Attack On Titan: Wings Of Crystal
Chapter 31: The Coordinate
The huge herd of over a dozen Titans relentlessly chases after Erwin and the group of soldiers following his lead. Right now he was risking the lives of so many soldiers to have the Titans swarm the Armoured and Crystal Titans, as well as their comrades riding atop them.
With Michael's intentions in question, he changed the objective to simply retrieve Eren and retreat. Not to engage in battle with the enemy. They've made the unfortunate mistake of underestimating their foes in the past with Annie. He won't make the same mistake again.
The members of the 104th quickly depart from the two Titans' shoulders as the herd was closing in. Given no other choice, Michael quickens his pace and gets in front of Reiner. Summoning a long sword and shield in his hands, he charges, shield first, into the horde, smashing them aside like a snowplough going through a road of snow. Any Titans that attempted to attack him, he simply cut down with his sword.
"Squadrons break! Make the Titans scatter!" Erwin ordered.
The Titans all split up chasing the nearest soldiers they see, making the shield charge ineffective for the remainder of them. Michael tries his hardest to slay as many Titans as he could, but their overwhelming numbers soon got the best of him. Both he and Lazarus ended up falling backwards with some of the Titans piling on top of him.
Some of them attempt to break through the crystal dome protecting Lazarus. Seeing their creepy facial expressions and slobbering mouths pressing up against the walls was unnerving for the albino Warrior. It was like seeing a snot-nosed brat smooshing his face up against a window. It was downright disturbing.
Titans then began to swarm Reiner and Ymir. And with the Crystal Titan pinned down, they were left to fend for themselves. One of them attempted to grab Historia, but Ymir makes short work of it and defends her.
Both the Armoured and Crystal Titans roar as they struggle to break free from the crowd of Pure Titans. This was the Scouts' chance to recover Eren while they still can.
"All soldiers charge!" Erwin declared as he draws his blades. "We've come to the moment of truth! Mankind's fate is decided now! With Michael under the control of the enemy, our only hope of reclaiming these lands and building a better future lies with Eren. Go! Recover Eren from the Armoured Titan and retreat!" He follows this up with a determined and inspiring salute as his horse stands tall and ready to charge. "Your hearts and souls to the cause!"
His inspiring words shook the very nature of their being. Whatever doubts they had about Erwin's leadership skills were shattered. He was truly the greatest leader the Scout Regiment could've ever asked for.
Responding with an equally proud and dedicated salute, the soldiers valiantly follow him into battle, unafraid of possibly being eaten in the process. They all let out a battle cry as they close in on the Crystal and Armoured Titans. The MP's watching from a distance thought he was insane and leading so many men and women to their deaths all to save one person. Blindsided by the Titan that somehow managed to sneak up on him and bite him off his horse.
"Advance!" Erwin cried out. Unaware of the incoming Titan that was rapidly heading for his location.
The Titan grabs him by his right arm, viciously removing him from his horse and running off with him hanging from his mouth. Both the Scouts and Michael were horrified by this sudden turn of events.
"DAD!"
"Commander Erwin!" Armin cried out in a panic. He and the others attempt to turn their horses around and go back for him. But Erwin ceases any of their vague attempts.
"I SAID ADVANCE GODDAMNIT!" He roared down at them, not giving a damn about the intense pain in his right arm as it was being brutally severed from his body. "EREN'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! DO NOT FALTER!"
That was all they needed to hear for them to keep focusing on the task at hand and rescue Eren. That prioritises everyone, even the commander himself.
Michael however had no reason to lay there and watch his father get eaten. Not when he has the power to save him. Letting out an intense roar, the Crystal Titan slams its fists into the ground, allowing dozens of gigantic spiked pillars to erupt out of his chest and the ground around him. All the Titans that have piled up on him, were all impaled and propelled off of him.
Once he was up, he dashed for Erwin, forgetting about Reiner, Bertolt, Eren, Ymir and Historia. Lazarus bangs his fists against the dome.
"Michael, wait! Reiner and the others will get swarmed if you leave now! Let me get off so I can protect them!"
The Crystal Titan quickly comes to a halt, skidding across the ground until he finally stopped. The crystal dome shatters, exposing Lazarus to the world once again. He then proceeded to grab him and hold him up to his face.
"What are you doing?!" Lazarus started to worry, thinking he might attempt to crush him to death in his grip.
"Be ready to attack once I throw you." Michael telepathically instructed him.
Before Lazarus could question what, he meant, the Crystal Titan turns around, reels its arm back, and throws him in the direction of the Armoured Titan. Lazarus quickly draws his long blades and fires an anchor into the backs of one of the Titans, followed by a deadly spin attack to the nape as he closes in for the kill.
With him out of the way, Michael creates a crystal crossbow and fires a single bolt at the Titan that grabbed Erwin. It falls the moment the bolt pierces its nape, letting go of Erwin. Most of him at least. His right arm remained inside the Titan's mouth, sliding down its throat beyond saving.
The Crystal Titan finishes off the Titan by tugging the bolt to the side, ripping its nape out, and killing it for good.
Erwin clutches the nub where his arm uses to be. He tears his Scout cloak along the bottom, using the torn piece to bandage up his wound, attempting to stop the bleeding.
The Crystal Titan slowly approaches him and kneels to his level. Erwin stares up at him, wearing a look of confusion and concern. Why had he come back? Was he pretending to be on their side and waiting for the right moment to get back to him? No, that wasn't it, he thought. Had Michael been forced against his will, he would've allowed the Titans to swarm the Armoured and rescue Eren. So this means, he only decided to come back just to save him. That brought at least some relief back to him, knowing his son still cared about him besides his betrayal. So what was it that made him change sides? He wondered.
The Crystal Titan lowers its head, making it appear he's on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness. But in actuality, he took something he learned from Ymir and allowed his actual body to partially emerge from the nape, to communicate with his father.
"Dad, are you alright?" he asked worried for him.
"Physically it could've been worse." Erwin finally spoke up to him. "But emotionally, I feel betrayed… Why Michael? Why are you siding with them against us?" He asked with a mix of desperation in his voice. "Tell me the truth. Were you with them from the start?"
"No, no! Of course not! I swear to you on my life and honour as a Scout!"
"Then why discard everything I taught you over the years for the ones responsible for pushing humanity near the brink of extinction?! I thought I told you not to let your emotions cloud your judgement. In the end, you chose your "friend" over all of us! The very friend you vowed to destroy before you knew he was the Winged Titan!"
Suddenly, to Michael's shocking surprise, A single tear started to form and run down his right eye. Despite what he just said, he couldn't help but feel hurt by the same boy he'd found in the forest all those years ago. The boy he raised as his own son. The boy who taught him the values of being a father.
The memories of Erwin finding a young Michael being surrounded by Titans and being saved by him play out in his mind. That day was one of the best of his life. The smile he gave the young boy when he picked him up and held him in his arms, it once filled him with happiness and joy as well as purpose for existing after accomplishing his father's dream.
But now as he looks up at him, all he could see was, what he once believed to be humanity's greatest hope for a better future, being reduced to yet another dangerous threat they're gonna have a hard time defeating.
"Dad… I swear my loyalties to you and the Survey Corps have never changed. It's just that… I have to go with them."
"THEN TELL ME WHY?!" He shouted in despair.
"They know who I am, ok!"Michael shouts back at him. He pauses for a moment expecting Erwin to ask what he means by that. Since he chose not to respond, he continued. "Lazarus was someone who knew me in my past life. At first, I thought he was lying. But I looked him in the eyes. Heard him express how broken up he was at my disappearance. Nobody can fake something like that so easily. He told me he has a way to help me regain my lost memories before you found me. I have a chance to remember where I came from… who my real parents are… Who I am…"
Erwin takes a couple of steps back in shock. Now it all became clear to him why he would suddenly change sides. There's no way he was making all this up in defence of himself. He had no reason to lie to him like that. Therefore, Erwin had no choice but to believe it.
"Look, I'm going with them. I have to know the truth. You should understand what it's like to feel empty inside, knowing half of your life's been taken from you. You told me your father died trying to expose the real truth about the world outside the walls. Well, I think I was born in that world. Once I remember everything, I'll share it with you."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because no matter who I am in the end, I'll always be your son. And you deserve to be free as much as everyone else in these walls." Michael smiles slightly at his father. Erwin however ends up looking away from him and towards Lazarus defending the Armoured Titan.
"You trust him more than me?" He asked.
"I- I… don't know. Every part of me I know is screaming at me not to. But another part of me that links me to my past and the Crystal Titan is telling me to take this chance… Whatever memories of him I have will determine if he's worth trusting or not."
"I see…" Erwin uttered quietly. "If you believe this is your only chance to be whole again, then I won't stop you, nor will the Scouts. Go. Dig up your past. Return to your real family. They're probably still hoping for your inevitable return."
"Come with me!" Michael suggested all of a sudden, causing Erwin to look back up at him. "Whatever life I hope to get back, pales in comparison to the one I've had with you. Even if you aren't my real father, you've always acted like you were when you had no business to do so. It's because of you I'm alive at all. I agreed to go with them for the price of bringing you home with us. Please, Dad, let me show you the world I come from. Fulfil your fathers' dreams."
"No."
His answer was so short, fast and to the point that Michael had a little difficulty believing what he'd just said. He asked again hoping he misheard him, but Erwin's answer was still the same.
"But Dad-
"No buts!" He sternly interrupted him. "My duty as the Commander of the Scout Regiment is to help the people within these walls. I made a solum vow to protect the people with my life… There was a time I prioritised my father's dream over all else. Hell, I'd be lying if I still didn't prioritise it now. Hence why we must do everything in our power to recover Eren from your "allies". With you gone, he's our only other chance. We can't let them take him. Even if it benefits you… Our objective is to simply recover Eren and retreat. I didn't order anyone to kill the enemy… You should go now while you still have a chance."
"No! This can't be the last time I ever see you! It can't!"
"If never seeing you again means you can finally become whole, then consider this my final order to you. Go back with them, to your true family. Give up your attempts to capture Eren… And never come back!" He stares intensely into his eyes as he executes his last-ever order to him both as his commander and father.
Michael was heartbroken that he was unable to convince him. But he knew deep down it never would've worked. He's asking him to give up his comrades, his soldiers, his people, and everything he worked so hard for as Commander to get mankind this far in their war against the Titans. He should've known better.
He slowly retreats into his Titan's nape, regaining control of his Titan body and standing back up. He looks down at his adopted father for the very last time before turning around and running towards the Warriors.
Erwin watches as his mysterious adopted son disappears from view before summoning his horse back to his side with his signature whistle.
"Good luck and goodbye … Michael." He hesitated to call him Son. Coming to terms with the fact that from this moment on, he was no longer his son… But another enemy of humanity. Whether he liked it or not.
Like a boomerang, Lazarus bounces from one Titan to the next, slicing up their napes and lowering their numbers enough to allow Reiner to stand back up and break free. Though he was backed into a corner that forced him to take one of his arms down to defend himself, exposing Bertolt and Eren.
This was Mikasa's chance to get in there and rescue Eren. But as she attempted to get close, Lazarus swoops in and swings his blades at her, forcing her to back off and land into the hand of another Titan.
"Mikasa! Get your hands off of her you piece of shit!" Jean screamed as he slashes the Titan in the eye - instead of going for the nape – allowing Mikasa to break free.
Bertolt stayed put on Reiners left palm scared for any Titans reaching him and Eren. But with Lazarus defending him from the front of the Armoured Titan and Ymir protecting the back, he felt somewhat safe.
Lazarus's relentless ODM skills forced many of the Scouts, both veteran and 104th to keep their distance from him. Many ordinary Scouts met a quick and brutal death at the tip of his long-curved blades, those who hadn't ended up getting eaten by Titans.
"Damnit! Lazarus's skills with the ODM gear are on par with Captain Levi! There's no way for any of us to get through." Jean frustratingly stated.
Mikasa was about to make another attempt to attack him, but she was stopped by Jean who grabs her arm.
"Don't! You've been injured by the Titan that grabbed you."
"I need to save Eren!" She proclaimed.
"You're no good to him dead!" Jean raised his voice at her, forgetting the fact that he still had a crush on her, momentarily. "There's no doubt you're a really good fighter. But, as much as I hate to say it, Lazarus is an even better one when it comes to ODM gear. He was the top graduate for god's sake! If you couldn't overcome him before, what makes you think you'll do better now?" He pointed out. "On top of that, He could transform again at any moment, and we'd be at an even greater disadvantage. We need to find a way to distract him long enough for you to grab Eren. Bertolt will most likely have his guard down with Lazarus around. That'll be your chance to grab Eren and get away." He explained.
Mikasa didn't want to admit it, but Jean was right. Lazarus's skills were beyond her own. Had she followed through on her attack she most likely would've died, and Eren would be in their hands for good.
After Lazarus finishes off another Scout that was foolish enough to challenge him head-on, he retreats over to Reiner's right shoulder to catch his breath and check his blades and gas.
No matter how many Titans he's killed, more and more of them just keep coming. If this keeps up, he'd have no choice but to transform into the Winged Titan and incinerate them all with his fire breath.
"How you are holding up, Bertolt?"
"Not so good. Eren's struggling to escape, and I can't hold off the smaller Titans trying to get us."
"Yeah, it's starting to become too much for me too. If this keeps up, I'll run out of gas. I might have no choice but to transform and carry us all to safety. We've come too far to give up now. We are going home! And Eren is coming with us!"
"Lazarus!"
Armin suddenly appears before them and positions himself against the right side of the Armoured Titan's head. Lazarus points his right sword at him, threatening him to stay back.
"Get out of here, Armin… Don't make me kill you… please." Lazarus spoke softly but also in a threatening tone. His intense crimson glare shows that he meant it.
Though slightly taken aback at first, Armin stands his ground. Quickly thinking up a plan on how to distract him long enough for Mikasa to snatch Eren and get away.
He then starts to think back on Annie and his relationship with her. Everyone knows that he cares more for her than himself and whatever it was they needed Eren for. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. But Lazarus had a sharp mind, just like him. Fooling him was gonna take a lot of effort, and he couldn't afford to make a single slip-up.
Suddenly, Armin's facial expression changes from a look of fear to one of scorn and excitement towards tormenting another person. That look caused Lazarus to raise an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to.
"So… you're ok with this? Leaving your girlfriend behind to face the music?"
Lazarus's eyes begin to widen at the mention of Annie. He wasn't sure what he was getting at, but he kept his cool, refusing to play his game.
"I guess Annie was weighing you down. Do you know where she is? She's way up north in the Utopia District, being tortured."
"You really think I'm gonna fall for that?" Lazarus taunted back. "I see what you're trying to do, Armin. You're trying to rile me up by making stuff up about Anne being tortured. Clever, but not clever enough to trick me. I know Annie well enough that she'd never allow herself to be tortured."
It appeared Armin's plan was failing. But he chose not to give up on Eren. He'd never given up on him when lost control of the Attack Titan in Trost, so he had no reason to give up on him now.
"Believe what you want, but there's no mistaking the screams I've heard from her. The silent treatment only goes so far. The body may heal, but her screams were a chore for her endurance."
Lazarus started to feel uneasy by the way Armin was describing the many ways she was being tortured. The way Armin's eerie whispers slowly crept into his ears, started to bring back memories… horrific memories.
This fabricated tale, though he didn't believe it, triggered a part of his past to emerge from the depths of his mind. A piece of his past he never wanted to relive again. The day he became the Winged Titan.
The world of the present slowly fades out of his peripheral vision and allowed the perspective of the past to come into view. He was lying flat out on his stomach atop a cold, steel table. His wrists and ankles strapped him to it against his will. The bright light of an overhead bulb shined brightly, blurring his vision. All he could hear were the murmurs of various doctors and scientists talking amongst each other. All of them were wearing one-peace protective suits and gas masks with headgear identical to the helmets of a soldier.
One of them was looking down on him. He wasn't able to get a full view of him as his neck was also restrained against the table. The man was shining a light into his eyes, checking his pupils for any signs of dilation.
"Subject 14 seems to be responding well to the treatments. So far, he is the only one who's managed to survive the tests with his sanity, and body, still intact." The scientist stated.
"Finally, a perfect candidate." Another voice from the other end of the room responded pleasantly. "He's the one. Prepare the serum."
The scientists around him all gasped in response to the man's instruction. The head scientist looking over Lazarus wasn't as shocked as the others. "Hehehe, I thought you'd never ask." He callously replied.
"Bu- but sir. We've still got more tests to run. We won't know for certain if he can handle the contents of the serum until he passes them." Another scientist attempted to reason with them.
"That won't be necessary. I know he is the one. He is the offspring of Marley's two most powerful Warriors is he not? It's only logical their child was the only one to have made it this far… Now ready the serum."
"But Mister Tybur-
"Ready! The serum." The man repeated himself sternly.
"This is a mistake." One of the other scientists muttered under his breath as he and two others start pouring various liquids into a beaker.
Another grabs a hold of a syringe and preps it for the serum. Once the concoction was finished, he takes some of it into the syringe and holds it over Lazarus.
"Sir, you should leave the room before we begin, in case this one explodes as well."
Hearing those words caused young Lazarus to start screaming in terror and beg for his life to be spared. Learning what became of the other test subjects before him traumatised him to the point that he started struggling and screaming like a madman, desperately trying to escape.
His recollection of those horrific memories combined with Armin's descriptions of Annie being tortured only served to reawaken that trauma. Trauma he thought he'd gotten over long ago.
"Oh, don't worry. They're taking special care that she doesn't die. Or get a moment's rest. So many methods, so little time." Armin continued.
Lazarus's whole body started shaking uncontrollably, causing him to lower his blades and wear the same terrified expression he had during those experiments. Pleased to see his plan was working, Armin decided to go in for the kill.
"Mustn't waste a prized specimen like Annie. She's too precious."
Armin's last words play over the last words he heard from one of the men who helped found the False Founder Project.
"We mustn't waste a prized specimen like Subject 14. He's too precious a resource to let go to waste."
The way he worded it sounded almost the same as how the scientist did back then. Those final words finally caused Lazarus to lose all sense of self and reason.
His eyes glow a bright red as flames start to seep out of the gaps in the side of his mouth as he furiously yelled at Armin. At first, he wanted to give him a chance to retreat with his life still intact. But the moment he mentioned Annie and reminded him of his most traumatic experiences, all bets were off.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU SPAWN OF THE DEVIL! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Wait, Lazarus! Don't!" Bertolt tried to stop him but to no avail.
In a blind rage, Lazarus charges Armin, mistaking him for the man who experimented on him as a child, and swings both his blades at him. Only to be blocked by Mikasa. The two of them clash swords multiple times until she manages to roundhouse kick him in the side, knocking him off of the Armoured Titan and straight into the hands of a fifteen-meter Pure Titan.
Bertolt attempts to retreat, it ends up getting slashed across the chest by Erwin, severing Eren from his back, and allowing Mikasa to catch him.
With Eren secured, he, Armin and Mikasa retreat, having no reason to continue this fight. Erwin orders all soldiers to retreat, leaving the Warriors at the mercy of the Titans.
Lazarus manages to free himself of the Titans grasp by slicing all its fingers off. But at the most inconvenient of times, his Cloud Zero runs out of gas, causing him to fall into the hands of three more Titans. Two of them grab one arm each, preventing Lazarus from moving his blades, while the third grabs his legs. All three start to pull on him, attempting to tear him apart. Fighting over which of them gets to eat him.
Reiner and Bertolt attempt to save him but end up getting swarmed by more Titans. And Ymir was wrestling with another fifteen-meter and struggling to keep it off her.
Lazarus screams in agony as he could feel his limbs getting slowly and violently ripped from his body. Connie and Sasha couldn't help but look back at him, feeling like they should do something, whilst also reminding themselves of the things he's done. But in the end, they followed Erwins orders and retreated with the rest of the group.
Just when it looked like he'd be going through another painful, traumatising experience. The Crystal Titan comes in out of nowhere and charges into the two Titans holding his arms. The impact alone was enough to kill them. He then finishes off the third one with a spiked knuckled punch to the head, taking its head clean off, with what remains of it still stuck to his fist.
He uses his free hand to catch Lazarus as he's falling and gently places him back atop his shoulder. He then wastes no time dealing with the other Titans surrounding Reiner and Bertolt. The first punch shakes the severed head loose from his fist, sending it hurtling into the face of another Titan.
"No! We can't let Eren slip through our fingers again! Stop them!" Lazarus howled at the Crystal Titan.
"I said I'd help in return for my memories. I never said I'd agree to help you capture Eren." Michael mentally responded.
They then spot Ymir's Jaw Titan chasing after Historia who'd just been abducted by Connie and Sasha. Things started to go wrong for the Warriors. They'd come so close and yet so far. Losing Eren is one thing, but Ymir still needed to return the power she stole from them.
Enraged at losing Eren again, the Armoured Titan starts picking up the Titans close to it and throws them towards the retreating Scouts, forcing them to slow their pace.
One of the Titans ended up landing straight into the path of Eren and Mikasa, causing them to crash hard towards the ground. Another Titan approaches them. To them, it was just another random Titan. But to Eren and Mikasa, they recognised it as the Smiling Titan. The one responsible for eating his mother.
Hannes sees this as the perfect chance to redeem himself for his cowardly actions that led to Carla's death. By killing this Titan, he'll give Eren's mother the vengeance she deserves.
But as driven as he was, he was unable to give it his all. Once again, Eren was forced to watch as yet another friend was eaten alive. And he was powerless to do anything to help as his body was still preoccupied with healing to assume Titan form.
This was Lazarus's final chance to grab him while he still can. Placing his blades back in their holsters, he turns to Michael and asks him for one last favour.
"Michael. I know you said you wouldn't help with Eren. But we must get him as far away from here as possible before he figures out what he's capable of. Assuming he really is the Coordinate."
"Coordinate? What are you talking about?" He thought.
"It's a power that far exceeds both our Titans combined! It's the reason we came here in the first place! To use that power to erase all the Titans in this world, including the ones yet to awaken within our people. If we don't get it back, then everything will be gone!" He seriously spelt it out for him at a fast pace. "I need you to throw me into the air as hard as you can."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm gonna grab Eren myself and fly him back to our hometown, far out of reach of the Scouts! Do you plan on getting in my way?" Michael thinks nothing in response, questioning if he should not. "If this power continues to thrive under their control, eventually it'll be used to unleash a great evil. An evil that'll destroy the entire world! Say what you want about us. But the things we've done five years ago, are NOTHING compared to what Eren could do if he harnesses the full power of the Coordinate."
The Crystal Titan's eyes widen a little in response. A power capable of destruction on that massive scale? Surely, he's jesting. A lot of things he can tell Lazarus was being truthful about. His speech about how he viewed everyone in the 104th to be his friends despite his manipulations. The promise of helping him recover his missing memories. He'd willing to accept those as fact. But he refused to believe that there's a power that's even greater than his own. Greater than the immortal and unstoppable Winged Titan he struggled to defeat. There's no way.
Suddenly, he, Lazarus, Ymir, Reiner and Bertolt all feel a sudden jolt of… something, pass through their heads. It was so fast and yet it felt sharp like a bullet was passing through their brains and exiting out the back of their skulls. Lazarus felt this feeling before when Eren awakened his Attack Titan powers, and again in the forest when Michael awakened his power. Both times felt brief but slightly painful. This one however felt really strong. Strong enough to stop all the Titan Shifters from what they were doing and stand perfectly still.
"What the hell!" Michael thought to himself, still taken aback by the intense sensation. "What was that?!"
"It… can't be! That's impossible!" Lazarus muttered under his breath. He then looks in the direction of Eren breaking physical contact with the Smiling Titan.
He lets out an intense battle cry as he unknowingly starts commanding all the Pure Titans to stop what they're currently doing and swarm the Smiling Titan, tearing it apart and devouring it in a matter of seconds.
"I knew it… Eren IS in possession of the Founding Titan. It had been laying dormant within him this whole time. That's why I wasn't able to sense its presence until just now."
His mind's eye shows him a power scaling of the Founding Titans' power within Eren. It looked like he was seeing a massive beam of energy shooting up into the sky, giving off the appearance that it was going on forever. It was so intense that he had a hard time getting a proper reading of it.
This phenomenon starts to bring back memories of the reoccurring nightmare he's been having every night since the experiments. The nightmare of seeing an army of Colossal Titans being led by an even bigger skeletal monster with long black hair and glowing green eye.
It was all starting to make sense to him now. Those dreams weren't just dreams. They were visions of the future. A possible future of what would befall the world if the Founding Titans' power remained under the control of Eren.
"It was Eren… He's the monster from my nightmares. The one that's hellbent on destroying the entire world!"
The Crystal Titan suddenly drops to its knees, causing Lazarus to stumble and cling to one of its crystal shards sticking out of it to retain a firm grip.
"Michael, what's wrong?!"
"What's going on?! My Titan body… I can't… move it!" He stated worriedly.
The Crystal Titan starts moving on its own, forcing Michael into a position that made him appear to be bowing before the power emitting from Eren, dropping its head in supplication. Inside its nape, Michael was starting to freak out with all the motor functions in his body being stripped away.
"What's…happening…to me?!" He panicky asks Lazarus hoping he'd have the answers.
"It's the Founding Titan. Its power is forcing you into submission! Back in our hometown, we were taught that the Crystal Titan was created for the sole purpose of serving and protecting the Founder. Whether the hosts want to or not… Do you see now why we must get it back? It's not only a threat to us, but to you as well. If Eren were to unlock its true power, you'd end up becoming a slave to him."
Those last few words kept on repeating within Michael's psyche. A slave? Was that all the Crystal Titan was to the Founder? Just a shining collection of rocks for it to do with as it pleased.
"NO!" Michael cried out, desperately trying to move his Titan body. But it wouldn't budge from its submissive position no matter how hard he tried.
"Move! I have to move! MOVE DAMNIT! THIS IS MY POWER, NOT HIS!"
His desperate screams made him completely oblivious to the fact that he'd appeared once again within the collective consciousness of all the Crystal Titan users. Or the fact that someone was standing right behind him.
"How long do you plan on screaming like that?"
Startled by the familiar voice, Michael slowly turns around hoping it wasn't who he thought it was. Unfortunately for him, his fears were right. It was The Reaper. He stands tall in front of Michael, looking down on him like the ant he was to him.
"Why are you resisting? Our Founder has given you a direct order. It is our duty as the Crystal Titan to follow her orders to the ends of time."
Michael's confusing and scared thoughts were soon replaced with anger upon hearing the voice of the man who's done nothing but treat him like trash. Fed up, he grabs his cloak and attempts to punch him. But Reaper was one step ahead of him and has some of the past spirits restrain him once again.
"This is your doing, isn't it?!" Michael snarled at the middle-aged warrior. "You're forcing my Titan into submission to this…power!"
He and Reaper are soon surrounded by the remaining spirits, trapping them in a circle of devoted servants. Reaper and the devoted spirits all close their eyes and raise their heads high. Michael was confused at first as to what was going on now. Was he preparing himself for an attack? Or was it something else?
"Get away from us!"
Michael's eyes shot wide open as he raises his head in response to the sound of Eren's voice echoing throughout the dark space they call home.
"Bastards! I'll kill you where you stand!"
The intensity of the voice sends another jolt of electricity flowing through Michael's head, identical to the one he felt before alongside the other Titan Shifters. Only this time he could see it pass through this purgatory-like world, the brightness of its yellow hue lighting up this dark space in the mere moments it passes through it.
"As you command." Reaper calmly responded. He slowly opens his eyes and looks back at the restrained Michael. "The Founder wishes us to kill the enemy Titan Shifters. It's time for you to cease all this resistance and do what you were made to do. Protect the Founder, Ymir, and serve the Royal bloodline."
The spirits grab a tight hold on Michael's arms and hold them outwards. Reaper begins to remove the shackles from his wrists and hold up the chains to him. The chains start emitting a bright hue of blue light. Its crystal design allowed him to see through its surface and see the yellow energy, identical to the one that triggers Titan's transformation, flowing through them. The chains had no end as far as Michael could see.
"You and that foolish old man have strayed from the path long enough!" Reaper speaks up as he inches closer and closer to Michael with the chains. "We commend your efforts, but you have to understand that there is no escaping this fate. All who possess our blood become a slave to the Founding Titan eventually. It is how we were designed. Not everyone in our ancestry has the privilege of harnessing the Crystal Titan. Those who do should be thankful for inheriting my power in the name of our queen! But you… You've been nothing but disrespectful of this power. Defiling our legacy! Well, all that ends now!"
A magical first-person perspective-like screen appears behind him, allowing Michael to see what's going on in the real world while he's trapped within his own thoughts.
He was shocked to see all the Pure Titans in the area responding to Eren's call. They were all closing in on the Armoured Titan, attacking the Warriors.
"Take a look, Michael. This is what our Founder wants us to do."
Suddenly, Lazarus appears right in front of the Crystal Titan's eyes, taking up all of the screens, unaware that he's blocking the whole screen. He appeared to be shouting at him, but no sounds could be heard exiting his mouth, only silence. But Michael could guess what he was saying. Probably something along the lines of "Snap out of it! Fight back against it and help us stop Eren!" But no matter how much he yells, his voice could never reach him in this place.
"Look at this desperate fool. He has so much faith in you fighting against the Founder and coming to his rescue. But do YOU want to help them? After everything they did to you? To your friends? You'd have to be a soft-hearted fool, or a sociopath, to even consider it. Like how you hesitated to finish him off when you fought. It was so pathetic that I was forced to take control." Reaper taunted him.
He closes the distance between him and Michael and prepares to reattach the chains to his wrists.
"These chains have been purified by the pure devotion I have for our Founder and queen. Once they touch your wrists, you'll fully become one of us. You'll finally see as we see. Think as we think. You'll truly be a knight of Ymir. And all it'll cost you is your freedom."
"No! Get those away from me! I'd rather die than become a mindless slave like all of you!" Michael roared as he continuously struggles against the other spirits.
"Be careful what you wish for. Once you die, you'll just be another spirit to add to the group. You'll be stripped of all your humanity and be nothing, but a lingering will that'll help persuade the next host to continue my legacy."
"NEVER!"
Reaper stops as he was moments away from imprisoning Michael by another familiar voice Michael recognised. A voice that he was relieved to hear.
It was the voice of the old man who's been a big help to Michael ever since he'd awakened the Crystal Titan power. He grabs a hold of Reaper from behind and pulls him away from Michael, forcing him to drop the chains. Michael started to feel a sudden shift among the spirits restraining him as if their hold on him was starting to weaken.
"Now, Michael! Now's your chance to break free and regain control of the Crystal Titan!"
"What? How?!" He questioned.
"The spirits are all connected to him, as he's connected to the Founding Titan! If he gets distracted, so will they! Now hurry up and escape! You've still got a mission to complete. The mission I passed down to you along with the Crystal Titan!" The old man ordered him.
The Reaper grabs a hold of the old man by his arms and manages to perform an overhead throw, slamming him into the nonexistent ground. He follows this up with a stomp to the face, but the old man dodges faster than he could bring his boot down despite his old age.
As he gets back up, he and Reaper stare down each other as they begin to circle. All the spirits focused all their attention away from Michael and towards this battle that was about to go down between two former Crystal Titans.
"So, you managed to find your way back here in the end, hmm old man?" Reaper taunted him.
"Not even you have the power to banish spirits. Everyone who's possessed the Crystal Titan in their lifetime is unable to leave this place. Why do you think I worked so hard to break the cycle, huh?"
"You tried to destroy everything we stand for! Everything we EXIST for! And what's worse is that you tried to pass on your delusions to this boy!"
"I tried to free us! ALL OF US!" The old man roared at his greatest ancestor. "You and every other Crystal Titan after you have been brainwashed into serving the King and his descendants. A king who cares nothing for any of us who're born with our blood. This… This isn't living! It's a never-ending hell."
Having had enough of the old man's delusional ranting, the Reaper draws the large sword he carried on his back. It was a huge greatsword that was about as big as its user. It had a long handle that looked like it could only be wielded with two hands, yet he was strong enough to lift it with one hand like it was nothing. The blade itself was a deep blue and was much wider than a regular sword. The blade itself has some kind of unending pulse that rippled throughout it like a pebble disrupting a still lake. Its wavy pulses were almost hypnotic to the old man.
Michael noticed that all the spirits were starting to tremble in fear of the sword, making him wonder what was so special about it and if it might be more than just a big blue sword.
"You recognise this, don't you?" The Reaper asked rhetorically. "This is Ymir's Damnation. The finest blade ever constructed using the combined powers of the Crystal Titan's hardening and the Founding Titan's energy. In my years of service to Eldia, I've slain thousands with it. And throughout the many generations of Crystal Titans I've seen, neither of them ever proved worthy of being able to wield it. Not you. Not Michael. Not ever!"
"What do you plan to do? You gonna try and kill a ghost?" The old man mocked.
"I know neither of us can die a second time. But that doesn't apply to the boy."
He quickly turns himself around and swings Ymir's Damnation downwards at Michael, not even hesitating for a moment to kill him. His loyalty and devotion to the Founding Titan and the royal family had too strong of a hold on him that there was no room for doubt or reasoning.
But he was shocked to see Michael was not there among the spirits who were all backing away in fear of the sword.
"What?! Where-
Michael then appears behind him, and roundhouse kicks him across the side of his head, knocking him to the side and causing the sword to fall out of his grip.
Before Reaper could counterattack, the old man suddenly runs up to him and performs a follow-up punch, staggering him further away. He then tackles him to the ground and pins him down.
"How's it feel to be restrained for a change?" Michael mocked him.
"No time for that, Michael. You've gotta get out of here and save your friends."
"But what about you? I can't leave you here with him."
"You don't need to worry about me! You need to focus on reclaiming your memories, or else you'll be forever bound to this place. You need to complete the ritual I started years ago to finally break the curse that binds us. Only then will you be free to use the Crystal Titan however you choose." He explained as he struggled to keep Reaper down.
"But if I do as you say and I can no longer come back here, what does that mean for you?" Michael asked.
"…Ever since I was your age, I've been wasting my whole life researching the history of our Titan and how it works. Desperately trying to rid myself of this "Curse of Joseph" By the time I finally found a solution and broke free of it, my old age caught up to me and allowed death to take me before I had a chance to live a life. It's too late for me now. I am no longer of that world. But you can still be saved. You just have to remember who you are… You must go now while you still can. If you stay any longer you will be forever trapped in this purgatory. Go!"
"Wait! At least tell me who YOU are. What's your name? Why have you been helping me?" Michael demanded. If this truly was the last time, he would ever see this spiritual ally he made he at least wanted to remember his name.
The old man glances over his right shoulder and looks deeply into his eyes. "When you get your memories back you will know who I am." Was all he told him as the screen behind Michael started emitting a bright white light that started sucking him in, pulling him further and further away from the old man and the Reaper.
"NOOOOO!" Reaper screams as he reaches out for the retreating Michael.
"You've grown into a fine young man, Michael. We're so proud of you, boy." These were the last words he utters to Michael as he disappears from the darkness once again, and hopefully for good.
Back in the present time, the Warriors struggle to keep all the Pure Titans off of them. Eren's control over them far exceeded Lazarus's, so ordering the Titans to back off wouldn't work, even if they all had his spinal fluid in their systems.
And Michael was in even greater danger of being controlled by the Coordinates power. If he didn't snap out of it soon, he'll have lost his friend forever.
"This isn't good!" Lazarus stated. "Why'd things have to be this way? Why'd the Coordinate have to fall to him?! Unless we can get it back, we're finished. No two ways about it. Of all the people in the world that power could've gone to, Eren is by far the worst!"
As he was contemplating what little options they had left, he was startled by the sound of steam blasting out of the nape of the Crystal Titan. Michael started to slowly emerge from it, struggling to pull himself free from the flesh connecting him to his Titan body.
"Michael! Hold on!" Lazarus called out as he slices the fleshy strips with his blades, severing him from his Titan. He catches him before he could fall down its back and plummet to the hard, grassy ground.
Michael's eyes twitch as he has difficulty opening them and readjusting his vision to the brightness of the sun. When he finally does open his eyes, the first thing he sees is a concerned Lazarus who was smiling down at him, happy to see he was ok.
"Lazarus? What… happened? Where's the old man?" He weakly muttered.
Lazarus was confused as to what he was talking about, but right now he didn't care to ask. Not while Reiner and Bertolt were in desperate need of help.
"Listen to me, Michael! Reiner and Bertolt are in trouble. Eren's used the power of the Coordinate to command every Titan in the area to attack us. We've gotta get to them before-
Suddenly without a moment's notice, both Titan Shifters were attacked from behind by a couple of Pure Titans. It happened so fast that neither of them got the chance to defend themselves and ended up falling right into their grasp. With his gas canisters empty, Lazarus couldn't fight them off with Cloud Zero. And Michael was too weak and exhausted to transform again or even conjure some crystal as a human.
Both of them fought with everything they had to escape their giant clenched fists, but their hold on them was too strong for either of them to overcome. Could this be a result of the power of the Founding Titan? Is Eren's desire to kill them so strong that it's heavily influencing them too?
Lazarus screams in desperation, trying to encourage Michael to try and break free with whatever strength he may still have inside him despite his weakened state. He cannot be killed, but Michael can. And losing him now after all the sacrifices he's made to bring him this far would grind what remained of his fighting spirit to dust.
Michael just closes his eyes, accepting his fate. There was not much point in trying. His body had reached its limits. He no longer had the strength to fight, or even care for that matter. This was it for him. Whatever it was the old man wanted him to finish, it appeared it was all for nought in the end.
"MICHAEL!" Lazarus desperately cries out to him, trying to snap him out of it.
Suddenly, just when all hope seemed lost for the Warriors, Ymir's Jaw Titan leaps past the two Pure Titans and slashes their napes faster than they could react. Their grips on their two captives loosen, allowing them to fall to the ground flabbergasted by what had just happened.
Ymir appears before them as the two Pure Titans begin to decompose behind her.
"Ymir? You came back? Why?" Lazarus asked still confused by her actions.
Ymir's Titan says nothing in response and instead decides to pick them up, place them atop her back, and race over to the Armoured Titan as fast as her arms and legs could carry her.
"What about Christa?" Lazarus asked. "The only reason you agreed to join us was if we brought her with us. So why did you decide to give her up and come back for us?"
"Save your breath, Laz. You know she can't speak as well as you can in Titan form." Michael pointed out.
Ymir's Jaw Titan eventually reaches Reiner and Bertolt and gets straight into butchering the many Titans surrounding them. Lazarus leaps off her back and lands on the ground away from them and starts running away.
A few Pure Titans decide to go after him while the rest continued to swarm the others. At this point, the Titan's numbers were too large for any of them to take on. With Michael spent and Bertolt at risk of getting eaten himself, there was only one thing Lazarus could do to save his team. He needed to assume Titan form and take them all out himself.
"Listen, everyone! Once I'm far enough away I will transform and take on these Titans myself. Reiner, you get everyone as far away from here as possible."
"Don't be an idiot!" Reiner mentally interrupted him. "There are over thirty Titans here. You can't take on that many all on your own, even with your strongest abilities."
"Just do as I say! I have an idea of how to take them all out at once, but I can't do it without the risk of all of you getting hurt!"
"But Lazarus-
"GO NOW!" He telepathically shouted at them.
Not given much choice, the Armoured Titan holds Michael and Bertolt safely in its right hand and picks up Ymir's Titan with its left, tucking her under his arm, before making a beeline in the direction opposite the one Lazarus was going.
The majority of the Pure Titans chase after them. But they all stop when they feel the shockwave of a huge bolt of lightning striking the ground, forcing them all to turn around and look over at Lazarus who was being enveloped by flesh and bone as it forms the Winged Titan before their eyes. It unleashes a loud, demonic roar that shakes the very ground they're standing on.
They all suddenly change targets and come at him from all directions simultaneously, attempting to surround and swarm him. But the Winged Titan immediately takes to the skies and flies well out of their reach. The huge gusts of wind his takeoff kicks up were powerful enough to send the smaller Titans back a few paces and cause the larger ones to stagger temporarily.
The Winged Titan keeps climbing higher and higher until it was satisfied with the distance. With his enhanced, zoom-in eyesight, he scans the area for his comrades. He spots the group retreating into a small forest of trees miles away from where they originally were. Pleased with the amount of distance between him and them, he decided to put his plan into motion.
As he looks down at the huge horde of Titans standing out in the big open fields below him, he is suddenly reminded of the very first sight he had as the Winged Titan. The sight of a huge crater spreading out from under his feet. Buildings in ruin. People screamed as they burned to death. It started to conjure up second thoughts within his consciousness.
He made a vow to never use this technique ever again after the devastation it caused in his, and Michael's, old hometown of Odiha. But with an army of Titans under the control of Eren was deemed too dangerous for his usual fire breathing, weapons forging, etc. This was the only way he can take out as many of them as possible. Though there's a huge risk he could kill his friends and the retreating Scouts if he underestimates the size of the blast itself. He wasn't in control the first time, so he had no idea how big the explosion in Odiha was. It wasn't something he could control either, so altering the size was no guarantee.
The Winged Titan takes a deep breath before committing to this decision. There's no backing out now. This was happening.
"… I hope for everyone's sake I can keep the damage to a minimum. It's been years since I've tried this, and even now I'm still terrified of this power. But I WON'T allow any more of my friends to die here!"
The Winged Titan lets out another roar as it loop-de-loops up and over before beginning its dive bomb, arms stretched out, heading straight for the army of Titans below. As he was picking up speed, his whole body starts to envelop in flames with it only getting stronger the faster he moves, coming in like a flaming meteor entering the earth's atmosphere on a collision course.
The flames start building up more and more the closer he got, growing bigger to the point that it was brightening up the area as it came in like a living fireball of destruction.
The retreating Scouts couldn't help but glance back at the bright light in the sky falling to earth.
"What now?!" Jean rhetorically asked in an annoyed tone.
"Is that…a meteorite?" Armin wondered. "I remember reading about them in my grandfather's book. They're like giant rocks that burn upon falling through the sky, destroying everything within proximity to it."
The members of the 104th were scared of the thought of that thing exploding the moment it strikes the ground. All of the Scouts kick the sides of their horses, telling them to pick up the pace so that they could clear the area in time before that happens.
A lot of them suddenly freeze in terror when they hear a loud demonic roar coming from the flaming ball of fire plummeting towards the ground.
"Uh, Armin… Falling, flaming rocks don't roar, do they?" Sasha asked in a stupefied and frightened tone.
"No, they don't!" Armin slowly responded as he got a closer look at the meteor.
He, and some of the others, eventually see a blacked-out silhouette of what was the Winged Titan.
"That's no meteor," Erwin uttered. "It's the Winged Titan! ALL SCOUTS KEEP PUSHING FORWARD! THE WINGED TITAN IS ABOUT TO DECIMATE THE ENTIRE AREA IN A LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO WIPE US OUT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, making sure everyone heard him right.
Panicked, all the Scouts' horses pick up speed in a desperate attempt to get clear in time.
The Winged Titan was nearing the bottom. All the Pure Titans were still standing within range, stupidly trying to reach up to eat him, completely unaware of the devastating blow to their existence. The Winged Titan's ultimate power… The Hellfire Force.
To Be Continued