fighting, since they too had bandits to take care of.

But there were still other bandits waiting to be finished.

Cinder took the challenge with a smile. She felt proud to be defending her home, since her training had finally come to fruition. Li Ren had taught her how to use a bow and arrow, which was why she decided her weapon would include a bow.

And now, Cinder was firing arrow after arrow from her equipment until she ran out of arrows to fire.

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

"Dammit," Cinder said as she looked at her equipment. "I'm out."

"No problem," said Eren, who pointed at the wall again. "Looks like they're out too. Out of here."

Cinder looked up to see that the remaining bandits, the ones she hadn't killed, were finally retreating. And if they weren't helping the defensemen with any stragglers, Mercury and Nora were shouting insults at the bandits who were running away.

The invasion had just been repelled, as quickly as it came.

---

The aftermath of the battle wasn't as bad as everyone initially expected. The only damages to the town were a few houses being raided and partially demolished while bodies littered the streets. The real damage, however, was to the walls. This didn't come as a surprise to everyone, since the walls were the only thing standing in the way of Kuroyuri. But it was nothing some new bricks and repairs to the cannons couldn't fix. And since Mercury didn't have anything better to do, he said he would help take a look at the cannons.

Everyone else was either throwing the bodies of the bandits out of the city or clearing the damaged houses. This was mostly done by Eren and Cinder, as Ren and Nora were more worried about Li's arm. He was currently having the bones in his arm moved back into place by the team of doctors that moved to Kuroyuri long ago.

"Once we're done with that, your husband's gonna have to wear a cast for a while," a doctor informed An Ren. "When that's done, it's just a matter of time before his Aura can do the rest."

"And his chest?" An worriedly asked.

"Looks like his ribs were just bruised, not broken. His arm's the only thing you should worry about."

The door behind the two adults opened, revealing another doctor. "The cast is on, Doctor," she said. "We need to look at everyone else."

"Very good, Doctor."

Once she left, the first doctor turned back to An. "It seems you can see your husband now," he said. "If you'll excuse me, my team needs to look at the other defensemen." With that, he left the worried wife to check in on her husband. Nora and Ren followed soon after, seeing Li Ren sitting on a hospital bed.

"How are you feeling, Father?" Ren asked as he sat down. Nora naturally sat next to him, also worried about her adoptive father.

"My pain has finally gone away," Li replied, staring at the cast. "It will just take some time to get used to this."

Nora suddenly wrapped her arms around adoptive father. "I told you he'd be okay!" she said as she turned to Ren. "You were worried about nothing!"

Li chuckled as he patted Nora's arm with his free hand. "Your confidence never fails to impress me, Nora."

As he watched them grow and train under himself and Eren, which was something he thought was for the best, Li Ren knew that Nora and his son would become great warriors. Which was why he needed to share some bad news with the two of them.

"However... there is something you should know." Li moved his casted arm. "While I am expected to recover in two months, the doctors say that holding a bow again won't be very likely."

Ren's eyes widened as Nora grew concerned herself. "Wha... What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means I'm getting older." Li stood up and moved closer to his wife. "I knew this day would come, where I would reach the age where I can no longer protect our family." Li put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Lie, Eren has told me about the feats you're capable of now. Which is why I believe we will all be safe with you around."

Ren's eyes widened for a brief moment, but his face became neutral once again as he nodded. But the same could not be said about Nora, who looked heartbroken at the news.

"I did not mean for this news to weigh this heavily on you, Nora," he said.

"I... I know," Nora said as she sat down. "It's just that... I never thought I'd hear you say that. After everything you've done for me."

An pitied Nora, hating to see her heart broken. "I'm just as surprised as you. But you know that I'll be there for you too, right?"

"Y... Yeah!" Nora shot up from her seat. "No, don't get me wrong, I wanna protect our family too!" Nora felt a twinge of fear that was very common during her first few days at Kuroyuri, so she tried to be just as strong as Ren and Li. "I'll do whatever it takes, no matter what!"

Li put a hand on Nora's shoulder, knowing just what to say to calm her down. "When you take the problems of the world on your shoulders, you're never going to feel right. Leave the problems of the world to the individual problem-makers of the world, Nora, and you be the joy-seeker that you are."

Seeing that Li would prefer her not to change while taking on this responsibility, Nora calmed down and hugged Li. Ren on the other hand, kept to himself in the corner.

---

While the Ren family were together, Eren and Cinder were finishing up the chore of throwing out the bodies of the bandits. There was no way in Hell anybody was going to have a funeral for people like them.

"Okay," Eren said as he sat down against a tree, out of breath from the weight. "I need a break." He was so tired that, as he fell against a tree, he felt very inclined to fall asleep.

Cinder looked down on him not in agreement, but confusion. "Eren, why didn't you take off your gear before we started?" she asked.

Eren slowly looked down at his gear, realizing that he didn't even think of taking it off. The equipment and bodies weighing him down were the most likely reasons he got tired so quickly.

"No reason," he lied. "I mean, there could be more of them. Maybe they'll counterattack, or-"

"You didn't even think about taking it off, did you?" Cinder asked with an amused smile.

"...No, I didn't." It was a small yet stupid thing to admit, but Eren brushed off Cinder laughing at him. "Still, they might be coming back. They could learn from what happened today."

"No arguments there." Cinder had stopped laughing when she knew how serious Eren was being. "Worse things have happened with the Branwen Tribe."

"So I've heard."

Word had traveled that these bandits were part of the Branwen Tribe. They had earned a reputation for all villages to hear about, so everyone was aware of the danger they posed. Things could have gone much worse, if Eren, his friends, and the defensemen hadn't been here.

Their training had indeed paid off.

"You might want to put your gear back on in case they do come back," Eren said. "Or you could go check on-"

"Mom!"

Eren followed Cinder's gaze to see Dina running towards them. Cinder quickly ran towards her and into open arms. Eren took this time to stand back up and check in on her as well.

"Thank goodness!" Dina said as she embraced Cinder. "I heard you two helped the wall's defensemen, are you okay?"

"We're fine, Mom," Cinder replied as she let go. "This gave us a chance to try out these weapons." Cinder immediately looked over Dina for any wounds. "Are you okay? Did you get to the bunker?"

"I did, don't worry about me." Dina looked past her adoptive daughter to see Eren still resting. Out of instinct, she ran over and hugged him too. "Carla's safe too, Eren. Don't worry."

"..."

Eren had been hugged by Dina before; on multiple times too. At first, it was rather an awkward feeling. Eren never considered the idea that he would be hugging the Titan who killed his mother, a Titan that he killed personally. But now, after everything that happened to them had passed, Eren was able to not only reciprocate the hug, but he was also able to share the same feelings Dina had now.

He was happy to see that she was alright.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I didn't get the chance to check in on her."

"I heard," Dina said as she let go of Eren. "Everyone's talking about how you helped the defensemen fend off those monsters." She turned to Cinder. "I'm proud of you, Cinder. That was very brave, what you and Eren did."

"Thanks, Mom," Cinder said with a smile. "We had help, though." She gestured to the gear she had used. "Mercury's the one who made this for me."

"Yeah, this is what I was telling you and Mom about," Eren said as he stood up. "It's the same weapon soldiers from Paradis used against Titans."

Dina remembered Eren mentioning that one time. "And it runs on some kind of gas?" she recalled. "That's how you were able to do all those things I heard everyone talk about?"

"Mercury helped me use Wind Dust instead of... Wait, people are talking about us? Who?"

"The wall's defense team mostly. They said using that equipment would turn the tide for the next time those people come."

Cinder walked over to Eren and put her arm on his shoulder. "Looks like we made the news, Eren."

"I guess so," Eren agreed with a smirk. "I mean, if Mercury can make more equipment, I can teach the defense team how to-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Yeager."

Everyone turned around to see an adult man in gray clothes standing behind them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the mayor would like to speak with you," he said before turning to Cinder. "You too, Ms. Fritz."

Eren and Cinder looked at each other, confident that the mayor simply wanted to thank them for aiding in the defense of Kuroyuri. That was why they immediately walked towards the mayor's office, where Ren, Mercury, and Nora were also waiting.

"How's your dad, Ren?" Eren asked, remembering the bad hit he took on the wall.

"He'll be fine... for the most part," Ren answered, still feeling unsure about his role as the family's new guardian.

Before Eren could ask what was wrong, Mercury changed the topic. "Nice job, guys," he said to Eren and Cinder. "Guess that stuff worked out, huh?"

"It did more than that," Cinder said with a smile. "You really outdid yourself this time, Mercury. Though the weight can be a little annoying." Cinder rubbed her behind, still feeling the equipment's mass around her waist.

"Hey now, I think it's a good thing." Mercury flashed a toothy grin as he moved his head to look behind Cinder. "Really brings out that special something you have."

"Oh, really?" Cinder smiled back and pushed her hair out of her left eye. "You know, I'm actually glad you think so. Perhaps Vernal might like to know too."

Mercury immediately stopped smiling, which caused Nora to laugh and playfully hit his arm. "She's got you there, Merc!"

Everyone, save for Ren, chuckled at Mercury's embarrassment of the situation. Before Mercury could respond with another witty thing to say, the door behind them opened to reveal the mayor of Kuroyuri.

"Ah, good. You're all here," he said as he stepped aside. "Please, come in." As everyone obeyed, the mayor sat down in front of them. "When everyone came out of the bunker, the wall's defense team told a similar story. Of a handful of eager youths who helped defend our home and our people."

Everyone shared a small smile at the praise, while Eren thought back on his time as a Scout. Today wasn't very different from the time he fought to take back Wall Maria, or to fight the Anti-Personnel Control Squad throughout the city. There was no denying that Eren was starting to feel like his old self again.

"We can't take all the credit, sir," said Nora. "Mercury and I worked with the rest of the team, and they knew what they were doing."

"Yeah, but they don't really know how to fight one-on-one," Mercury pointed out. "The ones who got over the walls tossed around a few guys like they were nothing."

"It's true, they're more used to fighting Grimm than people," the mayor remarked. "Which is something you all seem to excel in."

"We had a good teacher," Cinder said as she turned to Eren. Who in turn looked back to Ren.

"Make that two teachers," he said. "Your dad ever tell you he gave me some pointers?"

"He did," said Ren. "But it seems that's all he can do to help the team at the moment."

"Well, so can we."

Cinder looked back to the mayor. "Mr. Mayor, is that why you wanted to talk to us? To see if we can train the defense team?"

"That was one of the reasons, yes." The mayor turned back to Eren. "My boy, it seems you make quite the teacher. Not only with your friends, but your inclusion in the installation of our cannons. We could use your wisdom once again."

Eren wouldn't say that "wisdom" was the right word to use. He merely suggested the location of each cannon based on how the Garrison of Paradis used them. But since nobody in Kuroyuri would believe that, Eren didn't see any reason to correct the mayor. So he instead took the offer.

"I can start giving them training exercises as soon as they're done fixing the walls," Eren promised.

"And I'll help you," said Cinder. Everyone else nodded, save for Mercury. He heard stories about Eren's training from Nora, but he mostly relied on the training his father taught him.

"I was hoping you would say that," the mayor said with a nod. "But there will be no shame if you say the opposite to my next request."

Everyone turned back to the mayor, but Ren was the first one to speak. "Which is?"

The mayor reached into his desk and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Placing it on the wooden surface and unfolding it, the mayor presented a map. "This is the part of Anima that we are in," he said as he tapped on one piece. "This is where we are now."

Cinder looked across the map at the other cities close to Kuroyuri. She and Eren sometimes traveled north with some volunteers in order to protect the town from Grimm. But she rarely went any other places, except by airship.

"I know a few of these places," Eren said. "But I've never gone this way before." Eren pointed south of Kuroyuri, at a few other cities.

"Well, that's where I was hoping you could go," said the mayor. "What do you know about these bandits?"

"My father said they belong to the Branwen Tribe," said Ren. "Their ruthless reputation as thieves is spread across the entire Kingdom."

"Aside from that ruthlessness, they're also known as one of the most elusive tribes in Mistral." The mayor took out a red pencil and made a wide circle on the map. "The capital's authorities were kind enough to share which cities they've been sighted at, which tells us their apparent comfort zone."

"Let me guess," Cinder spoke up. "They still haven't been found?"

"I'm afraid so. But the authorities and I are sure they are somewhere inside this circle. Otherwise, they would have tried raiding cities either north of us or deeper south."

"Alright, we know their hunting grounds," said Mercury. "What do you want to do with it?"

"When I asked the authorities for this information, they asked me what I could do with it. That's when I told them I would assemble a team to search the land mile by mile."

"Great, so where's the team?"

"I hope they're with me now."

Everyone started looking at each other again, sharing some confusion. But Cinder was able to figure it out quicker than everyone else. "You want us to be this team?" she asked.

"Oh, no. I want you to be with this team, not be the entire team."

"Well, what can we do?"

The mayor took out an envelope and put it on the table. "Travel to each of these cities, warn them about the continued presence of the Branwen Tribe. And see if anyone can travel with you, searching for the Branwen Tribe."

"And if we find them?"

"Come back here, and we can tell the authorities of Mistral. The Kingdom's forces are more than capable of dealing with them."

Eren looked around at everyone once more, who all seemed to understand the plan. "Well... it seems you have everything laid out," he said to the mayor.

"All I need are the right people to pull it off," said the mayor. "And given your abilities, I couldn't think of anyone else capable of going outside the walls for so long."

Eren began to see this as not only an opportunity to protect Kuroyuri from another invasion, but to be like his old self once more. He remembered riding outside the walls for the first time when he was in the Survey Corps, the feeling of being outside was exhilarating. Each ride he took never had the same feeling, and there was a good chance doing it again would be the same thing.

But he wouldn't pass up this chance if his life depended on it.

"Sir, I'd be willing to help you," Eren declared. "But could I have some time to talk it over with my friends?"

"Absolutely." The mayor stood up and walked over to another wooden door. "I'll be in here if you need anything." Once the door closed, Eren turned around.

"You took the offer really quickly," Cinder observed. Given the amount of time she spent with her best friend, it was easy for Cinder to tell that Eren seemed excited about this idea.

"The mayor's right," he said. "We're probably the only people who can pull this off. And I think I can help. What about you?"

"When you put it like that, and you plan to go out alone if you have to... how can I refuse?"

Eren was grateful that Cinder was willing to help. Given their track record with Titans, he was certain that the two of them could go out alone and handle the task before the day was up. But he needed to see if anyone else wanted to help.

"Nora?" Eren asked the smiling redhead.

"You got it!" Nora said as she shot up from her seat and flexed. "We can break their legs!"

Cinder laughed at Nora's enthusiasm while Eren simply looked at his next friend. "Ren?"

"..."

Ren had other things that concerned him, arguably more important than finding other cities to help. But he knew that his father wouldn't approve of him staying behind while his friends took action. "...Let me know when you're ready to leave," he said.

Eren nodded and looked to the final person in the room. "Mercury?"

"Sorry, guys," the silver haired boy said as he stood up. "I'm not trying to chicken out, but I was in the middle of fixing some of the wall's weapons. And I don't really like leaving a job unfinished." He stood and moved to the door. "I mean, you got a decent group, Eren. You don't think you need more help, do you?"

"No, you're probably right. If they come back, we need to be ready. If you could check in on Mom and Ms. Fritz when you're done, that'd be great."

"Sure thing. Good luck."

---

After Eren and his friends accepted the job the mayor had given them, they began to make preparations. Ren and Nora went to see their parents and tell them where they were going, and Eren and Cinder did the same thing with their own parents.

Dina was talking to Cinder at the moment, and her daughter was telling her how important the job was; other people like them could be in danger. Eren was explaining the same thing to Carla, but he was having trouble getting through to her.

"Mom, you saw what those people did to the town!" Eren insisted. "That could be happening all over, and we wouldn't know!"

"I'm not doubting how dangerous the Branwen Tribe is, Eren!" said Carla. "All I'm saying is that I wish you could have talked to me before you accepted a job like this!"

"I get that, I'm sorry! But the mayor needed an answer, so I gave him one! I don't get why this is causing a problem! I did what I had to do!"

Carla began to calm down as she tried to reach out to her son. "Eren, I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't have protected Kuroyuri like you did. I'm just saying you don't have to go out straight into danger like you used to. This isn't the first time you've gone out fighting in the wilderness."

"So? I always came back."

"I know, but you don't have to keep doing this. You can be a protecter, Eren, but you don't have to do it outside." Carla gestured out the window, to the rest of her farm. "We need you here, Eren. Just like we did today. And we'll need you here later on."

Eren had a good feeling what Carla was referring to when she said "later on." She was still insistent that he be the one to pick up her work when she couldn't do it anymore, even though Eren felt that his skills were better elsewhere.

That was the basis of this disagreement Eren and Carla were having now. Carla wasn't doubting Eren's skill as a fighter or anything like that. She knew how strong he had grown, and all she wanted to say was that his strength was needed here instead of outside.

Unfortunately for her, Eren disagreed.

"I know you all need me, Mom," Eren insisted. "I'm not going to just abandon you. But Cinder, Ren, and Nora need me right now. They already accepted the mission, they were probably gonna do that with or without me. This'll be just like when I was in the Survey Corps."

"But that's what I'm worried about!" Carla argued. "I know I didn't see how the Survey Corps changed after you joined, but all I remember is people getting scarred, dismembered, and eaten alive! Between the Grimm and the Branwen Tribe, I just don't like the thought of you going out like this!"

Eren saw a chance to end the argument once and for all. "That's why I have to go! Cinder, Ren, Nora, they have no idea how to handle a mission like this! I can help them, I can show them what to do and what not to do when they go out into the wilderness! They need my help!"

"..."

Carla couldn't deny Eren's claim. It would be bad enough losing her son, but losing the rest of his friends would be even worse. Carla cared about Eren's friends just as much as he did, and she knew that they weren't ready for a mission like this. But like Eren said, it was just like a typical mission of the Survey Corps.

Eren had to be their guide.

"...It's just the four of you?" Carla asked as she looked out the window. "Nobody else is going?"

"Yeah," Eren replied. "It's just us."

"If this is just like the Survey Corps... I think I might be able to help." Carla moved towards the door and opened it. "Let's go to the barn."

Eren was surprised and a little skeptical about Carla having something that could help on a mission like this. Nevertheless, he followed his mother outside.

When they left, Cinder and Dina resumed the conversation they were having. They just couldn't help but overhear what Eren and Carla were saying. And it only added to Dina's concerns.

"She's not wrong, Cinder," the schoolteacher said. "A job like this sounds incredibly dangerous."

"I know, Mom," Cinder insisted. "But Mayor Fa was right. I can do this. And Eren was right too. We need his help."

Dina nodded after she heard the same thing again. "Just be careful, please. I never had a problem with airships, but traveling like this was always dangerous."

"We'll be fine." Cinder smiled as a soft red color came to her cheeks. "Eren will take care of us. And I'll take care of Eren."

Dina smiled. "I'm sure you will."

After the decision had been made, Cinder and Dina followed Eren and Carla outside to see them approaching the barn. They immediately followed to see where it was that Carla was taking Eren, to see how exactly she could help in this mission.

When they stepped inside, they found Eren and Carla by the stables; in front of four healthy horses.

"Oh, the horses!" Eren said as he approached the nearest one. When it lowered its head, Eren gently stroked its mane as he looked at his mother. "You want us to use the horses?"

"Why not?" Carla asked. "The Survey Corps always used them on their escapades. And if this is just like that, having the horses should help you travel faster. Right?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Eren continued to stroke the horse's head as he talked. "Do you think they'd be up for something like this?"

"I don't see why not. They carry our carts of food to the closest villages all the time. Using them like the Survey Corps did shouldn't be a problem."

Eren agreed with the idea, and so did Cinder. After he saw her and invited her to join him, Eren looked at the horses with Cinder and considered the plan. Neither of them had used them to transport food to different villages, but they rode the horses a couple of times as they grew up. Cinder found it to be an enjoyable experience once she knew what she was doing, and Eren was able to familiarize himself with the experience.

So, it was easy for them to agree that using the horses was a good idea.

After Eren and Cinder put the saddles on four of the horses, Ren and Nora came to the farm and prepared to leave for the nearby villages. Ren was helping Nora get on her horse, since she fell off a few times, while Carla and Dina were saying goodbye to Eren and Cinder.

"You should have enough food in this bag for one day," Dina said as she handed a bag to Cinder. "Make sure you share with your friends, and be careful."

"I will, Mom," Cinder promised as she hugged Dina one last time.

"That goes for you too, Eren," Carla insisted. "You're just going to the other villages. Don't go looking for trouble." She may have come across as stern when she said this, but it was easy for Eren to see that she was just concerned for his safety.

"I love you too, Mom," Eren said with a smirk as he hugged his mother.

"Ha! Finally, you are mine!"

Eren and Cinder turned to the sound of Nora yelling as she held onto the reins of the horse's saddle. "Onward!" she commanded. The horse suddenly ran all around the field while Nora just laughed.

"Oh, boy," Eren said as he raised the palm of his hand to his face. "We better-"

"Nora!"

Everyone, including Nora, turned to the direction of the loud yell to see an annoyed Lie Ren. As soon as he got her attention, Ren began to ride towards the main gate of the wall. Nobody said a word as they followed him.

As they rode towards the walls, the citizens of Kuroyuri were at the road that led to the main gate. They all waved at the four brave travelers, wishing them good luck on their quest. Eren began to feel more and more like he was back home in Paradis. And the feeling grew when his eyes landed on a little boy who was standing on crates to see everyone leave.

But the final topping on Eren's nostalgic feelings was the sudden rush he got when his horse took off at seemingly lightning speed. The rush of air on his face made Eren feel complete, like he was doing his duty as a member of the Survey Corps. And with his new friends at his side, the comfort of not being alone followed him once again.

---

After they left the walls, everyone followed Ren's lead towards the apparent direction of the bandit tribe. The horses made the trip much faster, as it was only five minutes when they came to a crossroad with dead trees and broken fence all around.

"Well... this is unwelcoming," said Cinder, who couldn't take her eyes off the unforgiving land around her. "Makes me happy we usually travel by airship."

"Speak for yourself."

Cinder turned around to see Nora and her brown horse behind her. The phrase and Nora's face made Cinder feel that something was wrong. But before she could ask, Nora sighed and explained herself.

"I'm sorry, I just... I remember this place," she said.

"You've been here before?" Cinder asked. "When?"

"A long time ago. When I was a kid."

"What were you doing?"

"This was where I decided to go to Kuroyuri." Nora looked at the wooden post in the crossroad, covered in signs. She was specifically looking at the one that said "Kuroyuri". "My mom was gone, I was alone... it was the easiest place to go to."

Cinder moved her horse closer to Nora and wrapped her arms around her. "Well, you made the right choice. We're glad you came." Once she felt Nora's arms wrap around her, Cinder smiled.

The sound of galloping caused the two to break away and see Eren coming towards them. "Sorry you had to wait," he said sincerely. "My saddle was loose."

"It's okay," Nora said with a smile. "We actually found a good place to rest." Nora pointed at the series of signs behind her.

Eren moved his horse closer to the signs and looked at them. "Okay, Mistral's this way, and so's Kuchi..."

"Kuchinashi," Cinder finished, understanding that it was a hard name to say. "And it looks like Higanbana is over there." Cinder pointed to the dirt road where she saw Ren sitting alone on his horse, doing absolutely nothing.

"That's deeper into the tribe's comfort zone," Nora pointed out. "The mayor said the first city we should go to was Matanui."

"Okay, where's that?" Eren asked as he looked at the signs. "Close to Higanbana?"

"Probably." Cinder turned to Ren. "Is he right, Ren?"

"..."

Cinder looked back to Eren and Nora, who were also looking at Ren. When he continued to stay silent, they looked back to Cinder with worried glances. Sharing their feelings, Cinder could only ask again. "Ren? Is Matanui close to-?"

"I don't know."

Ren's quick answer and riding down the path to Higanbana caused everyone to see that something was wrong. While she knew it would be wise to leave him alone, Cinder needed to know where to go.

"I thought you said you knew the other cities," she reminded him.

"I did. Right before we left everyone defenseless."

"...Right. You mentioned that before. Do you want to head back?"

"Not really. Wouldn't want to waste any more time."

Ren finally made his horse move down the path to Higanbana, leaving Cinder speechless and feeing somewhat insulted. But Eren was ready to take her place.

"Ren, wait up," he said.

"..."

"Ren, stop!"

Ren made his horse stop moving and turn around, facing Eren as his horse slowly walked down the path. "What's the problem?" Eren asked.

"Don't worry about it," Ren stubbornly demanded.

"This kind of job needs a clear head, Ren. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"My head is clear. Now don't-"

"He's worried about our family."

Ren snapped his head back at Nora faster than Eren did, and was clearly angered by the accusation. "Nora! That's none of your business!"

"None of my-?" Nora got closer to Ren as well. "Li's my father too, you know! He brought me to live with you all, he practically raised me! Doesn't that mean I can talk about him too?"

"..."

Nora took Ren's silent realization as a chance to explain his behavior to Eren and Cinder. "He took a bad hit when we were back home. The doctors say he shouldn't be hunting or fighting on the wall anymore, and he thinks Ren's ready to pick up where he left off."

Before Eren could say anything else, Ren yelled once again. "And how does he expect me to do that?! How can he think I'm good enough to protect my family?!"

Cinder finally joined the group. Rather than talking like Eren and Nora were, she sent a slap into Ren's cheek. Once he recovered and looked back at Cinder, Ren gave her his undivided attention.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" she asked seriously. "Ren, you're probably the only one who took all of Eren's training the most seriously." Cinder suddenly chuckled. "If you don't think you have what it takes to look after your family, then you must have nothing but shit for brains!"

"Are you kidding?" Ren asked, removing his hand from his cheek. "I'm not sure if you're remembering everything right, but while you were all busy fighting those bandits, I was getting everyone, and myself, out of the way!"

Cinder scoffed. "Are you kidding? Is that what you really think protection is all about?"

"Cinder's right," Eren spoke up. "No matter what, soldiers and generals make sure that civilian casualties can be avoided in war." He pointed a finger at Ren. "You were more useful than anyone an hour ago. You really were a protector."

"But what if we can't guarantee the safety of the bunker?" Ren rhetorically asked. "What if we need to fight a horde of Grimm relying on strength alone? And what if we aren't strong enough?"

"What, you're saying that you're not strong enough?"

"I'm saying that I can be stronger. With your help."

Eren took a moment to think about Ren's request. "We could train some more. I mean, I showed you just about everything I know, but we can still-"

"I'm not talking about just training. There's another way you could help me. A faster way."

Eren took another moment to think about what Ren was saying. He needed a little more time to fully comprehended what his friend was saying, but then he understood. "Wait. You don't mean-"

Ren hopped off his horse and held its reins. "Eren... I want you to give me a Titan."

The color on everyone's faces disappeared when Ren made his request. Cinder and Nora were left speechless, so they couldn't even ask Ren why he would do such a thing.

So Eren spoke for them.

"No."

Ren's jaw dropped. "...No?" he asked.

Eren jumped off his horse so he could be at Ren's level. "Ren... no. I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

That was when the young man became angry once again. "Can't? Or won't?"

"..."

Before Ren could say anything else, Nora jumped off her horse and asked Eren a question. "Or don't want to?"

"..."

Ren took another look at Eren, could see that the idea seemed to have brought up a certain feeling. It was a feeling that Eren rarely showed, one that Ren was familiar with about an hour ago.

"You're scared," he deduced.

Eren rubbed his eyes as he explained himself. "I'm scared, you're right," he confessed. "I'm scared of what will happen to you if I were to do what you want. Don't you remember what happened the first night Cinder and I used our Titans back home?"

"Well... I remember two heroes protecting everyone around them," Nora said with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, they were scary as heck. But they were still heroes."

"What about the fear of everyone? How it spread across the village?"

"And what about what I did?" Cinder asked as she joined everyone once again. "When I lost control, I could have really hurt someone."

"But you learned to control yourself," Ren stated. "Each time you had to use your Titans, you used them with control and caution. Only in times when you needed them, when there was no other way." Ren moved closer to Eren. "I need to be able to do that, Eren. When there's no other way to help anyone. You know that can happen."

"It can... but you know that's not why I have a Titan," Eren said. "Do you remember what I told you the first day you found out about me?"

"That you're from another place?" Ren asked.

"Or that you gave Cinder her Titan when she asked you to?" Nora included.

"No! I mean, yes, you're right." Eren knew he wasn't getting anywhere by dodging the subject, so he said it like it was. "But the Titans have another purpose. Once I make enough Titans, I'm going to hunt down the one who controls the Grimm. I'm going after Salem."

"And I'm going too," Cinder promised. "We're going to fight to make sure she can't hurt anyone again. And that includes you."

"So let me fight with you!" Ren requested, on the verge of getting down on his knees and begging. "I can help you kill Salem, and then-!"

"You can't," Eren confessed. "I can't kill her either."

"...What do you mean?" Nora asked.

"...Darkness chose me for a reason. Back home, I was able to get past an impossible defense to inherit the War-Hammer Titan. He thinks I can do the same against Salem."

"So... what's her 'impossible defense?'"

"Salem... can't die."

The news was already known to Cinder, but Eren never shared it with Ren or Nora. And the truth hurt them, left their image of Eren shattered.

"Are you saying Salem's immortal?" Nora asked.

"That's right," Eren confirmed.

Nora gasped while Ren walked forward. "You didn't think this was something you should share?"

"Yes. Because I'm not getting you involved."

"But if Salem can't be killed, then how can we trust you to win this?"

"Because I'm not going to kill her. I'm going to use my Titan to make sure she can't do anything to hurt us again."

The idea Eren presented seemed to have renewed hope for Nora and Ren. "Are you saying you have a plan?" Nora asked.

"Yeah. It's risky, but I know for a fact it'll work. I need my Titan in order to pull it off, along with the help of anyone else I give Titans to."

"So let's-"

Eren put his hand up in front of Ren and Nora. "What I'm going to do won't be easy," he explained. "Salem's not like the Grimm I had you train with or the bandits we scared off. She's ruthless, lethal... stronger than anything I've fought."

Cinder put a hand on Eren's shoulder to make him stop. That's when she dropped the hardest truth of all. "When Eren and I go into whatever home she has... there's no saying we'll be coming out."

"..."

Cinder sighed as she walked back to her horse and left her closest friends to deal with the truth. The decision to leave them behind was something Eren suggested, but she knew it was the right call. If there was one thing she hated more than not being free, it was the idea of everyone she loved being hurt because of her.

Eren shared Cinder's sentiments and had nothing else to say. So he made his way back to his horse and prepared to continue his mission.

That was when Ren's arm shot in front of him.

"When I got separated from my parents during the Grimm attack, I saw my father fighting against almost impossible odds. Looking back on it now, I knew that he was willing to die to protect everyone he loved. I couldn't call myself his son, I can't even call you my friend, if I wasn't willing to do the same."

Eren turned back to Ren, who moved his hand out towards him.

"There was something else he was fighting for," Ren continued. "He always wanted a better tomorrow for me and Nora. Now it's time for me to start fighting for that tomorrow. Whether it's the Grimm, the Branwen tribe, or any other possible enemy... I'm not going to stop fighting. And I could use all the help I can get."

Nora walked over and took Ren's other hand. "Me too," she declared.

"Nora?" Eren asked. "You-?"

"Yeah, that's right." Nora smiled at Eren. "I love my home. I love my family. And I love you guys. And if there's one thing I learned from living with Ren... the things you love are always worth fighting for."

Eren looked back at Cinder, who only smiled and nodded at him. She knew that this was something that the two of them wanted, and that there wasn't anything else she could do to stop them. And having them by her side would lighten the burden the two of them carried.

"So... you're sure about this?" Eren asked his friends, who were looking tensely at him. "Once I do this... there's no going back."

Ren took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His mind raced through his thoughts of home. His mother. His father. Nora. All the people he grew up with. Rather than fear losing them all, his will to protect them with a Titan grew.

Even Nora was as serious as Ren. Her thoughts also turned to her home. The ones who took her in when she was abandoned. They protected her, gave her a new life. Eren and Cinder did the same when they gave her their friendship, so she would be damned if she didn't do something to keep them all safe. She owed it to them.

Both Kuroyuri natives turned and faced each other. They said no words but their gaze told them everything. The two nodded to each other and turned back to Eren and spoke in unison. "We're ready."

Eren gazed into their eyes. There was no hesitation or fear.

Only focus.

Determination.

Desire. He smiled at the two and brought up both of his hands, revealing cuts he had prepared. Black blood oozing from the lacerations. Without having to say anything, Ren and Nora reached out and gripped his hands tightly. Focusing, Eren's normally green eyes briefly flashed purple. The process was different than what happened to Cinder, but Eren didn't question it. Instead, he watched the black blood suddenly surge to life and began racing up both Ren and Nora's arms.

Ren and Nora both grimaced and grunted. A faint burning sensation sprouting from inside them as the black tar like blood expanded and thickened as it covered more of their bodies. They gritted their teeth, the burning intensified as the substance now covered their bodies.

The last thing the two saw before the substance fully enveloped them... was the towering figure of Darkness standing behind Eren.

---

Ren found himself frantically gasping as he scanned his surroundings and patted himself down. The substance was gone... but something felt different.

"Nora do you-" Ren trailed off as he looked to his left. With startled realization, he saw that his environment had changed. The forest they were in was suddenly replaced with something... dark. Everywhere he turned was blackened with death. The sky was also different. The afternoon blue sky was replaced with an ominous red and purple. The clouds swirling with in a spiral, giving them a hypnotic feel.

"Nora!" Ren swerved around, searching for his companion. But she was no where in sight. "NORA!" He screamed, his breathing deepened as he began to feel nervous. The ominous wind echoed in his ears, doing nothing to soothe his worry. "Nora if you can hear me! Say som-"

*RUSTLE*

Ren froze, his voice dying in his throat. Something was here... something was watching him.

Slowly, Ren began to look around. Everything was silent... unnaturally silent. The ominous winds had ceased to blow. The strange substance leaking from the tree's had halted. The swirling clouds above had stilled. It was as if time had frozen in place but the only thing capable of movement was Ren himself. Something wasn't right.

Ren took a deep breath. "Calm yourself, Lie. Now is not the time to panic." Steeling his nerves Ren turned around.

And found himself staring into two large red eyes.

"AHHH!" Ren yelped, loosing his balance and falling to the ground. Ren held a hand to his chest, trying to steady his breathing and slow his heart rate. "What was that?!" he asked himself over and over again.

Turning his gaze back in front of him, Ren saw them. Those glowing red eyes were still there, unconnected to a body. The eyes were floating in the air.

No... there was something there.

Narrowing his eyes, Ren focused more on the area around the floating eyes. The air seemed to shimmer and warp as the eyes shifted in place in the air.

Suddenly it made sense to Ren. There was something connected to the eyes, it was only invisible. Or camouflaged. The body was there, it was just actively hidden.

Regaining his bearings, Ren slowly began to stand up. His eyes never left the glowing red ones as he finally spoke. "You're... You're it, aren't you? My Titan."

The air began to shimmer more intensely. The area warping as a shape began to come into focus. When the warping and shimmering finally ceased, Ren was finally given a proper look at the being in front of him.

It was indeed a Titan. Though it was much different than what he had seen before. Unlike Eren and Cinder's forms, this Titan was much smaller in size, around six or seven meters tall.

And it seemed to bear a very strong resemblance with his own looks. Its facial structure, eye shape, even the hairstyle was similar right down to the streak on the side. The Titan possessed white hair, but one streak that ran down the side was blood red in color, a great contrast to the magenta streak in Ren's own hair.

The skin seemed to be made up of a strange... scale-like material that seemed to glisten in the light. It might be what enabled the monster to turn invisible.

Another thing that differed from Eren and Cinder's Titan or even from normal Grimm in general, it's scale-like skin was a dark grey color rather than the usual black that Grimm usually possessed.

"..."

The two beings stared at each other in silence. After a brief period had passed, the Titan slowly raised it's palm towards Ren. Almost on instinct, Ren raised his arm up and slowly began walking towards the Titan. As the two made contact, both their eyes flashed. A voice seemed to whisper in Ren's mind as the Titan slowly began to fade away.

It spoke one word.

"Predator."

---

"WAH-OOF!" Nora cried as she fell face first onto the ground. "Ow... That hurt more than I thought it would," Nora grumbled as she rubbed her nose, thankful that it wasn't broken. "Hey Ren! Ren are... you... okay?"

Nora's jaw dropped as she took in her surroundings.

All around her, dark and ominous storm clouds rumbled and vicious vortexes of wind raged. Periodic lightning was flashing between them and lashing out on the ground. To Nora's surprise and confusion, the lightning was a pinkish red color, not the usual blue or white of lightning she had seen in the past, or the one that awoke her Semblance. Even more confusing, there didn't seem to be any floor beneath Nora at all. Just an endless, raging vortex with lightning lashing out in different directions.

"O-Okay... This isn't fun anymore..." Nora murmured, her voice shaking as her nerves began to rise. While she usually gained strength from electricity, there were still times when she was scared of violent storms... or whatever was happening around her.

"Ren? Where are you? Ren?!" Nora's voice begins to rise an octave, her fear rising. "Ren?! REN?! WHERE ARE Y-ACK!" Nora was cut off as a violent wind ripped right by her. Nora brought her arms up in a feeble attempt to block the violent onslaught of gushing wind. "Grgh... n-no... R-Ren, I... I-GAAAHHH!" Nora screamed as she was blown back.

Nora grunted as her body impacted whatever invisible wall that seemed to act as a floor, tumbling round and round when suddenly... she stopped.

"Uhhhh..." Nora moaned, her eyes rolling around comically. "Ren... is the ride over already?" Shaking her head Nora regained her bearings and leapt back up. "Boy that was wild! But what the heck stopped me?"

*THUD*

Nora tensed, feeling the structure she was standing on tremble behind her. Something was there... something large. With a shaky breath, Nora steeled herself and slowly turned around.

Her eyes widened like saucers at the sight before her. It seemed to be a large... shadow, surrounded by a storm cloud. It's features were hidden but she could see some kind of glow emanating from it. Higher up, there appeared to be two... eyes of sorts. Glowing red eyes.

Her heart was racing, sweat dripping down her forehead and her hands were shaking... but Nora did not run. She didn't step away. She didn't cry out in fear. She did not close her eyes and wish the mysterious entity before would disappear. She simply... stayed in place. Her eyes locked with what she assumed were this things eyes.

This thing...

Could it be...

Nora gulped. "A-Are... Are you it?" Nora's voice was small, almost like a whisper. "Are y-you... my Titan?"

To her surprise, the shadow seemed to understand her and nodded. The cloud enveloping it's form began to dissipate.

When the cloud fully cleared Nora was finally able to see what was inside. It was a Titan. And it was big. If her guess was right, this Titan was somewhere around seventeen meters tall, which meant that it was even bigger than Eren and Cinder's Titans.

Nora soon realized that the Titan was not only tall but also buff! It possessed some incredible looking muscles that could probably grind stone. Though she was a little disappointed the Titan didn't have a female figure like Cinder's, this Titan still possessed Grimm black skin. Along the top of it's head flared out a white spiky Mohawk, or perhaps it was a Faux-Hawk? But what was easily the strangest and most eye catching feature was that the Titan's veins were glowing a pinkish red under the surface of it's skin.

The two beings stared at each other in silence. The sounds of rumbling storm clouds and lightning strikes seemed to fade away from their attention. After a brief period had passed, the Titan slowly knelt down and raised it's palm towards Nora. Seemingly on autopilot, Nora walked forward. Her eyes never leaving it's glowing eyes as her arm raised up so her palm would meet its.

As the two made contact, both their eyes flashed. A surge of energy suddenly flooded Nora's entire being as the Titan began to glow brightly.

It was incredible! It was just like how she felt when she was strengthened with her Semblance.

It was electrifying!

Electrifying...

Electric...

Elec...tro?

Electro.

"I like the sound of that," Nora said to herself with a smile.

---

"Whoa. I think you outdid yourself with them, Eren."

"I knew they would be different, but... I never imagined..."

Eren and Cinder marveled at the large contrasts between the two new Titans that stood before them. Between their height, physical state, and expressions on each face, Eren and Cinder were both thinking of the possibilities each Titan possessed.

"Which one do you think is which?" Cinder asked.

"I'm pretty sure that one's Ren," Eren said as he pointed at the smaller Titan. He then pointed towards the larger one. "I'd bet my life that one's Nora."

"You know... we could probably travel by Titan instead of horseback. But I'm not sure your mom will like the fact we lost them."

"And we don't really need anymore attention." Eren cupped his hands over his mouth. "Nora! Ren! You can come out now!"

"..."

The new Titans simply stared at Eren and Cinder, as well as their immediate surroundings. Cinder was starting to feel goosebumps on her skin as she began to realize what this meant.

"They might not control them right now," she said.

"That makes them dangerous," Eren stated. "Be ready for anything."

Just then, the smaller Titan lunged its head forward in front of Cinder. She immediately put her hands up, one of them bleeding black blood. The sight made Eren raise his hand up to his open mouth, prepared to bite down.

"No, no, wait!" Cinder protested. "Look."

Eren looked closer to see that the Titan wasn't ready to attack Cinder. Instead, it was smelling her. It was taking quick, sharp sniffs of her clothes, moving from head to toe.

"C... cInDeR..." the monster said, the speech broken and requiring much effort.

Cinder gasped at the Titan's ability to speak. But she calmed down once she knew that he recognized her. "That's right, Ren," she said as she moved her hand closer to the Titan's head. "It's me, Cinder. I'm your friend."

Just as she touched the red streak in the Titan's hair, it quickly turned around and began to smell the ground. That was when it immediately took off running, keeping its head close to the ground.

"Ren!" Eren called out. "Ren, where are you going?!" Just then, the larger Titan took off running after her partner. "Nora! Come back!" The cries fell on deaf ears, as Nora continued to run.

"Can we catch them by horse?!" Cinder asked.

"If we hurry!" Eren yelled back as he jumped on his horse. "Come on!"

---

"Idiots! All of you!"

*SLAM*

"No, no, wait! You don't understand!"

*SLAM*

"It was Clive's fault!"

*SLAM*

"We'll do better next time!"

*SLAM*

"AGH!"

Several of the surviving bandits from the raid all collapsed to the floor, each nursing bruises and cuts both old and recent.

But right now those injuries were insignificant compared to the angry woman before them.

The woman was somewhere around her early to mid thirties, with long bushy black hair with a small cowlick on top and piercing red eyes. Her clothing consisted of a shallow cut black and red dress with black shorts underneath, with series of beaded necklaces around her neck, and a belt that wrapped around her waist. Attached to the belt was a long black object that was comprised of either fur or a series of feathers, with a red and white bandana like material hanging from behind her. Her forearms bore red armored gauntlets that protruded outwards and black fingerless gloves. She wore black mid-thigh high leggings with red splatter patterns and black heels. Resting on the table was a full face mask that shared a resemblance to a Grimm, with four slitted eyes holes and red markings painted on.

This was Raven Branwen. The leader of the Branwen tribe. And she wasn't happy.

"We've been over this numerous times!" she screamed. Realizing that now was a time for answers rather than screaming her head off, the woman sat down and interrogated her members further. "I gave you everything that you needed to scale those walls, a strategy to avoid the cannons and lower the drawbridge. We've been carefully preparing for this raid for weeks. So you tell me... after all of that, what more did you possibly need?"

"Raven, it's not like that," one member stated, crawling back up while nursing a broken nose. "It's these kids, the weapons they had. They fought like Huntsmen and Huntresses!"

Raven took a moment to think about the idea. Given how advanced Kuroyuri had become in the last seven years since a large Grimm attack, it seemed ideal that students from certain academies would take on training missions there. But there was something else she needed to know.

"What kind of weapons did they have?" she asked.

"A pair of automatic handguns with blades at their ends," one bandit replied.

"Another with a large hammer that can shoot grenades," another followed.

"Yeah, and some kind of gear that can make them fly," the last one replied.

"Fly?" Raven asked, her eyebrow raised. She had seen many weapons used by Huntsmen and Huntresses, but never heard of a weapon that lets a person fly.

"Well, not really 'fly' exactly," the bandit clarified. "But it allowed them to shoot themselves up into the air whenever they want, shoot us with projectiles or slice us open like pigs to the slaughter."

"You saw this happen?"

"Yes, Raven. They killed Walt and Jesse just like that, right in front of my eyes."

"..."

Raven turned away from the battered bandits and looked over at the map of Remnant that was hanging on her wall, mainly the part of Anima where Kuroyuri was located. Her bandits had seen this before. It was a habit of Raven's that she did whenever she was deeply thinking about anything she learned. And after a minute of this, one of the members wanted to know what to do.

"Raven? What are you thinking?" one of the bandits uttered, a little unnerved by the silence from their leader.

"Something's... not right here." Raven finally spoke up. "According to what you just said, these kids are around the same age as a typical first year student from the Huntsman Academies. Most first years are greenhorns who only spar with restrictions and haven't been exposed to the ugly side of things like their upperclassman. These people on the other hand are different." Raven turned back to face her men. "Unlike most students, they killed our people without mercy or hesitation. This all seems too brutal for a supervised student to do," Raven declared. "These people might not by Huntsmen."

"But they still fight like them. Should we go back with some of the experienced guys? The ones you trained?"

"No." Raven turned around. "Not yet. Let them think we gave up, let them lower their guard. In a few weeks, we'll go back and-"

*BOOM*

A loud explosion rang through the air, splinters of wood and fragments of metal flying inside of the tent. Raven swiped her weapon Omen off the table while the rest of the occupants in her tent all reached for their weapons before making their way outside. Once they got outside, everyone could see the ruined pieces of their wooden gate fall to the ground, along with some of the bloodied corpses of the gate's guards.

And in the center of the carnage was a young boy with black hair, wearing a strange looking harness and tank with two swords held in his hand.

"Looks like you were right, Ren." Eren muttered to himself. Refocusing on the numerous bandits in front of him, Eren's gaze turned to the woman making her way past everyone else. "I take it this is the right place," he called out, quickly glancing at the bandits he saw running away earlier.

"Who are you?" Raven asked calmly, her hand resting on Omen's hilt.

"Eren Yeager."

"Let me guess, Eren Yeager... you're from Kuroyuri, aren't you?"

"That's right."

"So tell me then... why did you come all the way out here?"

"Answers."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "To?"

"Why did you attack my home?"

Some of the bandits started laughing, while one confidently boasted. "We're bandits, it's what we do!"

"Steve! For God's sake, man, shut the hell up!" another bandit warned his friend, who was dangerously close to Raven when he made the declaration.

"No, it's fine," Raven calmly said as she put a hand on her tribe member's shoulder. "He mostly summed it all up."

"So that's it? You charged at our home, injure and even kill some of our people... just so you get to steal and kill on a whim?"

"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules."

Eren gripped his swords tighter. While he was stoic looking on the outside, he was seething on the inside. Just trying to wait for the right moment to release his rage on the arrogant woman. "The rules, huh?" he repeated. "Do these 'rules' tell you that you're the strong one here?"

"No. My title as leader does. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival. That's what makes me strong." Raven pointed at the young man. "What about you?"

"I just keep moving forward... until my enemies are destroyed."

The sound of air bursting out of an engine caught everyone's ears as they turned to see a young girl up in the sky. "So do I," she said as something black escaped her grasp. An arrow found its way into a bandit's chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Suddenly, the arrow split open and small projectiles shot out and struck nearby bandits.

Raven watched as Eren and Cinder advanced deeper into her home, followed swiftly by another boy and girl. Raven noticed they were wielding a pair of handguns and a hammer respectively, meaning they were the other kids her men spoke about.

Once they were preoccupied by more bandits clashing their blades at each intruder, Raven grabbed the first bandit she could find. "Go and grab everyone who can carry a gun and bring them here. I don't care if they're still injured."

"What's that going to do?!" the bandit cried out as he ducked under one of his friends being punted across the camp by the hammer wielding girl.

"This is something that we've prepared for," Raven said, her gaze falling back to the attackers. "Now, go!"

As Raven watched her accomplice follow her orders, she turned back to the apparent leader of the attack. And Eren had just finished off the bandits closest to him.

"Ren, you sure you're up for this?" Eren asked his friend, who was still showing the lingering feelings of his transformation.

Ren kicked one bandit away from him before answering. "I just need to take them out one at a time. I'll be fine."

Eren wasn't ready to take the chance, however. "Cinder, cover Ren and Nora from up there!"

"I don't think we need to worry about her!" Cinder said as she pointed to the center of the camp. And sure enough, Nora was smashing both crates and bandits from left to right.

"Good point," Eren said. "Just keep an eye on-"

A metal object crashed into Eren's face, knocking him to the ground. Looking back up, he saw Raven Branwen grab her sword and swing at Eren. The blade cut his chest, but his powers healed it in an instant.

"Let's see how strong you really are," Raven said as she prepared to plunge her sword into Eren's chest.

But Eren was quick to lock his sword with hers, and even quicker to swing his other one. Raven was forced to leap to the side, leaving Eren a chance to get back up. As Raven lunged at him again, Eren used his gear to attach onto a wooden beam and swing around her.

Raven was prepared for Eren to strike each time he swung around her, but the young man had a different plan. He instead kicked and threw every crate that was around him at the older woman. She was able to slice and hack through each one, but this gave Eren a chance find old blades that belonged to the bandits. Once he did, Eren threw them and watched them fly towards Raven.

While one sword clipped a piece of her hair, another sliced Raven's forehead. The attack caused her to kneel to the ground and activate her Aura. And she was forced to use it again when Eren flew at Raven and kicked her in the chest. He landed on the ground and watched her collide into a tent.

"You can put that gear to good use," Raven complimented her opponent. "But you're starting to annoy me."

"We have that effect on some people," Eren countered.

"Not for long."

Bullets suddenly flew past Eren's head while others struck the boxes on his gear. They were rendered useless and Eren was sent falling to the ground.

"So much for your strength," Raven said as she walked past the fallen boy and looked back to her tribe members. "Don't just stand there, fire at the others now."

The sudden change in target caused everyone to miss the sight of Eren getting back up, steam raising from his body. Quickly abandoning the damaged part of his gear, Eren turned to his hand controls and unfolded them. The unfolded parts suddenly turned into two handguns, which Eren used to open fire on the gunmen.

Raven turned around to see Eren fly into the air again, but without using the metal hooks he had earlier. All she could do was activate her Aura once more and devise a new plan to attack. And her first target would be the children taking care of her tribe.

"How many of these guys does this tribe have?!" Cinder yelled as she fired another arrow at a charging bandit.

"Say what you will about the Branwen tribe, they certainly come prepared!" Ren yelled back as he was skewering a bandit with the blades on his guns.

"Well, I say them being prepared is super annoying!" Nora growled as she punted another bandit with Magnhild.

"Nora look out!"

"Wha-GAH!" Nora barely had time to respond to Ren's warning before she was struck in the side by a large mace wielding bandit.

"Nora!" Ren and Cinder called out to her. Eren gritted his teeth as he glared at the remaining bandits.

"Grrrrr...!" Nora growled as she hauled herself up from the mini trench she made in the ground. "That's it! I am so sick of these guys!" she screamed, her temper running wild as black blood began leaking from some cuts on her body.

Raven frowned as she focused on the girl. Her stomach was starting to sink as her gaze lingered on the strange sight before her. Black blood? Blood wasn't black. Being a Human or Faunus made no difference, blood was always supposed to be red. Even the most exotic Faunus had red blood. The only lifeforms in the world with black blood were...

"No. It can't be."

Raven's eyes widened as she locked her gaze with the furious gaze of Nora.

"You attack our home! Hurt my father!" All eyes in camp widened in shock as a strange red lightning began to churn around Nora. "Killed so many others!

Eren and Cinder's eyes widened in worry. "Nora, don't!" Eren yelled. "If you transform again-"

"I don't care!" Nora cut them off with an enraged bellow as she chomped down hard on her hand, black blood spraying in the air.

*ZAP*

*CRASH*

The bandits cried out in surprise and went flying as a bolt of red lightning struck the ground. Dust and wind kicking up from the surroundings.

Raven lowered her arm from her face. Her normally calm, if arrogant, demeanor was no where to be found as she stared in horror at the sight before.

From the center of the ball of red light, large bones began to materialize from thin air, taking the shape of a human or human-like skeleton. Muscle and sinew soon appeared and wrapped itself around the skeleton, followed soon by skin... black skin of Grimm. The girl, Nora if she recalled correctly, was soon swallowed up by the muscle and skin as the giant figure stood tall. The last thing Raven saw was glowing red eyes with black sclera surrounding it glaring down at her.

Those eyes... were just like a Grimm.

But she was human...

A human... becoming a Grimm?

Another red flash caught her attention. Behind the towering Grimm another began to materialize in the same fashion as the first. Bone, muscle, skin all manifested to form another human-like Grimm. And the source was none other than the other kid, Eren Yeager, as he too was swallowed up by the giant Grimm.

"I see now..." Raven muttered under her breath, her skin paler than normal as her hands shook.

"Damn it Nora..." Eren growled as he focused on the Titan before him. "Why didn't you listen?"

"Now it all makes sense!"

Eren turned away as he focused back on Raven, who was glaring at him in a mixture of anger and... fear? "I should've known that there was more to this attack then mere revenge for your village!" she yelled in order for the Titan to hear her. "So... Salem has finally sent her agents after me!"

Eren, Ren, and Cinder all froze. How could this bandit know about Salem?

"But if you think you freaks of nature are going to take me down..." Raven growled as her eyes began to emit a strange red flame from her red irises. To everyone's confusion and surprise, she began to float in the air. "Then get ready to be disappointed!"

Eren's eyes widened from within his Titan. "This sensation... it's magic? But how is that even possible? Only Salem and-" Eren's thoughts were cut off when Nora let out an enraged roar and charged forward. "Nora!"

Nora was out of control. Each swipe and punch was wild and uncoordinated, but it forced Raven to quickly duck and weave back and around the strikes. When the opportunity was hers, she dashed forward. Omen's sheath began rotating before selecting and attaching a blue colored blade as Raven flew in the air towards Nora's chest. Each strike was true, but the large humanoid Grimm didn't seem to feel any pain. In fact, the Grimm only seemed to be even more enraged than before. Raven got this hint when she was suddenly grabbed out of the air. She cried out in surprise and then pain as the Titan began to tightly squeeze her, her weapon crushed and rendered useless. Watching Omen fall out of her reach made Raven see that this wasn't good.

"O-Oh gods! Oh gods! OH GODS!"

"M-Monsters! They're all MONSTERS!"

"I NEVER SIGNED UP FOR THIS!"

"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!"

Many of the remaining Branwen tribe members agreed with that sentiment and they all began to run from the chaos behind them.

Only to stumble backwards as large, purple and black crystals jutted out from the ground. One bandit unfortunately was impaled by one of the crystals spikes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The bandits all paled at the sound of the deep and ominous voice behind them. Turning around, they were face to face with the other giant Grimm. It's eyes narrowed distastefully at the quivering men. "Cowards," it said. With a roar of anger, the monster swung its arms down, causing the bandits' screams of terror to be silenced as they were all crushed.

Raven struggled to free herself from the giant hand grasping her. She cried out in pain as the fist holding her tightened, but froze as she was suddenly brought towards the face. Raven found herself staring deep into those glowing red eyes. Even when in a mindless state rampaging... this girl that had somehow transformed into a Grimm. Even worse, she was more intelligent than any Grimm Raven had ever faced before, even Alphas and older Grimm.

And that terrified her more than anything.

With a loud yell, Raven quickly slammed down on the Titan's hand, which was violently torn to pieces in a blue explosion. Pure energy surrounded Raven's form as she gained distance between them. Closing her eyes and holding out her hands, a large sword seemingly comprised of ice appeared out of thin air. Quickly taking the sword in both hands, Raven swung at the Titan's chest. The impact knocked it backwards, lingering ice melting off it's chest. Before it had the chance to recover Raven dashed forward and unleashed a bombardment of quick strikes. The Titan roared in pain as large gashes were dug into it's chest.

Before Raven could continue the assault, she was forced to block a barrage of bullets and arrows barely missing her. Turning around, she saw the other kids firing on her. With a growl, she swung her hand and a wave of frost shot towards them.

"Dammit!" Thinking quickly, Cinder grabbed Ren and activated the Volant, her and Eren's flight mode in their respective gear, and dashed away as the frost impacted the ground where they once stood. "Our attacks are doing nothing to her while she's like that."

"Perhaps this might change things!" Ren brought his hand to the edge of StormFlowers blades.

"Ren, no!"

Ren paused, looking at Cinder with surprise. "Eren can help Nora deal with her," she promised. "Right now, we need to get out of here!"

"But if I turn into my Titan, I could help both him and Nora!" Ren argued.

"You've already transformed once today, and that was your first ever transformation! You'll just lose control of yourself. Eren can calm her down once this is over." Cinder detached her blades from the hand controls and placed them back into their collapsible storage mode. "Now lets go!" With that order, Cinder took off as she attached her anchors to a nearby tree.

Ren gritted his teeth but ultimately relented. With a final look towards the battleground, he took off after Cinder. When he was near he jumped up and stabbed the blades of StormFlower into the tree's trunk and began to climb up. As he reached the top, Cinder offered a hand to Ren and he took it as he was pulled up on the branch she was positioned on.

The two turned back and quietly observed the final moments of the battle. The tribes camp was in complete ruins. The wooden wall surrounding it was destroyed, the remnants having been set on fire. All of the bandits were either dead by their hands or Eren's, or by some miracle they managed to escape before they were trapped by the crystals. The only one left of the tribe was Raven herself who was currently engaged with Eren.

Raven ducked and weaved as she dodged the strikes of Eren. If she was just like her fellow bandits, she would most likely have been killed by now. But even with her unnatural power, she found herself struggling more than she expected. Whatever freak show Salem had created was much stronger than she had originally estimated.

Eren growled as he brought his fists up. With a shattering sound, purple crystals began to form hardened plates along his fingers and knuckles.

Raven grimaced. If she got hit by those... things that the monster called "hands," then it was going to hurt. Thinking fast, she brought her hands up and fired a condensed bolt of lightning into Eren's chest. The bolt exploded and sent Eren flying back with surprising force.

"Eren!" Cinder cried out.

Raven turned her focus back towards the other fallen Titan, electricity gathering in her hands.

"No, you don't!" Cinder snarled as she was about to reach for her blades to combine back into her bow.

"Wait!" Ren stopped her. Before she could question why, Ren turned back and pointed to the electricity emanating from the floating bandit. "She's about to make a big mistake." The realization dawned on Cinder as she looked on.

With a roar Raven threw her hands out and unleashed a large beam of electricity on the downed Titan. A large explosion ringed out, dust and smoke rose up from the impact zone.

Panting heavily, Raven slowly descended back to the ground. The flames in her eyes began to die down. "Finally... it's over." Raven turned away and looked on at the ruins of her tribe and frowned. Everything was gone. Whatever men were under her command were either dead or deserted. It would take a long time before she could ever rebuild, but for now she had to leave.

With a grunt of exhaustion, Raven stood up and began to walk.

*CRACKLE*

Only to halt her steps as cold dread seized her heart.

Whirling around, her eyes widened in shock and fear as the Titan rose from the ground, eyes glowing more intensely then they were before. All wounds from battle were healing more rapidly than they were before, and the veins beneath it's skin were glowing brightly to the point that they were almost white.

Raising a hand, electricity began to crackle violently in Nora's palm before it began to condense and expand. The electricity extended down to the ground as it formed into a long whip.

"Oh no..." Raven croaked.

With a loud roar the Titan swung it's arm, the electric whip coiling up before lashing out with a loud CRACK as it impacted the ground in front of Raven. The bandit leader cried out as she was sent flying back and skidding across the ground, faint bolts of red electricity arcing across her body. Quickly scrambling up, she brought her hands up to fire a wave of frost.

This only led Raven to yelp as she was struck again, this time directly, before she screamed in agony as the whip was soon coiled tightly around her.

The pain was worse than anything she had ever felt before. The electricity was coursing through her, forcing her muscles to seize and lock up, which prevented her from trying to free herself. Her Aura was preventing any permanent damage, but it wouldn't be long before it reached a breaking point.

The electric whip eventually dissipated. Raven collapsed to the ground, the surrounding area had formed a small crater due to the violent electricity.

Ren could already see that without any bandits to fight, the reckless Titan would impulsively attack Eren and Cinder. "Eren!" he cried at the top of his lungs. "That's enough! Make her stop!"

Eren only nodded as he grabbed the larger Titan by the neck. His left hand began to glow purple, like the crystal structures he could make. With that hand, Eren reached into the back of Nora's neck and pulled. Which caused the beast to fall to the ground, with Eren and Nora following suit.

"Nora!" Ren cried out as he jumped down and got closer to the girl coming out of the Titan's neck. "Nora, say something!"

Having exited his Titan, Eren was also running towards Nora. But he began to shout towards Ren. "Ren, wait!" he begged. "Don't touch her, it's going to be-!"

"Ahhh!" Ren cried as he instinctively grabbed Nora. "It's hot!" Quickly letting go of the exposed flesh, Ren activated what little Aura he had to block out the pain.

"Ren, wait a second!" Cinder said as she kneeled down to him. "You don't need your Aura."

"I... I don't?" Ren asked, still looking at his burnt arms.

"Just listen." Cinder made a small cut on her hand and held it out to Ren. Steam began to form on the cut and bind the flesh together again. "Just picture your hands, exactly as they were before you got hurt. This will make the process faster."

Ren did as he was told while wincing through the pain. Trying his hardest to picture his hands free of any burns, steam began to surround his burns. After a few seconds, the burns began to disappear along with the pain.

"There," Cinder said as she stood up. "Better?"

"...Better," Ren agreed as he stood up. "Much better." Remembering why his hands were burnt in the first place, he quickly turned back to Nora and her Titan. Eren was standing over her, watching her slow healing begin. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine," Eren promised. "Just needs some time to wake up."

"Can she hear us?"

"I don't think so. She looks like she's really out of it."

"That's how I was when I transformed for a second time," said Cinder. "Once I was well-rested, I was up and about."

Trusting that Nora would be okay, Ren turned to look at the large hole in the ground. He saw broken earth, scorched dirt... but no Raven.

"Where's the leader's body?" he asked. Eren and Cinder turned to the hole, and also saw nothing. Ren began to grow worried. "Where'd she go?"

Before anyone else could say anything, Nora shot up from the ground.

"Pancakes!"

It took a few seconds for everyone to laugh at Nora not caring about her body being covered in steam or the thick lines under her eyes. She quickly realized where she was, and it wasn't any kitchen with pancakes.

"Uh, sorry guys," she sincerely apologized. Nora then tried to stand up, but quickly needed to soothe her headache by placing a hand on her forehead.

"Take it easy," Eren ordered. "This takes a few minutes to deal with."

"Deal with?" Nora looked around her surroundings as Eren and Ren helped her up. "Whoa. Did... Did I do this?"

"...You did," Ren confessed. "But listen. You might have lost control, but we're all okay. You didn't hurt any one of us."

"And we all did something that should have been done a long, long time ago," Cinder included.

"And we couldn't have done it without you," Eren finished off. "You saved us, Nora."

"Thanks, guys," Nora said as she got on her feet. But lying against her foot was the head of a bandit, broken beyond repair. Nora couldn't help but kneel down and look on it in pity. She believed everything that her friends told her, but the idea of people dying still made her uncomfortable. Sometimes, she could hide it behind a smile or laughter. But this wasn't one of those times.

Eren saw that Nora's expression was similar to the first time he killed someone as a Titan. When he had unknowingly devoured his own father. So he decided to give her a minute to comprehend what had happened.

Cinder decided to ready the horses with Eren, leaving Ren to watch Nora.

"We still haven't told anyone about Eren and Cinder," Nora said as she looked up at Ren.

"No... we haven't," Ren confirmed.

"Now we have to keep this a secret."

"We don't have a choice."

"We don't. If everyone knew, they wound think we're monsters." Nora began to reach out to the severed head. "They'd think I'm a monster."

Ren quickly kneeled down to his friend. "That's... That's not true."

Nora looked back to the head. "Are you sure about that?"

"..."

Ren knew he wasn't so sure. He knew that it would be easy for everyone to call them no better than the Grimm. While he still needed time to come to terms about being a Titan, there was something he could say that would help Nora.

"Do you remember the day we met?" he asked calmly. "When those kids were calling you names?"

Nora nodded.

"I didn't think any of those things they said about you. I know it's not much, but I want you to know that I don't... that I will never see you as a monster. I won't see you as anything less than my best friend. It's not much, but... Father once told me that the ignorant follows the public opinion."

Nora looked up at Ren as he took her hand. "The public opinion would say those things about us, you might be right. But I'd rather jump off a bridge than follow that idea."

Hearing those small words made Nora's heart skip a beat. Ren was wrong; they meant the world to her, that Ren wouldn't see her as a monster. So she found herself once again in the arms of her hero.

"Come on," Ren said as he let go. "It's time to go home."

Nora didn't let go. "Carry me," she happily requested. She then fell to the ground. "I'm tired."

Ren chuckled as he used some effort to get Nora off the ground and carry her to the horses.

"What's the matter, Nora?" Cinder asked sarcastically. "I thought you said you'd never get tired of days full of action."

"I take it back," Nora said. "Now I say... we need a vacation!"

Eren chuckled at the idea. "Yeah... a long one," he said as he made room on his horse for Ren to get on.

As Cinder felt Nora's arms wrap around her stomach for the horse ride back, she suddenly had an idea. "You know what? Let's do it! Let's have ourselves a vacation!"

"Yeah, I guess we can take a break from the farm."

"Not just the farm, but from home. From Mistral."

Ren included himself in the conversation. "It's been said that Vale is warm this time of year."

Nora moved her head off Cinder's back. "Is it warm enough for beach season?"

"It's been a while since I've been to a beach," Eren reminded himself.

"So, let's do it!" Cinder declared once more. "We'll take Mercury and our parents too, let them see somewhere other than farmland and forests."

Everyone found the rest of the ride back home enjoyable, as they all shared ideas for their upcoming vacation. They were so happy that they had no idea that a peculiar raven was flying overhead, almost as if it was trying to study the young adults.

---

Author's notes: hope you're enjoying the story so far, thanks for reading! Before you go, here's a note from my co-creator and friend, The Avenging Titan:

"Hey guys! I hope you all are enjoying the story. I am having a blast helping Court come up with ideas for this story and even trying my hand at writing some scenes for the chapter. I hope that I did a good enough job though as I am not very proficient at writing fight scenes or actions scenes in general.

I also wanted to talk a bit about some new inclusions to Eren and the gang. Starting with Eren and Cinder's weapons for this story.

Eren's weapon is dubbed "Soaring Freedom" by me and Court of Talons. Soaring Freedom is a a piece of vertical maneuvering equipment built by Mercury. Unlike normal gear, Soaring Freedom is a hybrid design incorporating aspects of both regular vertical maneuvering equipment and the Anti-Personnel variant. Meaning it is capable of utilizing both blades and firearms in battle. In 'blade mode', the gear extends retractable blades directly from within the gears hand controls. The blades are made from a more durable material then Ultrahard steel, meaning it is capable of blocking against attacks that would normally shatter the blades and takes longer before the edge starts to dull. In 'gun mode', the hand controls shift and unfold into a handgun like firearm strong enough to be used against both Grimm and Humans/Faunus. Soaring Freedom also possess a unique function that enables the user to activate the "Volant" (a jetpack function for open environments, Latin for "fly"), which allows them to fly about open environments with no anchor points, something that has proven fatal in the past for the Survey Corps. Instead of Iceburst stone, the gear is powered by an 'Aero Cell', which is a Wind Dust based power source. An Aero Cell is long lasting, meaning it will take longer for the gears gas to be depleted compared to Iceburst stone.

Cinder's weapon is dubbed "Dancing Midnight" by me and Court of Talons. Like Soaring Freedom, Dancing Midnight is also a piece of vertical maneuvering equipment built by Mercury. Unlike Soaring Freedom however, Dancing Midnight is more like traditional gear where the user attaches blades to the gears hand controls. The blades however are different. Instead of straight single-edged blades, the blades are instead white and black curved scimitar-like blades based off of Cinder's old canon weapons Midnight. Like Midnight, when combined the blades form a bow which Cinder uses to shoot regular or specialized arrows against foes, the blades are collapsible and are kept strapped to her sides until they are attached to the gears controls. The arrows used are also collapsible and are kept as small discs before they extend into traditional arrow shafts. Like Soaring Freedom, Dancing Midnight is also powered by an Aero Cell and also possess the unique "Volant".

Then we have the meat on the bone, the Titans. Like Cinder, Ren and Nora are bestowed the Power of a Grimm Titan as we call it with their own unique abilities compared to the Nine Titans. When coming up with the Titans, I took inspiration from different sources. Ren's Titan which is dubbed The Predator Titan, which was inspired by both the Stealth Sneak boss from Kingdom Hearts with it's invisibility and the Predator with it being a hunter. Nora's Titan, dubbed The Electro Titan, is inspired by different characters with electricity-based powers such as Electro from Marvel, Raiden from Mortal Kombat, and Cole MacGrath from inFAMOUS.

We hope that you guys like what has been created and please don't forget to leave a review on what you liked, didn't like, and even suggestions if you have any. This is The Avenging Titan signing off."

And before I go, I want to share a list of the current Titans we made together.

Eren Yeager - The Founding Titan.

Powers: Hardening, Grimm Creation and Control, Memory Viewing/Sharing with Humans/Faunus/Grimm, Telepathic Communication via the Paths, Verbal Communication from Titans mouth, Titan Size Alteration.

Cinder Fritz - The Incinerator Titan.

Powers: Pyrokinesis (Fireballs, Flamethrowers, Fire Whips, Fire Constructs) Verbal Communication from Titans mouth.

Nora Valkyrie - The Electro Titan.

Powers: Electrokinesis (Electric Blasts, Electric Whips, EMP Blast, Lightning Strike) Verbal Communication from Titans mouth (after training).

Lie Ren - The Predator Titan.

Powers: Light Refraction/Invisibility, Scent Tracking, Eye Beams (Lethal or Non-Lethal Variants), Verbal Communication from Titans Mouth (no training required).

That's all we have for now. Hope you enjoy, see you next time!