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.

38. Chapter 38

"A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face."

Maya Angelou

Chapter 38: The Mysterious Stranger

Eren didn't remember when he eventually fell into sleep, but morning had arrived at Kuroyuri when he opened his eyes once again. Sunlight was serving as a light to his new bedroom, which revealed every detail he had previously seen last night. It was funny, but Eren almost believed that his homecoming was a great dream. He almost believed that what happened last night was too good to be true.

But when the sunlight revealed Eren's environment to him, the young man was content. He was just happy to be home.

The first thing Eren did when he got out of bed was look at his torn clothes. True to his word, he moved to the bathroom and took a satisfying hot shower. As he did, Eren couldn't help but reflect on all that had happened to him. He recalled every fight, injury, and victory that came his way on his adventure easily. The water flowing on his skin helped with that, since the last experience he had with water was falling helplessly into a Grimm pool.

But where Eren only felt pain and cold before, now he felt warmth and comfort. And it only got better when he reminded himself that the Grimm couldn't hurt him anymore. In fact, it was possible that they wouldn't hurt Kuroyuri ever again. For wherever Eren went, the Grimm were as docile as they could ever be.

For the first time, in a long time, Eren had the opportunity for a peaceful existence.

After he told himself this, Eren took hold of a towel and stepped out of the shower. After he dried himself off, Eren couldn't help but notice that his dark hair was starting to grow a little longer. Curious as to how long it was, Eren moved to the bathroom mirror and wiped off the condensation to look at his face.

But all he could see was the face of Darkness.

"Ah!" Eren yelled as he stumbled backwards. His back hit the wall behind him and made him stop moving, which gave Eren the chance to take deep breaths. When he was calm again, the young man mustered the courage to look back into the mirror to see if the deity was still there. However, to his pleasure, all Eren could see was his own face.

Eren let out a relieving, yet exhausted, sigh as he looked upon his own face. He immediately brushed off the experience as a sign of exhaustion while he examined at his hair, which had indeed grown longer. Eren told himself that he would visit the barber later, but probably not today.

There was much to do today.

The first thing Eren did was return to his room to get dressed. Carla was able to salvage some of his clothes, which were located in his new closet. Eren took a simple shirt, which was the same color and design as his previous shirt, out along with a pair of pants. Clothes like these were suitable for working on the farm, which was what Eren planned to do today. He didn't put on his black jacket again, given that it was torn apart from all of his battles. The jacket was a personal favorite of his, so he hoped that it could be restored to its previous condition before abandoning it.

Eren took one more good, albeit reluctant, look in the mirror to see how he looked in his clothes. There didn't seem to be any wrinkles or rips in the new clothes he was wearing, so Eren stepped out of the room and began to descend downstairs. As he moved step after step, Eren decided what he would do next today.

He would tell his mother what happened to him with Darkness.

The words he heard last night and the face he saw in the mirror were easy to pass off as signs of exhaustion, but they served as a reminder of what Eren knew he had to do. He knew that he had to tell his mother, as well as Dina, everything that had happened to him on his mission. He recalled the last time he kept secrets from the both of them, and how badly that turned out for everyone. And so, Eren told himself that he would share the truth, no matter how hard it was.

However, it only became harder when Eren was greeted by his happy mother.

"Good morning, Eren," Carla said with a smile.

"Hi, Mom," Eren said as he finished walking down the stairs. "How's it going?"

"Oh, fine." Carla moved to the table with a bowl of cereal. "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for the new bed. And, uh, new room." Eren shared a chuckle with his mother before he moved into the kitchen. "Is there any cereal left?"

"In the bottom cabinet." Carla took a spoonful of her own cereal and swallowed it before she spoke again. "Sorry I didn't make anything, I needed a quick breakfast today."

"That's okay, I'm not too hungry." Eren placed a bowl of cereal across from his mother and sat down to eat. "I'll get started on my chores when I'm done."

Carla was surprised to hear that her son was eager to start working once again. "Eren, you can take the day off if you want," she insisted. "You just got back."

"It's okay," Eren replied calmly. "The sooner I get back to work, the better."

Carla soon became impressed by Eren's gung-ho attitude. He was always one of her best workers, but Eren deserved a break more than anyone on her farm. But rather than insist once again, Carla decided to let Eren make his own choice in the matter.

"Okay, but take a break if you feel tired or anything," Carla insisted after she took another spoonful of cereal. "Don't overwork yourself or anything."

"I won't," Eren promised. "How about this? I'll start off with something easy today and work myself up from there."

Carla smiled at the offer, feeling satisfied that Eren would be taking it easy. "Deal. You can talk to Peter about the things we need done today. I'm going into the capital for a while." Carla took one more spoonful of cereal, but Eren didn't.

"The capital?"

Eren recalled the last time he was in Mistral with his mother. It was a very good day for her, when a popular market decided to do business with Ambrose Farms. Carla was very happy about that meeting, since her farm was doing something permanent with the capital rather than temporary.

But when Eren remembered the Grimm invasion, he could see the deal being in jeopardy.

"Wait, is this about that market deal you made?" Eren asked. "Are they trying to back out after the Grimm attacked?"

"No, nothing like that," Carla replied as she moved her bowl to the sink. "They heard about the invasion, but I was able to show them that I could uphold my end of the deal." Carla was indeed afraid of losing her deal, but she was able to ease everyone's minds. "No, this is about something else. I'll tell you later tonight." Carla looked towards the stairs for a moment. "Is Cinder awake?"

Eren looked upstairs after Carla did. "Uh, I don't think so."

"Well, if you see her, just let her know Dina's gonna be with An today. She's at her schoolhouse right now, but she'll be with An later."

"Okay."

With that, Carla walked towards her study and began to gather a few papers and files. She was planning to leave early so she could catch one of the earlier airships, which weren't as busy as the ones in the afternoon.

Carla didn't have time to explain, but she had an important meeting with someone she had been talking to in Mistral. She had been preparing for it all week, and now she was ready to see if her work had paid off. She was nervous and excited at the same time, since the meeting was rather vital to her business. So right now, Carla wanted to leave as soon as possible.

But Eren wasn't done just yet.

"Hey, Mom?" Eren asked as he stopped in front of the study's doorway. "Do you have time to talk before you go?"

Carla normally would make time to talk to her son, but one look at the clock told her that she didn't have much time at the moment. "Sorry, Eren, but I have to catch the next airship," she said. She immediately regretted turning down the request, but she was willing to compromise. "You can come with me to the landing pads if you want. We can talk on the way."

"..."

Eren took a moment to consider the offer, but he decided against it. He couldn't remember the last time Carla was in such a hurry to get to work, and he already knew a meeting in Mistral was serious for her.

The last thing Eren wanted to do was burden her with his experiences with Darkness on top of her present issues.

"Uh... that's okay," he said as he moved away from the doorframe. "It can wait."

"Are you sure?" Carla asked. "I don't mind."

"No, it's okay. I'll find you when you get back."

Carla accepted the decision and moved to pack her papers and files into a briefcase. When she left her study, Carla found Eren opening the front door for her with a smile.

"See you later tonight?" Eren asked with a smile.

"Yep," Carla said as she smiled back. "I'll be back by then." Before she stepped outside, however, Carla remembered there was one more thing she needed to say. "Oh, before I go, there's something I forgot to tell you last night."

"..."

Eren gave Carla his undivided attention when she mentioned the conversation they had last night. There was a lot everyone shared, so he was curious as to what Carla felt like she had forgotten.

"Remember when I said a lot of people had questions after you left?" Carla began. "Well, I may have told them a little white lie to cover for you. I mean, I don't think they would understand things like Paradis or Darkness."

"Oh," Eren said. He didn't like the mention of Darkness, but he understood why his mother did what she did. "Oh, that's fine. I understand. What did you say?"

"Well, I don't remember all the details. I was never that good at lying. But whatever someone may say, you can just go along with it. I mean, unless you want to share anything else."

"Uh, I think I'll just stick to your story. Thanks for the heads up."

"You're welcome." Carla finally stepped outside. "See you later."

"Bye."

After Eren closed the door behind Carla, he returned to the table to finish his breakfast. He was mildly curious about the business she was attending to, but Eren was more grateful for the reprieve Carla gave him.

It was still his plan to tell her everything that happened with Darkness, but Eren didn't know where to start. He didn't know how he could look his mother in the eye and tell her that his body had been stolen. That he had been used like a puppet to do terrible things to the people who he cared about.

But more than that, Eren was afraid of the risk the truth carried. There were bound to be questions, but Eren couldn't help but think Carla would have doubts as well. Everyone initially doubted that Eren was back after Darkness had been locked away in the Coordinate, and he was sure his mother would be no different. Even worse, it was possible that she wouldn't believe he was really himself.

Eren wasn't sure if he was ready for another incident like the one he had when the truth of his Titan came out.

The fears and thoughts weighed Eren down like he was at the bottom of the ocean. He didn't even have an appetite anymore because he was so distressed. However, a very welcoming reprieve came up behind Eren and took him by surprise.

*SMECK*

Two hands on his shoulders and a kiss on his cheek made Eren forget about his worries and turn around. There, he saw Cinder greeting him with a warm smile that served as a chance for Eren to be happy.

"Oh, hey!" Eren greeted his girlfriend with a smile.

"Hey, you," Cinder said as she moved across the perimeter of the table. "What's for breakfast?"

"Just some cereal." Eren gestured towards his bowl. "The breakfast of champions like us."

Cinder laughed at the joke as she moved towards the cabinet to get her own food. "Mind if I join you?"

"Be my guest." Eren gestured to the seat across from him. Once Cinder got her own breakfast, she moved towards the table as she heard Eren talk again. "So how'd you sleep?"

"Like. A. Rock." Cinder sat down as she sighed. "There's just something about sleeping in your own bed, you know?"

"Definitely. Oh, in case you're wondering, your mom's at the schoolhouse before she goes to meet Mrs. Ren."

Cinder was confused as to why her mother was at the schoolhouse on a Saturday, but then she understood. "Oh, right! Mom cleans up the school on Saturday." Cinder then looked around the kitchen. "I don't think I saw your mom anywhere."

"She just left. She has something going on in Mistral today."

"Really? What?"

"I don't know, she was in a hurry." Eren pointed towards Carla's study. "She took a few things from her study, just papers and files."

"Huh. Hope it's not serious."

"I don't think so. I thought that market we made a deal with wanted to back out after the invasion, but Mom said they weren't."

"Oh, good." Cinder leaned on the table. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Eren swallowed a spoonful of cereal he had just eaten before he replied. "I think I'm ready to get back into it," he said. "You know, working on the farm."

Cinder recalled how Eren said the same thing when they were at Mistral's hospital, after Tyrian attacked them. And just like before, she had nothing against Eren choosing this path.

"That's nice," she said with a smile. "You've earned a chance at a peaceful life."

"We all did," Eren stated proudly. "And if it doesn't work out, that's fine. I'll have no problem finding some corrupt politician or Huntsman to fight."

"Ha, ha, ha! Well, that makes two of us."

"I'll bet. Is that what you're gonna do today?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna do the same thing as you today. After everything we've done, I'm ready for things to go back to normal. And working here sounds as normal as life can get."

"Yeah, no kidding. But you didn't hear anything from Councilwoman Redwood?"

"Uh, no. Nothing yet. But as soon as I hear anything, you'll be the first to know." Cinder suddenly had an idea. "Actually, there might be something on the news about it." Cinder was about to take her breakfast and go to the living room, but then she noticed a tarp blocking the part of the house that needed repairs. "Hey, do you think our TV survived the invasion?"

Eren turned to where Cinder was looking and drew his own conclusion. "...I doubt it," he said.

Cinder frowned as he sat back in her seat. "That sucks," she said.

"I know your pain. The last time I couldn't watch TV was when Mom grounded me for sneaking outside the wall."

"Hey, I got grounded too! Thanks to you, Mr. Curfew-Breaker!"

Eren briefly laughed at the experience he shared with Cinder. "How was I supposed to know they would be back early?!"

"I tried to tell you we should've gone back earlier! But did you listen?!" Cinder immediately laughed with Eren as she too recalled the experience. They may have gotten into trouble, but it was fun to go exploring outside the initial wall. "I'll just check the news on my Scroll."

"Okay, I think I'm gonna head outside." Eren put his bowl in the sink and moved towards the back door. "Oh, did you see Mercury or Emerald when you woke up?"

"No, but I thought I saw someone moving around in the shed from my window. Mercury might be fixing something in there. And I'm sure Emerald's gotten up early to do her chores again."

"Yeah, probably. Ren and Nora might be here later, I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Okay, I'll be out in a few. See ya."

Eren moved towards the back door again, but suddenly had another idea. His day became much brighter when Cinder surprised him, so Eren decided that doing the same for her was appropriate.

And he knew just how to do it.

*SMECK*

"Bye," Eren said after he kissed Cinder's cheek. He then stepped outside, missing the smile and redness on Cinder's face.

As soon as Eren stepped outside, he was greeted by the light of the sun and a cool breeze. His time in the Land of Darkness was somewhat brief, but it was enough to make him miss the morning sun. In fact, he didn't think he could look at anything red the same way again.

Eren did, however, look upon the red barn to see someone carrying a few boxes. Since the boxes looked too heavy for one man to carry, Eren decided to give the farmhand some help.

The farmhand in question was Peter, a longtime employee of Ambrose Farms. He had taken a few boxes of produce out of the storm cellar, and now he was having trouble putting them near the barn without dropping them.

"Come on, come on!" Peter groaned. "They've never been this heavy before!" He was taking his steps very carefully, but the weight of the boxes was making him stumble rather easily. "No, no, no!"

"Whoa!" Eren said as he held on to the boxes with Peter. "I got them!"

Peter couldn't see who was helping him carry the boxes, but he gladly accepted the help. "Oh, thanks, buddy. We can put them down over there." Eren walked with Peter towards one spot of the barn and gently put the boxes down with him. "Thanks, again."

Eren moved from the other side of the boxes to look at Peter. "No problem."

Peter couldn't help but gasp when he laid his eyes on the young man who helped him. He wasn't afraid, but he was truly surprised to see that it was Eren who had helped him. He was quite familiar with Carla's son, and he knew how he had left Kuroyuri on a dangerous mission.

And yet, he had returned alive and well.

"Eren!" Peter said as he found his voice. "You're back! I don't believe it!"

"Hey, Pete," Eren said as he felt rather out of place. He had almost forgotten that nobody was aware of his return, and now he expected discomfort from his peers and multiple questions.

However, he was surprised to see that Peter was rather welcoming of his presence.

"Aw, man!" Peter said with a smile. "It's good to see you, Eren! When did you get here?"

"Last night," Eren said. "We all came back last night."

"All of you? That's great! Wait a second, were you the ones who brought that airship here?" Peter pointed towards the field where everyone had seen a damaged but operable airship.

Eren looked towards the airship and recognized it as the one he took from Salem's castle. "Yeah, that's ours. If it's bothering you, we could just-"

"No, no, it's fine! We just didn't know where it came from, that's all." Peter looked back towards Eren and asked another question. "So, uh, how's it going? How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good, I'm good. You know, same fight, different day."

Eren chuckled at the idea. "Yeah, I know." He suddenly recanted that statement when he remembered that this was his first day back on the farm. "Actually, I was hoping to pick up where I left off. Mom said you should know what needs to be done today."

"Oh, yeah." Peter took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "She had to go to Mistral today, she asked me to hand out the tasks." He gestured towards the three boxes. "I was just about to send this stuff into town before I start working in the fields."

Eren saw the boxes and a cart in the barn, which led him to making a proposal. "I can do that if you want."

"Really?" Peter sighed in relief. "That'd be great. I've been itching to pick up where we all left off yesterday."

Eren looked towards the fields and noted the work that had to be done. "It doesn't look so bad."

"Nah, we've been keeping it up to par. Still..." Peter put a hand on Eren's shoulder. "The farm hasn't been the same without you, Eren. You've always been our best landscaper." He then patted Eren's shoulder a couple of times. "Welcome back."

"...Thanks."

Eren left Peter's company mildly surprised. He was expecting a much bigger reaction, along with discomfort, about his presence and expecting things to go back to normal. Eren was sure that Peter was one of the workers who knew about Salem and his identity as a Titan, so it was odd to see that Peter apparently had no questions. It was odd that he was more welcoming than skeptical, given how everyone on Paradis first reacted.

"Oh, Eren?"

Eren turned around to see Peter looking back at him. He had taken off the straw hat he was wearing and was looking at Eren with a rather somber look.

"Listen, I, uh... I wanted to apologize," he said. "About before."

Eren was now even more surprised than he was a few seconds ago. "Huh?" he asked.

"It's just that me and the crew weren't really... ready. For what we saw and heard." Peter moved closer. "We got scared pretty easily, with the whole 'Titan' thing and that woman. We didn't really give you the benefit of the doubt, even after everything you and your friends did. Sorry about that."

"...Oh."

Eren began to understand as he recalled the mob at his house. Everyone was indeed scared, and Eren could see just how scary he was back then. "It's okay, Pete," he insisted. "I understand."

"No, we shouldn't have been so hasty," Peter replied. "Especially after Carla told us what happened. You know, about the woman who did that to you."

"You mean Salem."

"Yeah, that rotten bitch. It's just... How could she do that to someone?" Peter began to shake his head. "Taking you from your mother's arms, making you into that thing. It's no wonder Carla didn't talk about you before you came here."

"..."

Eren was confused by what Peter was saying. He wasn't sure where he got the idea about being taken from Carla before he became a Titan, since that wasn't what happened. However, he soon understood when he remembered what his mother told him before she left.

"I may have told them a little white lie to cover for you."

Eren now knew that what Peter said was the white lie Carla had told everyone. And given that nobody could possibly understand Paradis or Darkness, even the fact that he had been a Titan before, Eren was very grateful to his mother for doing something that was hard for her to do.

"Thanks," Eren said calmly. "I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it," Peter insisted. "And if you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks." Eren had an idea on how to use this favor. "Actually, could you just tell everyone that I'm back while I drop off this food? I don't want to surprise anyone else."

"Oh, sure. I can tell them. And don't worry, we know the past is kind of sensitive for you. We won't bring it up or anything like that."

Eren nodded. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Of course." Peter began to walk towards the fields. "See you when you get back."

---

In the Ren household, Nora Valkyrie had finally woken up. She was still incredibly tired, but also unable to fall back asleep. And so, with much reluctance and displeasure, Nora crawled out of her bed and immediately moved to the kitchen.

"So hungry..." she moaned after she let out a yawn. Rather than getting a bowl of cereal or attempting to make herself pancakes, Nora grabbed a bagel from the breadbasket and some cream cheese from the refrigerator. And after doing a rather poor job of spreading the cream cheese on her bagel, Nora bit into the food as she moved her head onto the table.

"Good morning."

Nora moved her head up and opened her eyes to see Ren looking at her with an amused smile. He was usually the one who would sleep in while Nora woke him up, but the tables had turned today. And Ren, for one, was mildly amused by Nora's fatigue.

"Hi, Ren," Nora said after she took the bagel away from her mouth. After she chewed and swallowed the piece she had already bitten, Nora slumped onto the table again. "Why are you up so early?"

Ren chuckled after he swallowed a piece of toast he had made. "I was about to ask you the same thing," he said. "Hungry?"

"Hungry." Nora took another bite of her bagel before she noticed Ren was drinking a hot beverage from a cup. "Is there any coffee left?"

Ren looked at his cup before he picked it up again. "Actually, this is tea. I can make you a cup if you want."

"Uuuuhhh, no. Need coffeeeee."

Ren shook his head from left to right in sarcasm. "You're lucky Mercury's not here. Knowing him, he would die to have a chance to see and film you moping around."

"I don't care. Just bring me coffee."

Ren laughed again after he finished his tea. "You'll be fine. Why don't you go wash up and get dressed? That'll help you wake up."

"Okay..."

Nora got up from the table while still looking down and eating her bagel. She was so tired and half-asleep that she completely missed An Ren walking by her. Nevertheless, An partially got Nora's attention when she spoke to her.

"Good morning, Nora," she said politely.

"Uhh..." Nora groaned. "Hi..." That was the last thing she said before she closed the door to the bathroom, which left An alone with her son.

"Well, that's a case of the Mondays if I've ever seen one," she said as she began to make herself some toast.

"Mm-hm," Ren hummed in agreement. "And what's even worse is that today's Saturday."

"Poor Nora." An and Ren shared a laugh before she continued to talk. "I'll be heading out soon to meet Dina."

"Okay. I'm gonna take Nora up to the farm, so I'll lock up."

An took her toast from the toaster and joined Ren at the table. "Lie, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I'm sure Carla would understand, since you all just came back."

"I know, but I think I'm ready to get back to it. Besides, a job like this is never done." Ren took a sip of his drink before he finished his sentiment. "Even on the weekends."

An giggled at the idea. "No, I suppose not. You know, your father would always say the same thing when I told him not to worry about..."

"..."

An couldn't help but stop talking when she saw Ren looking at the table. He wasn't doing it to focus on his breakfast, it was something he couldn't really help.

Melancholy and a hint of depression had come over Ren with the mention of his deceased father. He hadn't thought about the brave man in days, not since his unfortunate experience in the woods of Mistral. But now that he could think about it, Ren couldn't help but miss his father once more.

And An couldn't help but feel she had reopened old wounds for her son.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Mother," Ren insisted after he moved his head upwards. "It's just that... I haven't really thought about him in a while. Not since I visited you."

An moved to her son's side and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? After you left?"

Ren nodded slowly. "I am. I'm feeling better now, but..." Ren looked to a spot in the house where An had created a shrine to Li. "I just miss him. That's all."

An looked at the shrine as well and nodded. "That's perfectly normal, dear." She then smiled as she got Ren's attention. "And if he knew the whole story like I do, he would be very proud of you. I'm proud of you."

Ren couldn't help but recall how his father was confused and taken aback by the fact that he was a Titan. It was clear he wanted the whole story that day, but he never got it. There was a time when Ren wondered what would have happened if he told his father the truth, but An did a good job of giving him an idea.

After all, all of the adults he saw last night were very proud. And so, there was no doubt in Ren's mind that the same could be said for his father.

"Thank you, Mother," he said as he returned the smile. "I'm actually glad you mentioned him. It occurred to me that I never paid any respect to Father by the shrine you made. I'll do that before I go."

An looked at the shrine once more and recalled how she paid her respects to her late husband. It was a heart-aching time, but An had no regrets doing what she did. And now, she was proud that her son was ready to do the same.

All she could do now was let him.

"That's wonderful, dear," An said before she kissed the top of Ren's head. "I'll leave you to it, then."

"Okay," Ren said as he watched his mother leave. "See you in a while."

"..."

Ren was left all alone in a very quiet household. After he finished his tea and piece of toast, Ren calmly moved towards the shrine and kneeled in front of it. He was never used to talking in such a quiet environment, that was more of Nora's specialty. Instead, Ren offered his respects in silence.

Li Ren was also a rather quiet person, so the action Ren was taking made him feel closer to his father.

The first thing Ren thought about was all the times Li had looked out for him. All of the times that Li helped Ren get back on the right path every time he stumbled and made a mistake. From the time he wanted to run away from the bullies harassing Nora to the invasion of Kuroyuri, Li was always looking out for his son and guiding him back on the right path.

And so, Ren thanked his father from making him into the young man he was today.

Ren then did something that was very hard for him to do. He had been trying to do this throughout his adventure with his friends, but Ren finally acknowledged that there was nothing he could have done regarding Li's fate. The conversation with his mother and the memories of his father all told Ren that Li had chosen to live and die on his own terms. And those terms included protecting the ones he cared about the most.

Ren accepted that, and became relieved of the weight that was holding him since the day Li died.

The last thing Ren did was make a promise to his father. He promised that everything Li did in his life would not be in vain. Ren promised to live by his father's lessons and actions every day, to live as Li wished for him to live. He would help his mother, Nora, and the town of Kuroyuri the ways Li helped them all.

One way or another, Lie Ren was going to honor the memory of his father every day.

"Ta-da!"

Ren turned to his right to see that Nora had done just as he suggested; she had washed her face and gotten dressed, which were enough to make the young girl act as her usual self.

"I told you it would work," Ren said with a smile.

"You were right, I admit it," Nora replied. "What are you doing kneeling on the floor?" Nora suddenly answered her own question when she saw that Ren was in front of Li's shrine. "Oh..."

"..."

Ren looked over to the shrine and recalled how he had been acting after his father died. It would be easy for Nora to assume that he was acting up again, so Ren quickly put these worries to rest.

"It's okay, Nora," he said as he stood up. "I was just paying my respects. Like I was talking about last night."

"Oh," Nora said, much more calmly now. "Wait, I wasn't interrupting, was I? I'm sorry."

"No, you're fine. I just finished up." As he looked back to the shrine, Ren had a good idea and offered his hand to Nora. "Would you like to say something?"

"Me?" Nora looked to Ren's hand in surprise, along with the shrine. "Oh, um... I don't know. I mean, that's nice, but I don't really want to impose or anything."

Ren shook his head. "Nonsense. He raised you just like he raised me." Ren smiled as he extended his hand further. "I think he'd like to know how you're doing."

"..."

Nora was flattered by what Ren was saying. She knew that she and Li weren't related, but she looked up to the man who took her into his home. She wished she could have seen him before he died, to let him know how grateful she was for everything he did.

And now, she was honored that Ren was giving her the chance to do so. Li's passing was always a sensitive matter to Ren, so he was speaking volumes when he said he wanted to share something special with Nora.

And so, Nora took Ren's hand and moved to the floor with him.

"Um... Hi, Li," she said calmly. Over the years, Li and An allowed Nora to call them whatever she wanted, even by their first names. So addressing Li in such a manner was natural. "It's me, Nora. Ren gave me the chance to talk to you."

"..."

When Nora saw Ren nodding in approval, she immediately continued talking. "I, uh... I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk earlier. Before you... you know. I just wanted to thank you. For everything you and An did. I mean, I was a complete stranger to you and your family. But you still took me in. Fed me, clothed me, you helped me in more ways than I can count. You treated me like your own daughter... and you helped me grow closer to Ren."

"..."

Ren smiled as he acknowledged the fact that he and Nora had grown closer since the night they met. And they became even more close during their quest. Ren and Nora leaned against each other to show Li just how close they had grown towards each other, right before Nora spoke again.

"Ren's, uh..." Nora began to stumble on her words a little. "I'm not sure if he told you, but, uh... we're together. I mean, together together. Hope that's okay with you."

Ren laughed a little to himself. "I think he might have known how you felt," he said. "I mean, I learned about it before we talked."

"Oh, right," Nora recalled as she also laughed. She then turned to Li's picture and finished her sentiments. "I always loved your son. I always loved you and everyone else in the whole town. So I'll make sure to take care of them all. Just like you did when you were still here. I'll make you proud, I promise."

"..."

Ren smiled as he offered Nora a hug, one that she accepted gratefully. And after a few seconds of silence and comfort, Ren and Nora stood up and prepared to seize the day.

"Ready to head out?" Ren asked as he moved to the door.

"You bet!" Nora said as she walked towards the door. Before she did, however, Nora moved towards the wall and picked up something she planned to take with her. However, Ren stopped her with his voice.

"Uh, I don't think we need those today."

Nora had picked up Magnhild and Stormflower, the weapons that belonged to her and Ren. She had grown so accustomed to carrying her weapon, but Nora had forgotten where she was.

She had forgotten that they weren't necessary right now.

"Oh, right," Nora said as she put the weapons down. "Sorry, I forgot we didn't need them."

"That's okay," Ren replied as he opened the front door. Once he and Nora stepped outside, Ren locked the door with a spare key he had. "I almost made the same mistake when I woke up."

Nora began to twirl back and forth as she felt the lack of Magnhild on her back. "Wow, this feels weird."

Ren nodded as he began to walk with Nora. "I know. I got used to my weapons as well."

Nora looked around the area to see people happily minding their own business, enjoying the peace that had overcome Kuroyuri. And now, that peace was going to last since Salem was gone.

Or at least, that's what Nora hoped.

"Do you think we'll need our weapons again?" she asked Ren. "Everyone looks so happy right now."

Ren looked from left to right to see people contently going about their business. It was a welcome sight, but it wasn't enough to make Ren waver from what he had decided.

"It'll be best to keep them," Ren said calmly. "While I doubt we'll need them today, it would be wise to be ready for anything."

Nora mentally sighed as she thought about what Ren said. "Yeah, I guess so," she agreed. "I wonder if Eren's thinking about the same thing."

"Someone say my name?"

Ren and Nora turned around to see Eren pulling an empty cart behind him. Both of them were surprised to see their friend so soon, but that didn't stop Nora from being the first one to greet him.

"Oh, hi, Eren!" Nora said with a smile and a wave. "We thought you were at the farm."

"I was," Eren confirmed before he pointed to the empty cart. "I was just delivering some produce across town. Going my way?"

"You know it!"

The trio began walking towards the farm, which gave Ren the chance to continue the conversation. "We were just talking about how we didn't need our weapons today," he said. "Nora and I almost grabbed them on our way out."

"Oh, I've been there," Eren replied with a short laugh. "I wore my gear nearly every day back home. And when I wasn't, I felt naked without it."

"I know, right?" Nora asked. "My back feels so free right now! It's weird!"

Ren rolled his eyes in amusement before he spoke again. "Did you make the same mistake, Eren?" he asked.

"No, actually," Eren replied. "My gear's still a bunch of scrap, thanks to Salem. It'll probably be weeks before Mercury can fix it."

"Weeks?" Nora asked in disbelief. "No way! You know Mercury's a whiz with tools and weapons. He'll have Soaring Freedom done in no time!"

"Did you talk to him about it today?" Ren asked. "See how long it'll take to finish?"

"I haven't," Eren denied. "I didn't see him or Emerald this morning. Then again, I got straight to work with this." Eren shook the cart behind him to prove his point. "I probably missed them."

"Did you see Midori?" Nora asked.

"No, but I'm sure she's still at the hospital. You know, checking in on our guest."

Ren knew what Eren meant by that. "Oh, right," he said. "I hope she's okay. Who do you think she is?"

"I don't know," Eren replied. "Maybe Midori found our last night. We can go to the hospital around lunchtime and see her."

"Great idea!" Nora quickly agreed. "I'm all for it!"

"Let's invite everyone else too," said Ren. "I'm sure they're just as curious about her."

"Definitely," Eren agreed.

When everyone returned to the farm, they were greeted by Cinder. Before she led Ren and Nora to the chores they needed to perform, Cinder told Eren that Mercury was looking for him. She directed him towards the shed where Mercury was working, so Eren decided to pay his friend a visit.

There, he found Mercury and Emerald hovering over a tractor that needed repairs.

"No, no, no!" Mercury said as he pointed under the hood. "This one goes there, and that one goes there!"

"Okay, okay!" Emerald said as she moved her hands under the hood. "Jeez."

Mercury sighed as he looked past Emerald's hands. "Thank you." He then moved his own hands into the machine. "Okay, hand me a screwdriver."

Emerald moved towards the workbench and took the first screwdriver she could find. "Here you go."

Mercury shook his head. "No, I said we needed a flathead screwdriver."

"What's the difference?"

"Are you seriously asking that question right now?"

"I told you I'm not good with tools!"

"Oh, for... Just grab the opposite screwdriver, please."

Emerald moved towards the workbench again, but couldn't find the screwdriver that Mercury had specified. "I don't see anything," she said. "Just the same kind of screwdriver, but smaller."

Suddenly, another hand came towards the workbench. The hand was formed in a fist, since it was holding a different kind of screwdriver. "Is this what you're looking for?" a male voice asked.

"Hey, yeah!" Emerald said as she took the screwdriver and handed it to Mercury. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"..."

Emerald and Mercury suddenly realized whose voice they had just heard. And when they turned around, they saw Eren smirking and waving at them.

"Eren, hi!" Emerald said as she laid eyes on her friend. "Sorry, I was a million miles away."

"Hey, bro," said Mercury, who took his hands out from beneath the tractor's hood. "I've been looking for you."

"Yeah, Cinder told me," Eren replied as he looked at the tractor. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, actually." Mercury pointed at Emerald. "Did you hear what Emerald asked me just now? Can you believe her?"

Emerald groaned loud enough for everyone to hear. "What part of 'I don't know tools' did you not understand?" she asked.

Eren quickly calmed the situation down. "Okay, okay," he said calmly. "I'm here now, I can help. Em, Peter should have the list of chores if you want to help with something else."

"Absolutely." Emerald walked out of the shed to find Peter, but not before she made a sarcastic remark. "Good luck, Eren. You're gonna need it."

As soon as Emerald left, Mercury rolled his eyes as he moved deeper into the shed. "Drama queen," he said sarcastically.

Eren was leaning more towards Emerald's side, since she didn't have the necessary experience with tools to help Mercury. But Eren had plenty of experience with the farming equipment to help Mercury. "So, the tractor's acting up?" he asked as he looked under the hood.

"Uh, yeah," Mercury said as he stopped in front of a table. "Yeah, I might need a hand with it. But I actually wanted to show you something first."

When he saw Mercury beckoning him to come to the table, Eren followed and found himself looking at something he was somewhat expecting to see. On the table was the remains of Soaring Freedom, which was still cracked and had multiple missing pieces.

"So, listen," Mercury awkwardly said as he rubbed the back of his head. "After I got back from checking in on Vernal and Midori, I took a look at what you got left of Soaring Freedom here. I hate to say it, but I don't think I can get it fixed right away."

Eren studied the gear for a few seconds before he replied. "Let me guess," he began. "You don't have all the same parts."

"Yeah. Parts, metal, Dust, and not even ammo. I mean, I was on the last bits of my supplies when we got to Salem's castle. I can order what I need, but it'll take a while. Sorry, man."

From the tone of his voice, Mercury sounded disappointed. He believed that the news would upset Eren greatly, since he had never let him down with weapons before. Mercury had done repairs multiple times on the quest, but this was the first time he couldn't do anything just yet.

Fortunately, Eren was very understanding.

"It's okay," he said calmly. "I don't think we're in a rush like before."

"You sure?" Mercury asked. "I could try to speed up the delivery on parts and stuff."

"No, take your time. I can wait. Besides..." Eren moved towards the tractor again. "I don't want to stand in the way of your job."

Mercury let out a chuckle as he joined Eren. "Right, right. It's not too bad. The three of us could get it running in about ten minutes."

"Three?"

"Oh, right." Mercury looked up towards a part of the shed, which was large enough to have an overhead space. "Hey, babe! Come on down and see Eren!"

Suddenly, a young girl jumped off the overhead section of the shed and performed a somersault in the air. When she landed on the ground, the girl revealed herself to be Vernal.

"Sup?" she asked as she looked at Eren and Mercury.

Eren looked up at the overhead space in surprise. "I didn't even see you up there," he said in mild amazement.

Vernal smirked as she looked at Eren. "Better watch out, Eren. I could have gotten the drop on you."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Uh, what were you doing up there?"

"Oh, Mercury said you might need a weapon. So I found these." Vernal moved her hands to reveal two long blades; they were spared from Eren's first version of Soaring Freedom, when he could eject and replace his swords. "There were a few of them sitting around."

Eren had forgotten about the spare blades he had, and he was now sure there were more. He took the blades and looked at them in approval, even though he didn't have a hilt for them.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "I'll keep them around, just in case."

"No problem," said Vernal. "Alright, let's fix us a tractor."

---

Just as everyone had hoped, the day at Ambrose Farms was as normal as could be. Everyone performed the same chores they normally did on the farm, from harvesting crops and produce to plowing the land via tractor. New planting was also done in the fields, as well as mechanical work on Mercury's side. Vernal was still helping her boyfriend, which made his work all the more enjoyable. All in all, it really was an average day.

Except for two things.

As promised, Peter told all of Carla's farmhands that Eren and his friends were back. They had all welcomed everyone back, and made sure not to bring up any mention of Eren's past. They did, however, bring up Salem. They weren't trying to be cruel or skeptical, but every one of Carla's farmhands were genuinely curious about who Salem was and why she had done what she did with the Grimm.

It was hard for Eren to answer all of their questions, so he decided to do something... risky.

Eren explained that his Titan could not only create hardened crystal, but that he could share certain memories with it. He offered the chance for everyone to see how Salem became what she was, how she fell into a Grimm pool and became more Grimm than human. Everyone definitely wanted to see it for themselves, so Eren showed them the memories he had of Salem falling into a pool and creating Grimm from the water.

In addition to this, Eren showed everyone the memory he had of finding a Pure Titan, a Grimm without a person controlling it. He used this memory to not only warn everyone to be careful if they saw another Titan, but also explain why keeping it a secret was the best course of action. If anyone on the outside got the wrong idea, they would treat him and his friends just like Pure Titans.

Everyone around Eren promised to keep this secret, which made him feel satisfied and proud of himself. Eren had once considered using the power of the Founding Titan to erase everyone's memories of seeing a Titan, but he quickly decided against it. Such an action would be reminiscent of Karl Fritz, the first King of the Walls. His actions not only deceived everyone for years, but set them up as cattle to inevitably die at the hands of the rest of the world.

Eren refused to be anything like Karl Fritz, as well as the monster Rod Reiss became before his death.

And so, Eren was glad to see that he could trust the people around him. He knew that he could never share the full truth, but the truth he shared was enough to gain trust and equality among his peers. Eren made a mental note to speak with the Mayor about this, to see if he would also agree to keep this secret.

When lunchtime, came, everyone was free to take a break. Eren had shared his idea about visiting Midori at the hospital with all of his friends, and they had all agreed to it. So after grabbing a quick lunch, everyone made their way to the hospital.

But before they left, Cinder had found something worth sharing with her friends.

Just as she hoped, Cinder had found a news article about the Hunt Inquisitorius arresting Watts and Hazel. And as soon as she found it, Cinder let Eren read it for everyone to hear.

"Unlikely heroes serve both the Kingdoms of Mistral and Atlas," Eren read from Cinder's Scroll.

"That's a good start," said Mercury, who flashed a cocky grin.

"It's because it's true," Nora said with her own cockiness.

"I kind of wish they didn't mention Atlas," Cinder said. "Eh, can't win them all."

"There's more," said Eren, who then continued to read. "Earlier this week, acting Prime Minister Redwood made the unilateral decision to revive an old tradition of Mistral; the Hunt Inquisitorius. In response to an unprecedented attack from a rare Grimm in Vale, Redwood took the word and evidence of a group of citizens and formed them into the Hunt Inquisitorius, an investigative group answering to the Kingdom of Mistral alone."

"At least they got all the facts right so far," said Emerald. "You don't see that with the news too much today."

"Indeed," said Ren. "Nowadays, it's a mixture of information and tabloids."

Eren silently agreed before he started reading again. "While the decision resulted in controversy in both Mistral and Atlas, due to the group's unannounced presence in the latter Kingdom, results skyrocketed with the arrest of Arthur Watts. Watts, who was presumed to have been killed in a laboratory accident years ago, was revealed to be the mastermind of an invention that controlled the rare Grimm known as a 'Titan.' Evidence of this invention was brought to Redwood's attention, as well as the fact that the invention was made by metal stolen from the Schnee Dust Company."

"Too bad we couldn't pin anything on those corporate assholes," said Mercury.

"Yeah, we're still waiting on compensation for nearly tearing down Kuroyuri," said Nora.

"At least they're gone now," said Ren. "And I doubt they'll be coming back."

Once again, Eren agreed with his friends before he started reading again. "Members of the Hunt Inquisitorius included Eren Yeager and Cinder Fritz. Yeager was recently involved in revealing a conspiracy of murder with former Councilman Leonardo Lionheart. And Cinder Fritz has become surprisingly popular with her speech detailing the troubles of Mistral's outskirts. Namely, how the peace Huntsmen and Huntresses provide is only limited to the capital of Mistral rather than the outskirts."

"I'm glad they decided to mention you," said Cinder, who smiled at Eren.

Eren stopped reading the article and smiled back at Cinder. "I'm glad they mentioned you too," he said. "I mean, the speech is popular because it's true."

"Exactly," said Emerald.

"The whole truth and nothing but the truth," said Mercury.

"I don't know too much about them," said Vernal. "But remember when I had to wait all that time at the mission board for someone to come here?" Vernal was talking about the time Kuroyuri was invaded, when she had been tasked by Spider to "deal with" a Huntsmen who had been causing them trouble.

Mercury had told this story to everyone, and Cinder was the one who was the most interested. While she did have some misgivings about Vernal's actions, Cinder was curious as to how a Huntress license was forged. Vernal didn't have all the answers, but she was aware of someone very close to Haven Academy being responsible for this. And so, Cinder made a note to investigate further to root out possible corruption at the school.

Or in their case, more corruption.

"It just goes to show that places beyond Mistral aren't taken as seriously as they should be," said Ren. "Hopefully, Cinder's speech pushed that idea out there."

Cinder was grateful for the support, but she had her own misgivings about the idea. "I don't know if it did," she said. "Read the next part, Eren."

Eren looked at the Scroll once again and picked up where he left off. "Cinder Fritz's speech, while touching and sincere, has been subject to controversy throughout the Kingdom. There are those who are sympathetic to Ms. Fritz's cause and beliefs, but others have voiced their disagreements with the young woman. Her apparent distrust of the Huntsmen and Huntresses who work to keep the Kingdoms safe has been most controversial, even though investigations into her claims have not been reported."

"Aww!" said Nora, who looked at Cinder with pity. "That's not fair!"

"Boo!" Mercury said to Cinder's Scroll. "Those idiots don't know what they're talking about!" Vernal nodded to support Mercury's claim.

"The mixed reaction makes a strange sort of sense," said Ren. "The Huntsman system has existed for nearly eighty years. Support for it has to be in the majority of the population of the Kingdom. And the rest of the world, no doubt."

"Sorry, Cinder," Emerald said to offer her sympathies. "That's a terrible thing to say."

Cinder was slightly hurt by the paragraph she read, but she was quick to brush it off. "It's okay, guys," she said. "Ren's right, a lot of people support the system. I can't win them all over with just one speech."

"Wait, there's more," said Eren. "Though controversy towards Ms. Fritz remains, the results of the Hunt Inquisitorius are hard to contend with. In addition to the arrest of Arthur Watts, Hazel Rainart was discovered to be in cooperation with the conspiracy of controlling Grimm. Hazel has been one of Remnant's Most Wanted for committing murders across all four Kingdoms. Furthermore, the notorious bandit Raven Branwen was reported to have encountered the group on their way back to Mistral. Out of the three perpetrators taken to Mistral, Raven was the only one to be confirmed dead from a vicious Grimm attack. While it is unknown what will become of the Hunt Inquisitorius, results show that its members have gone beyond the call of duty to protect Mistral and Atlas."

"Damn straight," said Mercury.

"I like the sound of that," said Vernal.

"Me too," said Emerald. "Especially the last part."

"And they got all the facts down," said Ren. "That's good to hear."

"Hope we get a chance to work like this again," said Nora.

Everyone began to agree and talk amongst themselves, but Eren was the only one who didn't join in. He definitely agreed with the article regarding the last part, but there was something about it he didn't like.

And based on Cinder's downhearted appearance, Eren could tell she didn't like it either.

"I'm sorry they said that, Cinder," he said sincerely as he moved closer to Cinder's side. "What they said wasn't right."

Cinder smiled at Eren, but it was easy to see that it was rather forced. "It's okay, Eren," she said. "It's fine."

"No, it's not. You've done a lot for the Kingdom already, and you're just trying to do something good. If they're saying that's controversial, they might as well call me controversial too. I'm not sure why they didn't say that about me."

"Well, you did have evidence against Lionheart."

"You mean we had evidence. Look, don't take it too hard. Everyone knows you helped arrest Watts and Hazel. Besides, it's not your fault some people can't see that."

Cinder was touched by Eren's words, but not fully convinced. "But Ren's right. The Huntsman system has been around for decades, nearly a century. Of course there are gonna be people who believe in it rather than me." Cinder mentally sighed before she finished her point. "I guess this'll be a lot harder than I thought."

"..."

Cinder knew her efforts wouldn't be easy, but she began to grasp the gravity of the situation. She knew better than anyone that the system didn't always work, that it wasn't perfect. She believed that a society dependent on warriors with free reign was dangerous; Eren's soldiers from Paradis always had someone to report to, but the same couldn't be said for the Huntsmen and Huntresses. And Cinder wanted to change that.

However, the article showed Cinder that there were people who believed the system worked. They most likely benefited from the system, who had been saved from Grimm by Huntsmen and Huntresses. It wouldn't be easy to change people's minds, Cinder knew that was true.

But Eren was ready to tell her that it wasn't impossible.

"Remember when I told you how I helped make Historia Reiss become the new Queen of the Walls?" Eren asked. "When Rod Reiss was removed from the picture, everything changed. With enough evidence and support from the people, practically the whole government was reformed and made into something that rejected Karl Fritz's approach to life. It took years for Historia to do it, but she changed Paradis for the better. And I was just along for the ride."

"..."

"Looking back, I don't think I really helped that much. All I did was ask Historia to eat me so she could get the Founding Titan. But that's the thing, Cinder. People, even the ones at the bottom of the chain, can make change happen. Historia wanted that change just as much as we did, but she wasn't ready to be the one to make it happen at first. She became more driven over the years, but you're different, Cinder. You were born with that drive... and now you're using it to change the world you were born in."

"..."

"It might take a while, that's true, but change is gonna happen on Remnant. And like I said back in the Coordinate, I believe in your dream a lot more than I believed in my dream to see the ocean. You helped me see that. And now, you have a chance to make other people see it. I believe in you."

"..."

With every word Eren spoke, Cinder could feel her confidence return to her. She indeed remembered how Historia had ascended to becoming Queen, as well as how Rod Reiss' death served as a catalyst for a new era. Cinder never wanted a throne, but she did want what Historia had helped bring to Paradis.

Reform.

It did take a while for Historia to make that change, and Cinder recalled that she only made one speech so far. It was possible that Historia had made hundreds before she changed the things she wanted to change. And there were surely people who didn't like the change at first, but had come to live with it. Cinder could see that she just needed to be patient.

Cinder also recalled how Eren said he believed in her dream of reform, especially when she could see that he was telling the truth. From the moment those chains fell off his body, Cinder could see just how much support she had from Eren.

And that meant the world to her... and then some.

"...Wow," Cinder said with a smile. "Thanks, Eren. That... That means a lot. Really."

"It's true," Eren said. "I don't know how long it might take, but I know you got this."

"I'm really glad you think so."

Cinder hugged Eren's arm as she walked, and that walk eventually led them to Kuroyuri's hospital. As soon as they arrived, everyone knew that finding Midori wouldn't be as hard as they might have thought; she was outside on a break as well.

"Such a nice day," she said as she sat on a bench and enjoyed the nature around her. Midori had decided to eat her lunch outside, which she had finished a minute ago. Now, she decided to let the sun shine on her face and the wind blow through her hair as she relished the idea of not having anything to worry about.

And the day only got better when Midori noticed her friends coming her way.

"Hi, guys!" Midori said as she got off the bench. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Mimi!" Nora said. "Good to see you again."

"Huh, that was easy," said Vernal, who thought she would have a hard time finding Midori.

"What are you up to, Midori?" Cinder asked.

"Oh, nothing," the young medic replied. "Just taking a break from work."

Eren looked back to the hospital and put the pieces together. "You got your old job back?" he asked. "You're helping Doctor McCoy again?"

"That's right. After we brought that woman here, I found Doctor McCoy looking at a Faunus with some bad cuts and bruises. As soon as he saw me, he asked if I could help." Midori let her hands glow green to show her Semblance. "Turns out all that fighting we did made Healing Wish even stronger."

"Intriguing," said Ren, who was impressed by the claim. He wondered if his own Semblance, as well as the Semblances of his friends, had gotten stronger from their quest as well.

"Yeah, so Doctor McCoy let me stay in one of the rooms the hospital has," Midori said as she pointed backwards. "Man, the place has really changed since I left, huh?"

"Yeah, you said it," said Cinder.

"So you've been working all day?" Emerald asked. "You must be exhausted."

"Not really," Midori denied. "You know, I thought I would be from all the injuries I had to help with today. But ever since we left Salem's castle, I feel... firm." Midori stretched her arms over her head. "Like I can take on the world."

Everyone was glad to hear this, especially Eren. He remembered what Midori said about how Salem's castle left an impact on her when she was a prisoner, how she was sick nearly every day. But to hear that she had emerged from the place stronger than ever, even after his possession from Darkness, made him feel glad for Midori.

"That's good to hear," he said. "Any chance that the woman we brought here is feeling the same way?"

Midori suddenly frowned when she heard Eren mention the woman from Salem's castle. "Oh... her," she said sadly. "I, uh... I don't think so, guys."

Everyone was disappointed to hear this, but Nora was the one who let her concern show when she gasped and asked a question. "She's... dead?" she asked.

"Oh, no, she's not dead! It's just... Well, maybe I'd better show you what's going on."

Midori led everyone into the hospital, where multiple doctors and nurses could be seen. Vernal was uncomfortable about being here last night, but she felt better when she saw the hospital had recovered from the attack. Still, she decided not to interact too much in the building.

Eren recalled visiting the hospital before when he said his goodbyes to Carla and Dina. He initially expected to see them here upon his return to Kuroyuri, but he was glad to see the opposite was the case. An Aura was incredibly useful, but Eren knew the doctors and nurses who worked here were capable of helping people.

Midori, however, was skeptical of whether or not one particular patient could be helped.

"We're keeping her in here," Midori said as she moved towards a specific room. "She's still asleep, but she's-Oh, not again!" Midori suddenly rushed into the room as fast as she could.

Everyone became concerned when they saw Midori run inside. And when they peered into the room, they could see why.

The woman they had rescued was indeed in the room, wearing a hospital gown instead of her torn clothes. But instead of resting or appearing comatose, the poor woman was thrashing across the bed while sweating profusely. And the machines she was connected too were going critical.

"Nurse!" Midori yelled out into the hallway. "Nurse, she's at it again!"

Everyone moved aside when they saw two nurses and a doctors come inside and look at their patient. "Oh, no," the doctor said. "Hold her down! Someone get a sedative!"

"..."

Eren and his friends said absolutely nothing as they watched the doctors and nurses work. Midori was helping hold their patient down, which wasn't easy. The woman did nothing but scream as she struggled in the bed, which was horrifying to watch. But eventually, a nurse came in with a small needle and handed it to the doctor.

And once she was injected, the woman fell asleep once more.

"...There," the doctor said after he heavily breathed in and out. "But that's probably not gonna be the end of it." The nurses took their leave, but the doctor stayed behind for a moment to talk to Midori. "Thanks for the heads up, Midori. Think you can keep an eye on her for us?"

"Sure," Midori replied half-heartedly. "I'll call you if she acts up again." When the doctor left, Midori sighed as she looked at her friends once more. "Well... I guess you know the story now."

"..."

That was a rather large understatement. What the woman had just gone through looked like a terrible experience, like she was being attacked from the inside. It was very unsettling, something that nobody would wish on their own enemy.

That being said, everyone knew they had to find out more about the strange condition.

"Has she been like that all day?" Eren asked.

"All day and last night," Midori sadly admitted. "One minute she's sleeping like a baby, and the next she's acting like she's being attacked. She's been suffering without warning and without pattern."

"Why is she doing it?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with her?" Nora asked.

Midori sighed as she reached for a clipboard hanging on the end of the bed. "Well, that's the million Lien question," she said. "Right after it happened the first time, the doctors and nurses ran just about every test they could. And I even tried using Healing Wish." Midori flipped through the pages of the clipboard as she spoke, hoping she would find something new. "But we can't find anything wrong with her."

"Really?" Cinder asked.

"It sure looks like there's something wrong with her," said Mercury, who suddenly received a nudge from Emerald.

"No kidding," Midori agreed as she put down the clipboard. "But the doctors just can't find anything wrong with her. I forget who said it, but someone mentioned that... it's almost like she doesn't want to get better."

"..."

Once again, pity for the mysterious woman was shared amongst Eren and his friends. While the results of the Beetle draining the Grimm from the woman's body was evident, it was clear that there was still much going on with her. And to think that nobody could do anything to help her was all the more depressing. Vernal was the one who felt the most sorry for the woman, given that she knew what it was like to be partially Grimm.

However, it also made Vernal scared for herself. Whether or not a situation like this was in her future was something that scared the young girl greatly.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone turned to Ren, who began to study the woman once more. He was particularly looking at the sweat on her face while remembering the thrashing and screaming that she was doing. Because of this, Ren was given an idea.

"Midori, you said you couldn't find anything wrong with her," Ren began. "You meant you couldn't find anything physically wrong with her, right?"

"Well, yeah," Midori replied. "Yeah, of course."

"What're you thinking, Ren?" Emerald asked.

"The way she was thrashing and screaming..." Ren continued. "It almost looked like she was... having a nightmare."

"Hey, yeah," said Cinder, who immediately followed Ren's lead. "Eren, remember that nightmare you said you had before we went to Salem's castle? Before you woke up, you were thrashing around and screaming like her!"

Eren looked at the woman as he thought about his nightmare. He recalled how Cinder told him what he had been doing before she woke him, and the situation sounded very similar to the unknown stranger's.

"Are you saying she might have had a nightmare?" Eren asked Ren.

"Not exactly," Ren replied. "There's definitely something wrong with her. But what if... what if it's a mental problem? Not a physical one?"

After taking a moment to think about it, everyone began to see how that was a possible solution. "I think you're right," said Midori. "We don't know anything about this woman. For all we know, she could be schizophrenic."

"Or maybe Salem did something to her mind," said Emerald. "She was a literal monster before we found her. She looked and acted like one."

"Or maybe it's PTSD," said Mercury. "Who knows what kind of shit she had to go through at Salem's?"

Everyone began to agree with Mercury's theory. After everything they endured and overcame at Salem's castle, they could safely say that what the woman suffered through was ten times worse. Salem most likely had a role in the stranger's current condition, but there was no way to help her.

However, Cinder had an idea where to start.

"Maybe we can find out," she said before she turned to her boyfriend. "Eren, maybe you can see what happened to her."

"Hey, that's right!" Eren said optimistically. "My Titan's powers with memory might be able to help."

"That'd work," said Mercury, who supported the plan.

"Wait, I thought you could only share memories," said Nora.

"I can do all sorts of things with memory," Eren explained. "The past inheritors of the Founding Titan mainly used it to erase memories and share them, but they can see into other memories. And the Grimm Founding Titan isn't different, in that sense."

"Oh. Well, what are we waiting for?"

"It sounds like it's worth a shot," Ren suggested.

"Alright, then." Eren moved closer to the woman's side and held her hand. "Here goes nothing."

Eren's friends all looked curiously upon Eren and the stranger after he closed his eyes and concentrated. Midori decided to play closer attention to the machines the patient was hooked onto in case anything happened, but she was also watching Eren.

The room was silent as everyone watched patiently. They were all a little excited about the prospect of learning more about the mysterious stranger. After all, she must have done something remarkable for Salem to want to make her into a Grimm. And after a few seconds, everyone saw Eren open his eyes as they expected to hear answers.

But all they heard instead was Eren's screams.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Eren yelled as he grabbed his head in pain.

*CRASH*

Everyone jumped back in horror as they watched Eren stumble backwards and hit the wall while screaming at the top of his lungs. The screams died down after a few seconds, but Eren groaned in pain as he continued to hold his head.

"Eren!" Cinder yelled as she lunged towards him. "Are you okay?!"

"My... My head!" Eren groaned. "Feels like it's gonna split open!"

Cinder turned to her friends, who were just as surprised and scared as she was. However, Cinder's fear didn't stop her from trying to help the boy she cared the most about. "Guys, help him up!" she ordered as she helped Eren stand.

Emerald moved to take Eren's other arm and help him up while Vernal grabbed a chair for Eren to sit in. Everyone else simply moved out of the way as they watched Eren sit and breathe sharply.

Midori forgot about the woman as she moved to Eren's side. She didn't know how she could help, but Midori was willing to do whatever was asked of her. But she began to feel calmer when Eren's breathing became slower and less sharp. "Are you okay, Eren?" she asked. "What hurts?"

After a few seconds of breathing, Eren opened his eyes again and looked at Midori. "I... I'm okay," he said as he began to breathe normally. "Just... Just a headache right now."

Everyone around the young man sighed in relief when they heard Eren say that. Their hearts nearly burst out of their chests when they heard Eren's screams, but they were starting to recover from the shock.

Cinder was the first to regain most of her bearings, and she made an executive decision for herself and her friends.

"We should leave," she said as she helped Eren up once again. "I don't think we should be here anymore."

Everyone could see that Cinder was looking at the stranger in the bed when she said this. Between still not knowing anything about her and watching her apparently hurt Eren was enough to sway everyone's minds. And one by one, they all left the room for their safety.

Except one person.

"This makes no sense," said Midori, who couldn't leave because of her duties as a medic. "We all touched her, before and after we brought her here. Why did that happen now?"

"I don't know, Midori," Cinder confessed. "But I don't want to know. Whoever that woman is, she's obviously dangerous. I'm taking Eren home."

"I'd come with you, but the doctors still need me here. Just call if you need anything, though."

"Will do. And if you're gonna stay here, just be careful."

With that, Cinder helped Eren walk out of the room and left Midori behind. All the medic could do now was simply look at the machines and the woman attached to them. She understood Cinder's fears perfectly, and a part of Midori was scared herself. She recalled how touching the woman didn't hurt her, but there was clearly something different now.

Which only begged the same question everyone had asked before.

"Who are you?"

---

Cinder didn't waste any time getting Eren back home. Though he insisted that he was feeling better about halfway between the hospital and and the farmhouse, Cinder didn't want to take any chances. In her mind, the sooner Eren got away from that woman, the better.

"Here, I found the aspirin," Cinder said as she handed Eren a bottle of pills and a glass of water. "And I got you some water."

"Thanks, Cinder," Eren said as he took both items. "But I'm fine, really. I felt better after we left the hospital."

"At least drink the water. It should help."

"..."

Eren could tell that she wanted to play things safe, so he drank the glass of water. He was grateful for the help, but he didn't see it as necessary anymore. However, Eren wasn't aware that Cinder felt responsible for the experience he had to suffer from.

It was her idea to use his powers, after all.

"Me and my big fat mouth," Cinder thought to herself as she watched Eren drink his water. "I'm not staying in the same room as that woman, not until we find out what the hell is going on." Cinder briefly exited her thoughts as she watched Eren take a seat. "Poor Eren. Who knows what he saw in that woman's head?"

"Ah," Eren said as he finished his drink. "Actually, that did help a little."

Cinder sighed in relief when she heard this. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Eren rubbed his forehead after he said that. "Though I won't be doing that again anytime soon."

"I'm really sorry, Eren. If I knew that was gonna happen, I would've kept my big mouth shut."

Eren looked back up at Cinder. "Hey, I didn't know that was gonna happen either. Besides, it wasn't exactly for nothing."

Cinder took a seat in front of Eren as she listened carefully. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't see too much, but I saw something in there."

"Really? What?"

"Well, I think Mercury was on to something when he mentioned PTSD. All I could see was Salem. And she was torturing that woman over and over again. Grimm, Magic, her own hands... all I saw was torture."

"..."

Cinder wasn't ready for her or Eren to be in the same vicinity as the woman again, but her pity for the stranger returned tenfold. She didn't ask to be turned into a Grimm, nobody in their right mind would want something like that.

Nobody, not even the corrupt people Cinder had been fighting, deserved something like that.

"Is that why you got hurt?" Cinder asked. "Was the torture too much to watch?"

"It was hard to watch," Eren confessed. "But I don't think that's what hurt me." Eren began to shake his head. "I don't know. Something like that never happened before."

"Something like what?"

"It was almost like... her mind was resisting. That she was trying to make me stop looking."

"...Whoa."

This was a very strange idea. Eren had used his power over memory countless times; he always made it look so easy. She heard and saw him do it multiple times, it was a power Eren truly mastered as the Founding Titan. So to hear that he was struggling with it on a specific person was very surprising.

Not just surprising, but also troubling.

Cinder was having a hard time getting Eren's screams out of her head. She still felt responsible for what happened, and she recalled how Eren had been through worse at the hands of Salem and Darkness. Cinder knew she couldn't have done anything with those two, but she could do something now.

"Eren, I don't think you should try that again," she said. "Maybe stay away from that woman while you're at it."

"Yeah, I won't be trying it with her again," Eren promised. "But still, that never happened to me before. I'd really like to know why."

"Me too, but I don't think we should push ourselves again. Especially after coming back from Salem's."

"You're right, we'll take it easy." Eren began to relax in his chair. "I think I'm gonna do that right now, actually."

"Okay. I'll get out of your hair." Cinder got off her chair and moved to the door again. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. And if my headache comes back..." Eren lifted the capsule of pills Cinder had given him. "I'll be all set."

"Great. Talk to you later."

When Cinder left, Eren began to relax once again. His body was at peace, but his mind was racing with multiple questions. He had never met someone like that woman, someone capable of resisting the power of the Founding Titan. It was remarkable and intimidating, just how powerful and strong-willed that woman really was.

Eren suddenly recalled how the Ackerman Clan was also unique where Titans were concerned. They were already formidable warriors, but Eren learned that the power of the Titans had no effect on the Ackermans. The serum and the gas that could transform Eldians into Titans didn't work on the Ackermans; they were completely immune.

Perhaps the mysterious stranger was just like them.

"Is that possible?" Eren asked himself. "Is she an Ackerman? What if she's Eldian, like me? I'm not the first Eldian Darkness brought to Remnant. Mom, Ms. Fritz, and Ymir are all here. That woman could have been brought here too, maybe to... Wait." Eren stood up when he remembered something important. "Where is Ymir?"

Eren looked out the window towards the fields, where the airship Mercury had flown once rested. That airship had been removed a while ago, but Eren just realized that nobody had said anything about finding a woman on board. And while Eren had seen countless faces while delivering food across Kuroyuri, he knew he would have recognized Ymir's face if he saw it.

But he didn't.

"Did she leave again?" Eren wondered as he looked out the window. "She couldn't have gotten far. The nearest town is a day's hike. Between the distance and the Grimm, there's no way she'd survive."

"..."

"But Ymir's smarter than that. Kuroyuri is her best shot for food and a roof over her head. Someone must have seen her." Eren decided to move away from the window and not worry about it. "There's nothing I can do about her now. And given her track record of trying to get away from me, I'm sure I'll see her again."

As Eren moved back to his seat, he recalled how he thought about the other Eldians he had mentioned. Whether or not the woman at the hospital was an Ackerman seemed irrelevant at the time, given that Eren had inadvertently brought up a problem he had earlier.

Namely, a problem with his mother.

"Aw, jeez," Eren lamented as he sat down and pondered about his situation. "I still have to tell Mom about Darkness. But how? She'll flip out the moment I tell her what happened to me. Maybe she won't even believe I'm really me..."

"..."

Strangely, the mixture of doubt and fear led to Eren gaining a new sense of resolve. His brow furrowed as his fists clenched together, and he began to feel very disappointed in himself. So much so that he was ready to make a change.

"Get a hold of yourself, Eren!" the young man demanded. "You sound like a scared little kid! Come on, is this any harder when you had to tell her why you came to Remnant? Or why you kept moving forward with the Rumbling? Hell, you even looked Mikasa in the eyes to tell her you hated her! So how is this any different?"

"..."

Eren sighed as he began to discover the answer to his own question. He buried his face in his hands as he lamented on his situation and told himself why this situation was so different than the other times.

"Because I'm ready to change," he said. "I'm ready to live here again. But... I can't do that if I'm being possessed by gods. I can't do that if I'm a risk to everyone around me."

"..."

"But I'm not! Not anymore. Darkness is gone, and so is Salem. Nothing is going to stop me from living life to the fullest."

"..."

"Nothing."

"Oh! Hi, Eren."

Eren left his thoughts to see that he had some company. When he looked to the front door of the farmhouse, he saw that Dina Fritz had returned from her outing from earlier. And the first person she came across was Eren.

"Ms. Fritz," Eren said as he stood up. "Hi, how are you?"

"Fine, thank you," said Dina. "Oh, I found Cinder outside. She said she wanted me to..." Dina was happy to see Eren at first, but her smile faded when she saw something unordinary. "Eren, are you alright?"

Eren's first thought was that he was unable to hide his conflicted feelings very well. This changed, however, when he saw that Dina was looking at the table instead of him. So when Eren looked to the table, he saw that Dina had noticed the bottle of pills.

"Oh!" Eren said as he took the bottle. "Yeah, sorry. I just had a headache." Eren then moved to the cabinet to put the pills away.

"Oh," Dina said in relief. "Let me guess; struggling to work in the heat?"

Eren had noticed how hot it was while he was working, and the sweat on his shirt was rather evident. "Not exactly. But you're not wrong, it's roasting out there."

"I noticed. I'll never understand how you kids can work year round like you do."

"Well, I did some farming back in Paradis. So there's that. But yeah, everyone else is doing a good job pulling their own weight. Must be our youth, I guess."

Dina smiled at the joke and briefly laughed. "Either that or it's an acquired taste. I'm pretty sure Carla's oldest hand is going on forty."

"I think you're right." The mention of Carla made Eren see an opportunity with Dina. "Oh, that reminds me. Do you know why Mom went to Mistral today?"

Dina moved to the sink to get herself some water. "I asked her," she admitted. "But she didn't tell me everything."

"Really?" Eren asked. It seemed hard to think that Carla wouldn't tell her best friend everything. "Why not?"

"She said she was keeping it a surprise."

"...A surprise, huh?"

Whether it was the Grimm, Salem's Titan, or Darkness' cruel trick, Eren decided that he wasn't a big fan of surprises. While Ymir's arrival and Cinder's confession were both great, Eren didn't prefer things coming out of the blue like they did at the Land of Darkness. He hated seeing memories of the future, but now he envied himself for once being able to know what would happen and when.

Now, Eren found himself incapable of expecting the unexpected.

"That's right," Dina replied. "I wouldn't worry about it, Eren. Whatever it is, Carla did a good job making it sound like a good surprise."

"Probably," Eren replied. "But still..."

"Huh? Still what?"

Eren once again took an opportunity he saw with Dina and asked another question. "Ms. Fritz, I know you just got back, but... can I talk to you?" he requested. "Before I go back outside?"

"Sure," Dina casually replied as she moved to the kitchen table and sat down. "What's on your mind?"

"A few things, actually. First off, I wanted to thank you. For understanding about me and Cinder. I know how that sounds, but your approval means a lot."

Dina couldn't help but smile as she stifled a laugh. "Eren, you don't have to thank me. I know how much you mean to Cinder. Besides, you've been doing a great job at keeping her safe and making her happy."

"That's all I want for her. But... I haven't always done a good job. Especially on our mission."

Dina frowned when she heard this. "Well, I'm sure it was hard. I remember what you all told me last night. I'm just happy she made it home safely."

"Yeah, but... there's a little more to the story. Something I wanted to tell you and Mom. But... I'm not sure how."

Dina was still frowning, but she didn't turn away from Eren. "What? What happened?"

"..."

The schoolteacher's curiosity and worry were slowly growing. While she knew that Eren and Cinder were back, the idea of something happening without her knowledge was rather alarming.

"Eren, you can tell me," Dina insisted. "If it's about Cinder, I'm sure it's not a big deal. She's still happy, you know."

"I know," Eren confirmed. "It's just that... I didn't mean to... What happened was..."

"..."

Eren could tell that he was losing Dina, so he decided to use an example to facilitate understanding. "Let me back up," he offered. "Have you ever studied Grimm? When you went to school in Mistral?"

"Um... yes," Dina confirmed. "It was just one class, though. General education."

"Okay. Have you heard of something called a Chill? You might have heard that Vernal had an encounter with one."

"Mercury's girlfriend?" When Dina watched Eren nod, the schoolteacher recalled that she heard how Vernal ended up in the hospital. Namely, that a Grimm took hold of her and nearly killed her. "A Chill... Those Grimm possess people, right?"

"Yeah. That's right. They make people do things they don't want to do. At least, that's what I understand about possession."

"Well, yes. A few horror movies did something like that, usually when-" Dina focused on Eren again when she saw where Eren was going with this. "Wait a minute. Eren, did that happen to you too?" Concern overtook Dina as she pitied Eren for what she believed to be true. "Were you possessed by a Chill?"

"...No. No, not by a Chill."

Dina sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I couldn't imagine if... Wait." Dina leaned a little closer to the young man. "Eren, what did you say? What do you mean 'not by a Chill?'"

"...It was Darkness."

"..."

Eren didn't know how or when, but he managed to gather the strength to tell Dina everything that had happened to him. He explained that after he froze Salem in crystal, he was at his weakest moment in all of his life. And that weakness was enough for Darkness to come in and possess him, all in the hopes of being Remnant's new ruler.

Eren was simply a puppet.

After he finished the story, Eren looked upon Dina with pity. He wished he didn't have to curse someone as kind and wise as her with knowledge of a terrible tragedy, but Eren needed some of that kindness and wisdom now.

And fortunately for him, Dina was willing to give it.

"Oh, my... Oh, Eren," Dina said as she stood up and hugged Eren. She was rather intimidated by what had happened, but she could see that it was over now. She also saw that Eren needed help. "It's okay. It's alright."

Eren accepted the embrace, and he finally let out all of the pain and trauma he had been holding on to since his possession. He may have told his friends about what happened, but it was more of an explanation than anything. Cinder was probably the only other person who knew how Eren was feeling, and Eren was grateful for that. But now, he needed help.

"I hated it," Eren confessed. "I hated what Darkness was doing, I hated how weak I was, and I..." Eren stopped talking when he remembered who he was talking to. Dina was a very good friend to Eren, but she wasn't really his mother. And now, Eren knew he needed to talk to her. "I need to tell Mom. But... I don't know how to do it."

Dina let go of Eren and took a seat again. "What do you mean?" she asked calmly. "Are you... afraid?"

Eren nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"...Why?"

Eren didn't see any point in stopping now, so he kept going. "I might be back, I might be ready to start living and working here again... but I don't know if things can just go back to normal. And I know that's exactly what Mom wants."

Dina had no intention of interrupting Eren or doing anything to make him stop venting. But she simply saw her chance to talk again and have a normal conversation with him.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked calmly.

"Because I know her," Eren replied. "She might accept the fact that fighting is what I do best, but I know how much she always hated it. She's happy here, happy to be living the simple life. The world be damned, Mom's happy with the world she made here. I put that in jeopardy for her once already. I don't want to do that again." Eren rested his forehead on his hand as he made one final point. "And being here just makes me feel that I'll be doing that to her again. Especially with telling her about Darkness."

"..."

It was true that Eren knew his mother well. The conversation they had at the hospital was a special one for him, since he was happy that Carla understood why he had to go. But deep down, Eren knew how much Carla hated it. She was never a selfish woman, but Carla was content to focus on what she had in Kuroyuri rather than the rest of the world. Eren envied that, since he wished things could go back to the way they were. But he believed that something like Darkness possessing him had the potential to be the final straw for Carla. That maybe, she would see Eren being more of a burden than a benefit.

And if he kept it up, it would just get worse.

"Eren... it's very sweet you want to protect Carla like that," said Dina. "But have you considered that you might be overthinking this a bit?"

Eren was surprised to hear such an idea, and he quickly denied it. "I don't think being possessed by a god is something to overthink, Ms. Fritz," he said.

Dina quickly saw how silly that sounded. "I'm sorry, what I meant was that you might be overthinking how Carla will react."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I know her too. Sure, Carla might have her own reservations against the life of a warrior. But telling her what happened isn't going to destroy her whole world. Because..." Dina took Eren's hand for emphasis. "You're her world too, Eren."

"..."

Dina could see that Eren was thinking about the point she made, and she decided to reinforce it for validation. "I know she probably told you over the phone, but Carla was worried sick about you, Eren. Ever since you left, Carla would go to the front gate and ask if any of the defensemen saw you. And when the news about Lionheart and the Hunt Inquisitorius came, she'd always wake up early and see if she could see you."

"...Sounds a little unhealthy," Eren admitted.

"It wasn't that bad," Dina countered. "I mean, I was the same way with Cinder. Besides, Carla was still able to go about her day while always keeping an eye out for you. I don't remember who said it, but I think someone told Carla that she shouldn't get her hopes up. That even if you came back, you wouldn't be completely up to speed."

Eren briefly nodded. "You can say that again."

"Well, I'm sure they meant it more physically. You know, tired and maybe hurt. But Carla said she didn't care what state you were in. Hurt, tired, poor and destitute. It didn't matter to Carla." Dina squeezed Eren's hand a little tighter. "She's just happy you're back, in any shape or form. You made her world whole again."

"..."

Eren couldn't help but crack a small smile when he heard this. He recalled just how happy his mother was to see him last night, how she was there to lend a helpful ear, and how she was content with him choosing what to do from now on. There were indeed some changes, as he and Cinder mentioned last night. But if what Dina said about Carla's meeting was true, then more change was on the way.

Perhaps things couldn't go back to the way they were. But maybe some change, good and bad, wouldn't get in the way of Carla's world being turned upside down.

Just as long as Eren was still in her life.

Eren stood up and smiled at Dina in satisfaction and gratitude. "Thanks," he said. "That was good to hear."

"Well, it needed to be said," Dina insisted as she also stood up. "Most people don't really say how much they mean to one another. But they let their actions speak for themselves." Eren nodded in agreement, since Carla's actions spoke volumes already. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks. And don't worry, I'll talk to Mom when she gets back." Eren began to walk towards the front door so he could get back to work, but he remembered something else. "Oh, and Ms. Fritz?"

"Hm?" Dina hummed as she gave Eren her attention.

"The last time we talked like this... it helped me see how much I wanted to be with Cinder." Eren smiled again. "Thank you for that."

Dina smiled once more, content with the fact that she helped both Eren and her daughter grow closer together. If they were happy, she was happy as well.

---

After Eren finished his talk with Dina, he rejoined his friends outside. It was rather obvious they were all worried about him, but seeing him walk on his own while not holding his head set all their worries aside. And together, they all resumed their chores. They mostly worked independently, but there were times when they decided to work together. After all, they had been through too much to stop being a team now.

While everyone was happy to see Eren was fine and capable of working, they all had the mysterious stranger at the back of their minds. Eren had talked about what had happened, and how he believed that the woman was possibly an Eldian. The explanation was enough to satisfy everyone and put their questions aside, but there was one individual who couldn't stop thinking about it.

Emerald.

Emerald was able to understand what happened to Eren, just like everyone else did. However, the way he explained his predicament and inability to see the woman's memories caused Emerald to think. She thought about how everyone agreed that the woman had a severe mental problem, before and after Eren suffered a headache. It was clear that he couldn't help the stranger, but Emerald began to think that she could.

However, she needed a second opinion. And she knew just who to ask.

"Hey, Ren?" Emerald called out to her friend. "You got a minute?"

Ren was currently cleaning the walls of the stables, which was a rather private part of Ambrose Farms. And it was the perfect place for Emerald to speak her mind with someone. So she was glad when Ren invited her inside before he continued to clean.

"Need some help with something?" he asked calmly. "I'm almost done in here."

"No, I'm fine," Emerald insisted. "I just wanted to bounce something off you, that's all." Emerald would normally ask Cinder for something like this, but she knew that Ren could understand what she wanted to say.

Ren didn't think too much of it, so he lended his ear to Emerald.

"Oh, sure," Ren said as he turned to the wall again. He then began to scrub it while waiting for Emerald. "Go ahead."

Emerald didn't lean against a wall, since Ren was busy cleaning them. She simply stood where she was as she let her thoughts out into the open. And in her mind, they were rather good thoughts.

"So, you saw that Eren's better, right?" Emerald began. "After that thing with the hospital."

"Yes, I saw him," said Ren. "I'm glad he's alright. What happened to him at the hospital gave me quite a scare." Ren was able to multitask between cleaning the wall and talking to Emerald, so his words were sincere.

"Yeah, me too. But I think Eren might have proved your theory right. You know, that our friend at the hospital has something up with her mind."

"Perhaps. Either that or she's like those people from his home. The Ackermans, that's what he said."

"Yeah, I remember him saying that. But still, she's got something going on up there. I think the screaming and thrashing around in bed showed us that."

"That's true. I'm just sorry that we won't be able to help her."

Emerald moved a little closer to Ren as she spoke. "Actually, that's why I wanted to talk to you," she said. "I think I know a way to help her."

Ren couldn't help but stop cleaning the walls of the stables when he heard Emerald's claim. He wasn't absentminded when she was talking to him earlier, but Emerald had Ren's attention now. While he truly felt sorry for being unable to do anything, Ren wasn't exactly in a hurry to try anything again; especially when it hurt one of his friends.

So he was cautiously curious when he heard Emerald's idea.

"How do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Remember when we were fighting Hazel at Salem's castle?" Emerald asked. "While Eren and Cinder were going after Salem?" When she saw Ren nod, Emerald continued to explain her idea. "You said that I helped you guys take him down. That I did something with my Titan."

Ren knew what Emerald was talking about. When she first used her Titan, Emerald was unfamiliar with what she could do with it. So she decided to use her Semblance on Hazel while she worked out the capabilities of her Titan. However, this led Emerald to using a very special feature with her Titan; one that had an influence on the minds of people.

It didn't take long for Ren to put the pieces together. He could see that Emerald wanted to try to use her Titan on the mysterious stranger.

"You want to use it again?" he asked, despite knowing the answer. "On the woman? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah!" Emerald insisted. "I know what happened to Eren was bad, but we have other options! Eren can't use my Titan powers, and I can't use his. We're all unique, Ren. Maybe we can use that to help that lady. Or at least, maybe I can."

Ren had turned his head from the wall while he spoke to Emerald, but now he turned his whole body to give her his opinion. "Emerald, I see where you're coming from," he began. "But I don't think trying anything else at the moment is wise."

"I know what happened to Eren," Emerald insisted once more. "But since we're different, maybe I could-"

"You two are different, yes. Your Titans are very unique, that's true. But you have to remember that Eren also has experience you lack. That all of us lack. He's used Titans for years, Emerald. And if all that power and experience results in failure, however rare, I don't want to imagine the consequences for someone with a brand new Titan trying something on someone we know nothing about."

"..."

Emerald could see that Ren had made up his mind on the matter, and that he had made a rather good point. Eren had much more experience than she did, and he knew what he was doing. So if he couldn't do something he normally could do with his Titan and powers, then something was seriously wrong.

"...Yeah," Emerald finally said. "Yeah, alright. I know what you mean."

"We'll figure something out later," Ren promised. "Don't worry."

"Okay. Sorry to bother you."

"It's no bother. I'll see you later."

When Ren turned his attention back to the stable wall, Emerald slowly took her leave. As she walked outside, Emerald thought back to what Ren had said about Eren. The failure to do something he normally could do was indeed a problem, one that definitely raised some red flags. And Emerald understood that there were potential consequences for trying to do what she wanted to do, that was also true. So her talk with Ren made Emerald learn something new.

Nobody else would agree to her idea.

Ren's words of wisdom rang through Emerald's head vividly, but they weren't enough to make her forget the idea she had. Emerald was never one to take unnecessary risks or do anything that didn't sound smart, but she felt that her plan was the right thing to do. And she didn't think there would be a lot to convince her otherwise.

Because despite remembering Ren's advice, there was something else Emerald remembered as well.

"Promise me that I won't be at the front of everything you want to do in your life. Promise me that you'll live your life for you."

Back in the Forever Fall, Cinder had made Emerald angry when she accused her of being like a slave. The word "slave" may have been an overstatement, but Emerald was able to understand that the way she used to think was rather dangerous. All Cinder wanted when she asked Emerald to make that promise was for her to start believing more in herself, as opposed to putting all her faith in one person.

Emerald still respected Cinder greatly, she was still one of Emerald's best friends. However, Emerald could see that it was time to start believing in herself more. To start living a life that would make her happy as well as others. And for the life of her, Emerald couldn't think of a better way to keep that promise than by helping the stranger at the hospital.

Emerald tried to tell herself that Ren was right, that her idea could have disastrous consequences. She even told herself that what she planned to do would be akin to doing something stupid like Mercury would always do. But no matter what she told herself, Cinder's request kept coming back to her mind.

And so, Emerald decided that if she wanted to keep that promise... she was going to have to be a little reckless.

"Oh, boy," Emerald thought to herself. "I am gonna be in so much trouble."

---

Emerald's plan was risky, but rather simple. The first thing she did was leave the farm once work was over. The farmhands would go home to have dinner with their families while Eren and his friends would usually eat inside. Emerald used her Semblance to hide herself from everyone while she left, but she knew they would notice she was gone sooner or later. So she made sure to move quickly while she executed the next step of her plan.

Emerald recalled how she locked her eyes onto Hazel when she used her enhanced mental powers. This told her that she would have to be in close proximity to the woman in order to use her powers again. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, Emerald believed, since the hospital was bordered by a forest in the back. The expansion of Kuroyuri's walls allowed for much land, including forests, to be incorporated into the village.

But before she used this forest to hide her transformation, Emerald called Midori on her Scroll and explained that she may be able to help the woman. All she needed was for Midori to bring the woman outside, close to the forest. However, Midori explained that her patient was in no condition to be moved from the room. The best she could do was turn the bed so the woman could be facing the window.

After being directed as to which window she needed to look through, Emerald transformed into a Titan and began to move as close to the hospital as she could. But while she did this, Emerald began to have second thoughts.

"Why am I doing this?" Emerald asked as she slowly walked towards the hospital. "Only Mercury would pull off something this stupid! This is crazy, I shouldn't be here! After what happened to Eren, nobody should be doing something like this!"

Emerald was very close to turning back and calling the whole thing off, but Cinder's words inspired her once more.

"Promise me that I won't be at the front of everything you want to do in your life. Promise me that you'll live your life for you."

Upon hearing the request once again, Emerald knew that she had gone too far to just turn back now. If she were to turn around now, Emerald would be letting Cinder down just as much as she would be letting the woman down. And though the woman was still a stranger to her, Emerald knew that she had to help. She knew she had to do what Eren did best.

Keep moving forward.

And so, Emerald continued forward and found herself at the back of the hospital. The trees and the night sky provided her some disguise, but it wasn't perfect. The last thing Emerald wanted was to scare somebody, despite the fact that Kuroyuri knew the truth about the Titans. So Emerald told herself she had to be quick as she began looking for the window Midori had told her about.

"There it is," Emerald said to herself when she found the spot Midori told her about. It was rather easy to find, since Midori had turned the bed like she said she would. And now, Emerald was able to see the woman resting peacefully in her bed.

It was now or never.

"Okay, let's see," Emerald thought to herself as she stared at the woman. "Last time I did this, I was trying to use my Semblance on Hazel. I can do that again and maybe-Hold on." Emerald was careful not to jump into action quickly; she simply took a step back and thought things through. "When I did that, I did a number on Hazel. I'm trying to help that lady, not hurt her."

"..."

Emerald thought back on how she had managed to hurt Hazel and how she could do the opposite to the woman who needed help. Emerald recalled how she planned to use her Semblance as a means of attack, to make Hazel confused while she prepared to take him out of commission.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it," Emerald thought to herself. "If I just try to use my powers to help her, it could just work on its own." Emerald looked to the window again and focused on her intention to assist the woman. "Okay... here we go."

"..."

Emerald couldn't see it, but her eyes began to glow as she focused on using her powers. Once again, she acted like she was using her Semblance to tap into the minds of other people. She was sure that she was doing it correctly, but Emerald couldn't see the woman reacting in any way.

Which wasn't bad, but not what Emerald was hoping to see.

"Huh, nothing's happening," Emerald said to herself. "Maybe I-"

*WHOOSH*

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Despite being in a Titan, Emerald felt herself falling from a great height. The last thing that happened before she fell was seeing her grow closer and closer to the woman; it was almost like she flew to her.

But there was no flying now; just falling.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-!"

*CRASH*

"Oof!" Emerald groaned as she felt herself hit the ground. Despite falling from a great height, Emerald wasn't hurt. She had to catch her breath from the shock she received, and there was much more shock to be had.

Not only was she on the ground, but Emerald was outside her Titan.

"What the-?" Emerald said as she looked upon her human hands. She then looked upon her legs and torso to see that she was definitely outside her Titan. But there was something else she could see around her.

Red fog.

"Where am I?" Emerald asked as she looked around. The fog was all around her, but it wasn't very thick. Emerald could see that her environment had changed drastically. She wasn't among the trees anymore, but she could see a field of trees before her. But unlike the trees in Kuroyuri, these trees were nearly leafless and withering away.

And there appeared to be a beach behind her.

"Okay..." Emerald said as she became aware of her surroundings. "I'm definitely not in Kuroyuri anymore." This fact began to make Emerald panic, as she was breathing in and out rapidly. "Okay, calm down, calm down. This is fine."

"..."

"No, this is not fine! I'm completely somewhere else, I didn't tell anyone where I was going, and now I'm totally screwed!" Emerald needed a few more seconds to breath before she calmed down again. "Okay, I just need to think. I was in Kuroyuri, as a Titan. I was at the hospital, and I was gonna use my powers on..."

Once Emerald retraced her steps, everything made sense. She recalled how she tried to use her powers back home, and then she noticed that the red fog looked familiar to her. Namely, that it looked like the fog Emerald saw when she first inherited her Titan.

Emerald knew exactly what was going on.

"It... It worked," Emerald said. Once she realized that, Emerald smiled and jumped in the air. "It worked! I did it! I can use my powers!" When she landed on the ground, Emerald relaxed and analyzed her situation again. "Okay, if I used my powers, that must mean I tapped into that lady's mind. Wait a second... is this her mind? Is that where I am?"

"..."

Emerald didn't know what she was expecting when she planned to influence somebody's mind. She certainly didn't expect to be taken into the stranger's mind, and she didn't expect it to look like this. The mind was always a very abstract thought, but a forest bordering a beach looked rather normal to Emerald.

And yet, Emerald had so many questions about this place. Why was there a forest like this in somebody's mind? And why was Emerald able to use her power successfully? Emerald recalled how the woman had hurt Eren when he tried to use his powers, but Emerald felt fine. No headaches, no pain, no problems whatsoever.

Emerald had so many questions, but there didn't seem to be any answer to them. However, there was a big clue as to where Emerald could find those answers.

"Okay, this definitely means something to that lady," she said to herself. "I just have to find out what."

"..."

"By going into the forest."

"..."

"Alone."

"..."

Emerald was beginning to have second thoughts about this, since the forest was rather intimidating. She wished her friends were here with her, since she always felt strongest when they were. But everything depended on her now.

She may not have been ready to go it alone... but she had already made it this far. She couldn't go back now.

"Okay," Emerald said for what felt like the millionth time. "Here we go."

With that, Emerald Sustrai took her first steps towards the forest. And just like she did before, she did what Eren did best.

She just kept moving forward.

---

Author's notes: hi everyone, hope you're doing good! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, AT and I are really excited to continue this arc. And we're sure you have questions, such as how Eren got hurt using his powers while Emerald used them successfully. But stay tuned, you'll find out real soon.

But other than that, we have a little surprise for you, courtesy of our mutual friend Servos New Head. Here's AT to explain some more:

"Hey guys! The Avenging Titan here! Hope things have been good for everyone, and i hope you all enjoy our newest chapter!

With that out of the way, we actually have an announcement for you all. Now in the past, Court has mentioned Servos New Head, who is known for posting Spongebob related jokes/memes whenever he posts his reviews, and is also another editor/helper with informing Court of any grammar or spelling errors in the story. He even had his own little segment in the AN a while back in Chapter 36.

Well, Servos has gone the extra mile again, and has done something awesome for Court and i.

Attack on Titan: A New Path now has it's own TV Tropes page!

Yes that is right! It's own TV Tropes page. Before it was nominated and put in the recommended fics section in both the AOT and RWBY, also done by Servos, but now it has joined the echelon of stories who have their own dedicated pages.

Right now, there isn't a whole lot to it, but that is where this message comes in to play. Court and i have a request for you all: If anyone has ever updated or edited things on TV Tropes before, or knows anyone who has and still does, could they be able to lend Servos a hand in updating/editing/maintaining A New Path's page? If anyone, or multiple anyone's, can do this, we would be so grateful. And I'm sure Servos would be as well.

With that out of the way, i hope you all are doing OK and are staying healthy! This is The Avenging Titan, signing off!"

That's right, AT and I are really happy to hear that Servos made us a page on TV Tropes. We're flattered and honored by this gesture, and we really hope you like it too. If you want to see it for yourself, go to "Fanworks" on the AoT TV Tropes page, and you'll find it under "Crossovers." We hope you enjoy it, and feel free to edit it as you see fit.

That's all we have for now. Thank you all for being such a terrific audience, your support means the world to us. Don't forget to leave a comment before you go, they really help us. Stay healthy, and see you next time!