Through My Eyes, 2000 Years From Now
Rated; M (Blood/Gore and Language)
Disclaimer; I do not own Attack on Titan or anything created by the author Hajime Isayama, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01
Summary: Throughout the generations, many stories of Ymir Fritz circulated. Some told she was a goddess. Some told she was a devil, but none ever managed to quite explain the truth of who she really was, and still is. A three chapter short story of Ymir Fritz' life, and her views on the Eldian Empire's deeds throughout history.
3: Freedom
Normal POV
Currently, Ymir was looking through Eren's path, seeing him lifting one of the many Marleyans scouting ships that had been sent to Paradis out of the water and put it down gently on the shore.
Eren had done this many times now by himself, sometimes with Armin Arlert, or better known as the colossal titan if there were more than two ships.
Ymir kept watching as time passed, seeing the Marleyans slowly open up to the Eldians on Paradis, cooking for them, joking with them, even though it was reluctantly, but it was clearly noticeable they were not seeing them in the same light as before.
Some ended up helping the Paradisians with evolving their technology, giving them schematics and many other things that had been developed in the outside world. Within three years, Paradis had evolved so much technologically that they were nearly unrecognizable. They had made a new generation of their 3DMG that improved not only movement and flexibility but also allowed for more combat adaptability since they were now able to switch weapons mid-air between thunder spears, blades, and a pistol, all of which were attached to the gear that leaned downwards on their legs.
Ymir peered at Eren's facial expressions as he explained his theory on why he was able to use the founding titans power that one time when he commanded the Titans, and just as he had predicted, they immediately jumped on board with making Historia into a titan. Ymir felt bad for the girl as she could practically feel the inner turmoil within her, and when Eren objected, saying he wouldn't force someone important to him to such a fate of cruelty, Ymir wanted to wince at the face Historia made. A face of relief and sadness.
Ymir shook her head and decided to take a break from it. Since no one wanted a titan at the moment, she might as well take a rest.
She built a small bed out of the sand and laid down in it, closing her eyes. Even though she never felt tired within the paths, she quite enjoyed these moments of laying down and doing what she wanted, even though it was only for a short amount of time.
She laid there for some time before she decided to get back up, if she laid down too long, she would lose track of time and wouldn't be prepared if a shifter evoked their power.
She filled her bucket to the brim and hauled it near the pillar of light and set it down. Just as that happened, she felt the armored titan summon its power, and she quickly got to work.
As Ymir was building the skinless flesh of the titan for Reiner Braun, she was connected to his path, feeling his plan. It was simple, yet effective. She sculpted the armor onto the skin once the flesh was done and made sure it stuck and was properly aligned so that it maximised the protective area without sacrificing too much maneuverability. Once she was happy with the result, she sent it onwards towards Reiner. She sat down and connected to his path, seeing him shift and lay waste to the fort.
She tilted her head slightly as something pierced Reiners armor and her eyes widened when his arm was sent flying. This was the first time she had seen the armored titan lose a limb from something apart from another titan. Sure, the people on Paradis had nearly killed him multiple times but never had they sent a limb flying.
As Reiner pushed through and knocked the contraption that had done that, Porco Galliard, or better known as the jaws titan which he inherited from Freckled Ymir, destroyed a cannon that had a good shot at Reiner.
Ymir stopped watching halfway through, seeing that the battle would end with the same result as always. The Titans win, and the humans lose. What she didn't know was that the conclusion would end up spelling the end of the age of titans her original master had started.
When she connected to a different path, one that belonged to Jean Kirchtein, she wondered for a second how much time had passed and if she blacked out again. He was in some kind of conference room where the people were trying to argue for an end to the Eldian prejudice by focusing on them on the island of Paradis instead.
Out of the corner of Jean's eye, Ymir spotted Eren with a dark, sad and hopeless look in his eyes as he turned around and walked out of the room. The next thing she saw was Armin reading a letter out loud that he was entrusting everything to Zeke's plan and was asking them to meet him after his signal during the upcoming festival.
Ymir had been watching different paths for a couple of days now… or what she thought was that amount of time. She was looking at Reiner Braun once more, who was currently paying for the food of the others, getting more and more desperate with his digging within the endless depths of his purse.
Despite this, Ymir could not feel any resentment towards the culprits that were emptying him of his financial worth. Instead, she felt happiness and contentment from him when he saw the happy faces of the children and the two other shifters made when they ate.
To Ymir, she felt that tug of her heart, longing for affection whenever she encountered such emotions from a shifter. She simply ignored it and kept watching as the light in the sky got darker and the stars started to show themselves.
As the sunset started to finish, Falco, one of the children, split off from the group, saying something about talking to a friend nearby.
Within an hour, the sun had completely set and all the warriors alongside people from all around the world were in one place, waiting for a show to start. Before it could, though, Falco came back and led Reiner behind the stage and down a set of stairs.
When Ymir saw Eren, looking dead center into Reiners's eyes with no emotion of his own, she inexplicably felt sad and wondered what had happened to him and why he was there, looking so worn.
As he talked to Reiner and Willy Tybur spoke his speech, Ymir started to get a better idea on what Eren was about to do, and before Eren could even evoke his power, she started to build his titan.
By the time she was done with the final piece of the jaw, she felt him evoke the power and started to hurry. Within record time, she finished the titan and sent it onwards towards Eren.
She watched as he killed the families inside the building above him, and smashed through the roof, screaming as the crowd were surprised, tears still in their eyes from Willy's heartwarming speech.
Ymir felt a bolt of lightning crackle in the back of her head as the Warhammer titan evoked their power.
Ymir built the body while tethering it to a crystal cocoon and made sure to send it underground as the Warhammer wished with their command.
The battle continued as Ymir kept an eye on Eren through his path while making the weaponry the Warhammer requested. As things continued to escalate with the survey corps arriving and the scene turning into a full-on battle in a war, Ymir watched and listened to Eren's internal monologue.
"When that titan transformed, I felt the true emotion of unease. It didn't transform from the nape down, but from the feet up" At those words, Ymir knew that Eren had figured it out.
"That means, that the body isn't in the nape, but where it transformed, underneath the center of the stage"
Eren jumped off the building, biting his hand and sending his command, as Ymir built his titan body. He had really improved his stamina over the years which is clearly evident in the ease she sent the body away. If his stamina is low, then only a partial amount of the body will be sent, leaving some of the flesh and fat behind, making it thinner and weaker alongside infusing the shifter in the body a little too much.
Ymir shook herself out of the thought and was about to go back to watching Eren but felt the tug of two shifters commanding her to make titans. Unlike the weaponry, making the body needs her full attention.
'The Jaws and Cart?' Ymir thought as she got to work. After what felt like half a year, she was done building both titans and sent them onwards. She got back to Eren's path just in time to see the jaws almost eat him but was relieved that Levi Ackerman prevented it.
Ymir's mouth opened as if she wanted to groan, but unable to as the beast titan, Zeke Yeager commanded their power too. All she wanted was to watch the fighting and see the outcome, but she was but a slave after all. If they need her, then she has an obligation to do what they want.
She did the same for the beast as for the jaws and cart but by the time that the commands finally stopped, apart from the Cart and Royal-blooded Beast titan requesting for their bodies to be healed.
The Coordinate lit up as a telltale sign of a power transfer, and the location… was Eren's path. Ymir opened her mouth a little a small sigh escaped her mouth, as she understood what happened. Eren had won, and the Warhammer had been eaten.
Things quickly died down from there. Ymir couldn't tell how much time had passed in the real world. A day? Week? Month? Though many things happened. Eren had been imprisoned, and the government had planned to eat him, even though he could escape at any time.
Within the time that had passed, however long that is, The military factions had split too. On the right, was the old regime, the ones that wanted to transfer Eren's power and follow a 50-year plan to save the island, and on the left were the Yeagerists, a faction born from the accomplishments of Eren Yeager, and they were basically worshipping him as a god.
Zeke had also almost died, but as she was a slave of royal blood, she couldn't sit and watch as one of her 'masters' was dying if she could do something about it.
After that, all she had done was sit in the center of the coordinate, and watch and exit whenever a command occurred.
Ymir continued to watch events unfold, watching Eren push his friends away and tell Mikasa that he hated her.
She watched as the cart Titan, Pieck, led Eren to the roof to a trap that failed, resulting in a large-scale battle to begin.
She watched as Eren fought Reiner, Porco and in a way, Pieck all at once and survived until Zeke arrived.
She watched and gasped in slight horror as Eren's head was blown off by the child known as Gabi, but that… was when everything changed.
Eren Yeager, for the first time since four years ago, arrived within the place her subjects called the 'Paths'.
But Eren wasn't alone, Zeke had apparently arrived long before him, her not really noticing.
The two exchanged a few words and she let out a small breath as she began walking towards the two.
Eren seemed to react to her almost inaudible footsteps in the sands as his head snapped around towards her.
"There's someone here." He uttered, emerald eyes locking onto her own hollow and unrecognizable ones… The eyes of a slave.
"Don't worry. That… is the founder, Ymir" Zeke explained.
"The founder, Ymir…? How do you know it's her?" Eren asked, eyes not blinking, staring straight at her in disbelief and a hint of… something.
"Who else would be roaming around in a place like this other than her? Besides, I was here once before and she rebuilt my injured body with this very soil. She brought me back to life." Zeke Yeager said as she was nearing her destination.
"I think she makes titans in this place, every time we use the titan's powers, she makes them here, where time is everlasting." Each step in the sand pulled her closer to the two brothers, her instincts taking her straight towards Zeke, as her owner… her master.
"All this time… here by herself…?" Eren whispered, face morphing between different emotions. Shock, disgust, anger, and finally, pity.
"Eren… give the founder the order. It's time to make our dream a reality." Ymir began to tune out his words as she tilted her head in confusion. Is he telling her to listen to Eren?
She would be glad to… Listening to the one person who didn't order her and instead asked her instead… letting her decide…
She idly followed the conversation after that, listening as Zeke went on to describe the chains around his neck, about the vow renouncing war which she knew was a lie. The vow only affects the holder of the founding titan if held by royal blood… Each part of the condition is split between the brothers, making it incomplete.
Once Zeke finished, Eren stared at his brother for a long moment, unmoving as Zeke uttered Eren's name in confusion.
"To pass a merciful killing… to all Eldians… I could never cooperate with a plan as ridiculous as that. Sorry Brother. I only played along, so I could get here."
A few words were spoken between the two before Eren turned to her, eyes burning with determination. At first, she thought he would demand her to listen to him…
"Ymir… right?"
Instead, he asked her name… if that was her name…
She had only taken one step to move past him towards her master, not wanting her attachment to Eren to be known by her master… but she froze.
"That's your name… if I remember correctly." Her chin moved to look right at him, his expression of pity for her had changed to one of what she had only seen once before aimed at her…
A flash of memory passed by her, seeing herself running around, smiling and laughing as a blonde woman chased after her, a look of care and empathy clear on her face.
"W-what! Ymir, I command you to come here!" Zeke's voice called out, confusion evident in it as she snapped out of her daze before turning and walking past Eren, only to have her hand gripped lightly.
"You don't have to listen to him, you know." He told her, an edge of kindness to the words that she wasn't used to.
"W-...hat?" She whispered as the chains around Zeke's neck broke apart as he violently stood up.
"Why aren't you listening to me Ymir!? Ignore Eren and come here!"
"Why do you listen… when this power is yours? Don't you want to be free?" He asked, getting down onto his knees to be at her height.
"H-...e's my m-master…" She whispered, only to illicit a shake of his head.
"So… you're his… slave?" He practically spat the last word as she nodded slowly, eyes clearing up a bit at the showcase of kindness she so badly wanted to latch onto. Right at that moment, Zeke made it to them, having sprinted across the sand before reaching out towards her.
Roughly, he dragged her behind him as she almost yelped before she felt a surge of lightning as Zeke silently commanded her to lock Eren in place, her eyes reverting back to their hollow, unemotional state as with a simple twitch of her finger, the sand moved and morphed to her will, pulling Eren's arms up and locking him in place.
"I do not know what you were trying to accomplish, brother… but it's pointless. Ymir has no will, she is only here to serve the descendants of royal blood." Zeke told Eren as his green eyes locked with his brothers, burning with anger.
"What are you saying? She isn't a slave… no one is a slave! We are all free because that is our birthright!" Eren animatedly said as Zeke moved closer. Ymir watched as they spoke back and forth before the older brother, her master talked about their shared father and his manipulations. How both Zeke and Eren were victims of his brainwashing.
"I'll heal you… with the power of the founder."
"Stop it. It's pointless." Eren told Zeke with conviction as Zeke simply stared back, grabbing hold of Eren around the neck.
"The time has come for me to save the world, together with you." Their foreheads touched as both closed their eyes.
For a moment as the paths moved according to Ymir following Zeke's will, her eyes widened as that one glimpse of the future she saw had played before her.
'This is the moment… The moment I saw back then'
The next instant, they were traversing Grisha Yeager's memories, Eren's birth, playing with him, raising him, and searching for the founder at the time.
How Grisha seemed to see the two with Ymir stalking behind, not interrupting and merely molding the memories that her master wanted to be shown.
As they moved through Grisha's memories, Zeke began to notice how differently Eren grew up… Ymir watched Eren for the second time kill two bandits on his own as a young child.
She watched as they made it down to the place where the founder left the royal bloodline for the first time, and joined that of the Attack Titan.
She watched in astonishment as Eren did something she did not know the Attack Titan was capable of… She watched as he manipulated his father through time, snapping him out of his hesitation, leading to the death and eventual capture of the founder.
For as long as she had been within the paths, she had never truly explored what all she could accomplish or do with the power she held. After all… she was but a slave with no free will of her own.
She watched as Grisha begged Zeke to stop Eren… to now allow that sight to become a reality… before the memories finally crumbled as the two brothers broke apart as they were left in the endless expanse of the sandy desert once more.
Zeke spoke in disbelief as Eren stared down at his brother with indifference.
The two conversed, with Eren seemingly and slowly breaking apart Zeke's mental fortitude, slowly breaking something in him before finally-
"ANCESTOR, YMIR! MAKE ALL ELDIANS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Ymir heeded the call, turning around and walking towards the towering pillar at the center of the paths.
She heard mumblings behind her before a primal roar of fury and determination echoed around her.
A sickening crunch of flesh sounded as footsteps began as she heard Zeke utter that it was pointless.
A feather touch to her shoulder and the coordinate disappeared as memories began to play against her will.
'I have to… follow my master's will' she thought as she tried to end the memories but was blocked by that invisible force again, forcing her into these memories.
Her life played before her, how she was captured, enslaved, and hunted. How she served, fought, and carried the children of her master. How she was killed, jumping in front of the spear, her daughters feasting on her corpse.
How she slaved away in the paths, working to the bone without rest for 2000 long years.
She heard the echoing voice of her master promising that this world of titans of his… would last till the end of time. Until-
The memory abruptly changed as she watched herself witness Eren's birth… how she moved without thinking to lessen Carla's pain.
She watched as Eren begged her to save his friends, asking her… not demanding.
She watched her own fascination with him… how he gave her hope…
The feather touch on her shoulder became an entire hand before an arm draped around her in what she thought must be a hug… something she did not even remember the sensation of.
'It feels nice…'
"Is… this your life?" His voice was soft… shaking slightly as if suppressing anger, rage, and fury… but also sadness, pity, and… care.
She nodded slightly as he seemed to catch her answer.
"Then… I'll end it now… this world, I will end it. All I ask is for your help… to give me the power I need."
For a long, stretched-out moment of silence, she considered it before they were back in the paths
'But… I'm a slave'
A crack of electricity moved between them both as Eren seemed to tense up.
"No! You're not a slave! You are not a god either! You're just a human being with your own feelings, goals, and desires, no matter how muted. You don't have to obey anyone but yourself! You have the right to decide your own path! Your own future!" He spoke animately, hugging her tighter as if to show how much he believed in what he was saying.
Her heart beat faster as for the first time since that fateful day she was captured as a slave… She contemplated another person's words and their validity.
'Am I… not a slave?' She asked herself.
"STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Zeke's voice carried towards them.
"Don't listen to him, just decide. It's your choice." He told her and for once… she listened to someone else… someone not of royal blood without the permission of one.
"Do you want to stay here forever…"
No
"Do you want to be a slave for eternity…"
No
"Or do you want to put an end to it all!?"
His mind halted as she contemplated the words. Flashes of herself in the past, glimpses of her thinking to herself how she wanted the cycle to end…
"YMIR!? OBEY MY ORDER!" Zeke called out.
"I wonder… were you the one that led me all this way?" He asked as her breath hitched.
Her thoughts latched onto the memories of her subconsciously moving and doing things she normally wouldn't have. Carla… Building Eren's titan with more vigour… Prioritizing him… giving compulsions to some people to lead them in a certain direction.
"I AM OF ROYAL BLOOD!"
"You've waited… within this place… this whole time." Her heart beat faster as the invisible chains around her throat and limbs began to slowly crack. Emotions rampaged within her as tears began to glisten in her eyes.
For two thousand years… you've waited for someone… anyone-" Her eyes opened as the tears spilled, sobs escaping her lips and the chains finally broke.
And the paths pulsed as Zeke disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving Eren and Ymir alone.
"To finally set you free." He finished his sentence right as she began to cry loudly, voice breaking through sound barriers she had never touched as her wails could have shattered eardrums and hearts alike.
Eren simply pulled her tighter towards him, shushing her as he allowed her to let it all out.
Within a moment, she turned around and practically threw herself into his hug, treasuring the warmth and care she hadn't known her entire life as far as she could remember outside those tiny glimpses.
It felt like years to Ymir as they simply sat there, emotions buried for 2000 years breaking out in full force… but the tears had to end eventually.
As her cries quieted down, she felt clearer and freer than ever.
She felt as if the chains that had weighed her down were finally gone… allowing her to do as she wished for once.
"I… I'll help you." She answered back into his chest as she felt him nod after a moment.
"Okay… and… thank you."
That feeling of eternity yet no time at all felt inconsequential as Eren seemed to endlessly indulge her in whatever she wanted to do. They had all the time in the world here. No matter what they did or however long it took, no time would pass in the outside world unless they wanted it to.
The two talked as Ymir slowly got used to her voice once again.
They talked about their lives and most fond memories, Ymir having painfully few of them, and those that were, were never her own but of someone else's happiness.
They did activities that she had never been allowed to do. They played, drew, and built ridiculous things with the sand such as a giant mix between a whale and a crab.
They went on trips through Eldian memories, laughing and enjoying the happy memories they picked.
Eren helped her experiment with her power, finding out that if you combine two powers together, it creates incredible results.
How the Attack Titan on its own could only send back tiny glimpses of the future to the past outside its current holder's control… and how the Founding Titan couldn't see the future at all… but when combined, allowed one not only to see the future and past perfectly, but to manipulate it to their own desire.
It wasn't until that moment that it dawned on Ymir just what kind of power she held… she held the keys to changing the world, and the fates of everyone within her fingertips.
Other combinations like the Warhammer and Cart created a near-infinite supply of stamina for its creation while the Beast and Armored would mimic insect-type creatures with chitin armor instead of mammal and reptilian ones.
But by far the most effective combinations were always that of the founding titan and one of the nine.
After all, it seemed that while the founding titan on its own is practically invincible, paired with one of the nine makes it truly unstoppable and a force that bends the laws of the universe to its whim.
Eventually… After countless years of experimenting and visiting potential futures and options, Eren asked one question she had not truly contemplated.
"Ymir… What… really is this place?" She tilted her face, not at her height, mirroring not how she was as a child now, but as an adult.
"I… I do not know." And it was the truth. She knew that the coordinate, the paths, was here… but it merely housed it. The rest was a mystery.
"It's just… the trees that stretch infinitely and the sand we walk, we know what they are. But what about the stars… the place around us?" She frowned slightly, trying to figure out the answer before turning towards the coordinate, the distance vanishing in an instant as they were suddenly right next to it.
Reaching inside, she tried to find an answer but to no avail.
A moment later, flashes of other worlds spread throughout her mind, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, dressed and ready for high school. Historia and Ymir dressed up in fluffy cosplay uniforms.
So many worlds, so many possibilities. All of it went through her and it was too much, her head hurt as the information overflowed as she clutched the side of her skull, Eren catching her in worry.
"What's wrong?" He asked, her balance out of whack as she disconnected herself from the infinite worlds.
"It's… so much… so many places…" She muttered before the pain subsided.
"What? What do you mean?"
"I- I tried to look at the stars… reach to them through the coordinate… they- this power… I never realized." She admitted as she looked down at her hands. The more she learnt, the more incredible it became.
This place wasn't in control of her world, but all worlds… like a centerpiece that interconnects not just Eldians, but all material in the universe. It was only affecting Eldians because…
Because she'd limited it to that.
"So… you mean-!?" Eren seemed to understand what she meant as he looked up, his expression turning slowly to something he rarely showed. Wonder.
His freedom had always laid outside the walls, the lands beyond. And that had disappointed him with nothing but enemies who wanted him dead.
But she was saying… that beyond all of that… there are other worlds…?
Were they in those worlds… free?
"Can you show me?" he asked. He so desperately wanted to see, to understand and experience what she meant, to see it for himself. It was like he was a child again, chasing the promises of the outside world… its infinite possibilities.
Ymir nodded slowly, before the both of them disappeared, now standing beside a goth-dressed Mikasa, sitting on a bed as she vibed to some music.
"What…? Mikasa?" Eren whispered, blinking at how different she looked. Her clothing was so… alien. He'd never seen anything like it… and what was that thing she held… and that cable connected to her ears?
His curiosity sparked as his lips quirked into a small smile as she looked so content, just… bobbing her head and body with it, moving to whatever it was she was listening to.
He could hear a soft beat from her ears, but couldn't make out anything else.
Slowly, the scenery shifted, the room with Mikasa vanishing, replaced with a bustling city, skyscrapers reaching into the clouds, and clumps of metal flying in the sky, moving around in a wild array with an intricate pattern to it. Behind them, a large screen shows Historia giving a large speech to her people with Eren standing next to her, arms behind his back like a bodyguard.
It all looked so unreal, like a fantasy that it felt impossible, yet here it was.
Reaching towards the screen, Memories flashed before Eren's eyes, of this Historia's life. How she'd grown up as a normal girl, going to school and meeting Eren. How she pursued a career in politics and eventually won the election and became the minister of Paradis, the most advanced country in the world, and the foremost developer of new technologies world wide.
Ymir smiled as she saw how awed Eren looked, how he seemed to take everything in with a primal joy she hadn't seen in him for so long. Like that part of him that had broken four years ago, and somehow shifted back in place, and now all was right again.
Once more, the paths shifted, and another world was shown… then another… and then another.
They explored world after world, taking everything in as the infinite possibilities around for once, couldn't disappoint… for they truly were just that… infinite.
Eventually, though, they returned, the endless expanse of sand spreading across from them as they both laid down in the sand, looking up at the dazzling lights of the paths.
"Ymir…?"
"Yes?"
"Do we… thank you… you- you gave me something I could only have wished for." Eren turned his head, smiling at the girl next to him.
She looked at him surprised, as if she still couldn't believe that someone could thank her, before smiling herself, her purplish-blue eyes squinting with the emotions behind it.
"You gave me freedom… Eren, out of all my children… you… you are the only one that looked at me like a person…" Her expression faltered as she remembered where all this ended… the memories she'd seen when they combined the attack and founding titans.
"... I don't want you to die…" She whispered as Eren cringed as he saw tears well up in her eyes.
"Why… why do you have to die?" She sniffled, arm going up to cover her eyes.
"I… it's the only way… to end this all." He offered. It was the only answer he could give, as he'd tried so long…
"But… we can change it… the Attack Titan can't change the future… but by combining it with the founding… it-" She stopped, removing her arm from her face as she looked at him with wet eyes as he seemed to catch on.
"It can change…" he breathed as the pieces clicked into place. That was why he failed… why he never managed to change the outcome.
Of course… He'd helped and given her possible combinations of the power of the titans, but he hadn't seen the result. So… the other eight titans apart from the founder were bound by the constraints of time and space still, to mortality… but the founder… it wasn't. It was able to bypass those laws… to break free of it all.
Combine that with the power to see through time, but unable to change it… suddenly…
The constraints would be removed.
Eren shot up, his eyes wide as he realized that this… this was his out.
"Ymir… is there a way to connect every other person in the world together at once? Even non-eldians?" He asked, eyes filled with hope.
"... I- I don't know. I've never tried." She answered before the two looked at each other, before getting up, moving towards the tree of light before cautiously moving her hand into it, trying to do as he asked.
She felt the connection, she could see them, feel them… but…
It was weak.
They were connected, as they were made of material, of organic matter, but it wasn't strong enough to interact with. To manipulate or do anything to like the Eldians.
Slowly, she drew her hand back before shaking her head.
"No… I'm sorry." Eren seemed to deflate, nodding with a weak smile.
"I… I understand…" He said before closing his eyes.
"I guess… it has to be done…" He sounded so resigned, and Ymir hated it. She could practically see how he was prepared to die. To sacrifice himself for his people… but…
I don't want that.
"Ymir… can you transmit my voice to all eldians?" He requested as she looked at him for a long moment, seeing his determination to see this through.
Making a choice, one she was comfortable with, and hoped he would eventually forgive her for, she moved to enact her plan. She'd follow along, for now.
Doing as he'd requested, suddenly, the paths were filled with every Eldian from across the world, all of them gathered around them, frozen as their eyes were wide.
Eren looked around, taken aback by the sheer number of people around them, more than he'd ever seen before.
Millions… of people… so clumped together. Taking a deep breath, His green eyes began to glow in the telltale sign of the founders power in use.
"Hear me now, all subjects of Ymir. My name, is Eren Yeager. I'm using the power of the Founding Titan to address all subjects of Ymir across the world. All titan hardening has come undone, and the Titans within the walls, have begun their march. My goal… is to protect the people of Paradis. The people who raised and bore me." Eren's voice echoed and reverberated across the paths, the people seemingly twitching at the sound as a few seemed to have managed to move. Armin had turned, his eyes staring at him in horror. Historia, looking up at the coordinate, sad, knowing that this was the last time she would hear his voice.
"However, the world wishes for my people's annihilation. Not just the people of the island, but they will not stop, until all subjects of Ymir have been eliminated. I… reject this wish, and so, the colossal Titans will not stop, until all life that exists beyond this island's shores, has been trampled and crushed, underneath the rumbling footsteps… of doom."
As soon as he finished his speech, Ymir sent everyone else back into their place across the world, leaving her and Eren here, alone.
She knew what to do now…willing it, Zeke Yeager appeared once more, his face pale as he hyperventilated before them, slowly looking up at them as Ymir stared at him before pointing at the sand.
"Build." Was all she said, a command as his body moved on its own, cupping and forming the sand as he looked shocked, trying to resist but unable to, his body completely under the control of the founder.
Eren seemed conflicted. He didn't want to do this, to force his half-brother into that form of slavery… but Ymir… she, despite having experienced it herself… had no qualms in doing it.
In a way… it was freeing. The bloodline that had shackled her for so long, used and abused her… was now doing the very thing they had ordered her to do…
In a way, she expressed her vengeance, through Zeke as the slowly, the enormous form that would be Eren's founding titan formed.
As the titan was sent outside the paths once finished, she watched, this time, alongside Eren, as the walls crumbled, the hardening made from the power of the titans coming undone and the wall titans beginning their march next to Eren.
Slowly, Eren's titan marched forward as Eren left the paths temporarily to control his titan form, to move forward.
Ymir watched, before she turned around and walked up the pillar of light, her hand outstretched.
'I'm sorry… but I… I don't want you to die… ' She thought, her heart aching at the prospect. She didn't want the cruel world to consume him… her descendant… her child.
And so, she betrayed him. He wanted the alliance that would form to kill him, and so, she moved them all into the paths.
Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Hange, Levi, Reiner, Annie, and Pieck.
All of them stood before her. She'd excluded the children, as in the grand scheme of things, they had a minimal impact, apart from Falco, who was incapacitated and unresponsive at the moment.
"Wha-! We're back…!" Jean called out as they looked around, all of them talking together before-
"Reiner!?"
"Armin!?"
The two shifters called out, looking shellshocked at each other's presence as Pieck stared at the group in apprehension, trying to figure out why they were there.
Coughing caught everyone's attention as they all looked down at the ground, the glistening form of Annie, covered in the liquid of life and breathing shallowly, water still in her mouth.
"Annie! Here, breath!" Armin had reacted instantly, sliding down next to her, holding her head up, and turning it to the side, allowing the water to run out, allowing her to breathe.
"A-...Armin?" She asked quietly, confused before footsteps made everyone freeze as they all turned.
"Ere…n?" Mikasa jumped to conclusions, stopping in the middle before finishing the name as a question as she saw Ymir for the first time, everyone confused.
"Who…?"
"I've been watching all of you… your path so far." Ymir began.
"How you've constantly killed one another, despite you all being my children… how you all kept repeating the same mistakes… spreading the cycle of hatred and cruelty again and again…" The female and armored holders winced, the former weakly.
"And now… you are all about to move, to join forces to stop Eren…" She uttered. The group looked around at each other before Armin seemed to understand.
"I see… but… I understand why… Genocide is wrong, it's too far!" Armin said. "Even if they have tried to kill us time and time again… there… there are still good people out there. All we have to do… is to talk it out." He continued as Ymir shook her head.
"I will not allow it."
"Wh-"
"Your quest will succeed, and Eren Yeager will die by the hands of Mikasa Ackerman." The girl froze, back straightening as her face paled. "And I will not allow it. Eren Yeager is precious to me, more so than the rest of my children."
"Your… children…?" Armin repeated her words, the same ones she'd used earlier. Slowly, his eyes widened as he began to realize who it was that stood before them, declaring that she would stand in their way.
"Y-ymir…?" He choked out, his pigmentation going pale as Hange seemed to gape at his words.
"Wait? The… founder?"
"I see…" Pieck uttered.
"From here on, your power… is stripped. The power of the titans, is no longer in your possession. All six remaining powers, will be reunited with the founder, and if you still decide to pursue the end of Eren Yeager… then you will all die pointless deaths." Ymir finished before turning around, moving to walk away.
"Wait!" Reiner called out as the girl stopped, looking over her shoulder.
"Why…? Why are you letting him do something so…?" He slowly asked, still trying to correctly formulate the words.
"Because he is the only one of my children, who didn't use or abuse me. He is the first… to free me. To show me care… to give me the freedom… of choice." She turned and looked up at the paths.
"For the first time… in two thousand long years. I… am free… and all of that… is because of him."
Suddenly, the paths changed, showing Eren's founding titan form, moving forward with the army of colossal titans.
"And so… I will not allow him to die… for people who want nothing than to kill all my children, eradicating them from this world… if that means that they instead, have to face that fate… then so be it." She finished. Her eyes turned back to face them once more, glowing purple as the paths changed once more, showing Liberio… or what was left of it.
"I've turned every Eldian across the sea into colossal titans… and they have already began their own march. Within three days, all of the world will be gone, and the only ones alive… will be my children."
"So heed my warning… give up now… or face a pointless death." With that, she moved out her arm to the paths, ignoring how they called out to her again, but it was for naught.
Moments later, they vanished, leaving her alone as the coordinate lit up, the titan powers flashing and moving from their holders and converging back into one Eren Yeager.
It was done…
With this, Eren would live.
As a day passed, Eren slowly began to think, that something… was wrong.
When he'd reached the mainland, everything was as he remembered it. The Alliance fleet tries to stop the Titans but burns alive instead. How the Titans had emerged and were met with a momentary and futile resistance before everyone ran, how they stared up at him in horror as his form was revealed to Marley, and the colossal Titans marching and flattening the port city.
But… he could see steam from across the Horizon. It had confused him at first, but he'd thought nothing of it.
It wasn't until he reached Liberio that he knew for a fact, that something was wrong.
It was gone… crushed. Like the rumbling had already arrived and flattened it into dust. From that point, people were scarce, and most landmasses were already rendered uninhabitable.
It confused him greatly… but he had to march forward.
When he reached Fort Salta, that was when he understood just what was wrong.
Colossal Titans already stood by the edge of the cliff, immobilized with all life around them gone.
His own titan had stopped, as the rumbling advanced. This made no sense… all the titans were with him… none should have been able to make it this far… and the Alliance… they should have arrived by now so why-!
An idea sprung into his head as he moved back into the paths, Ymir not denying him access as the fields of sand once more spread in front of him.
"Ymir!" He called out, looking around before she was behind him.
"Eren." Was all she said in response, smiling at him softly, guilt in her eyes.
"You… what did you do?" He asked, voice trembling as she looked down, a small smile spreading.
"I… I didn't want you to die… so… I changed things." She looked back up. "You gave me the freedom to choose my path… so I used it… to do just that. I chose the path I wanted to go down." She finished
And honestly… Eren couldn't fault her for that… it was just as he had wanted. To set her free. To allow her the choice to control her life…
A chuckle escaped him at the irony.
His plan had fallen apart… because he'd given her the very thing he sought for himself. Freedom.
What a beautiful thing it was… to break and fulfill the desires of different people. As long as a difference in opinions exists… conflicts, will occur.
"Okay… you win, Ymir. I'll live out the rest of my four years on the island… spend them with Historia and our child." Eren gave in. What else was he supposed to do? He couldn't change what had already happened. By now, the rumbling had been completed, and the entire world… was dead.
Paradis' future, had been secured.
"No, you will live your whole life… after this… I think that… I'll move on. I've been here for two thousand long years. Maybe it's time. Time for me to move on." She proposed, thinking it over, smiling as she liked the idea.
To be free of this cruel world, to finally… escape.
To be truly free.
Eren gaped at her, realizing what she was saying.
"Does that mean…?" He asked as she shook her head.
"No… you, as the current holder of the founder, and all of the nine after I transferred them to you, will become the new progenitor. The rules I have unwittingly instilled in the power, reversed."
"So… the thirteen-year curse?" He asked, almost hopeful.
"Gone… and the power will be yours to do with as you wish." He nodded at her words as he saw her body slowly begin to crumble to dust as she reached out, her body morphing into her adult form, smiling at him as her fingers brushed against his cheek.
All of her memories, the time they spent together flashed in his eyes, her emotions clear to him. How happy she'd been, how free she'd felt.
With a final tear-filled smile, she brought him down, and kissed his temple softly, his thoughts moving to his own mother. The same kind of love.
"Live a long, and good life… and… thank you… for everything… Eren."
At that, her body crumpled completely, joining the sand below as he felt the connection to the coordinate hit him in full, the feeling of every subject of Ymir's connection against his skull
But it was like it was instinctual, like he already knew how. With but a thought, he blocked it out as he closed his eyes.
"Goodbye Ymir… and thank you. Now… you're finally… Free"
Eren walked through the small gate and path leading up to the farm, the simple farmer who had been placed with Historia as a scapegoat father standing at the porch waving at him with a smile, clearly relieved and confused at his appearance as Eren could feel a small injury in his leg.
It was still bizarre, how he could just know everything about anyone he met.
With but a thought, he healed it, the man none the wiser until he would eventually move.
" , sir! You've returned! I thought that…" He stopped mid-sentence. It seems Historia had told him what he'd told her. He almost chuckled at that. Even if he could know anything he wanted to know, it still felt off. Everyone was entitled to their privacy.
Even though he couldn't keep the state of their body out, he could keep himself from looking into their minds and digging through their secrets.
"I know, the plan changed. I'm going to see her." He said, tired and just wanting to enter the home… well, he figured it was his home too now…
The farmer nodded as Eren headed inside, walking up the stairs toward the bedroom. Sounds came from within, soft gurgling followed by female coos as his heart began beating erratically, nervousness hitting him as his hand shook.
He knew what lay behind the door, and he couldn't help but softly connect to Historia's path, to feel her emotions.
A mixture of despair and love filled him. Despair at the loss of one… but the love for the gaining of another.
He took a deep breath before he softly knocked on the door.
"Come in." Her voice sounded muffled through the wooden surface, but he smiled nonetheless as he opened it, her blonde hair meeting his eyes as she held an infant girl in her arms, her fingers playing with his hands as the baby giggled.
A soft, loving smile on her face, but her eyes looked so sad, so lost.
"You know, John… I miss him… I just… I wish I could hear his voice just one more time…" She said, clearly believing he was the farmer, simply having come up to check on her.
"I never got to tell him… despite us creating such a beautiful thing together. I wanted him to know what he meant to me…"
Eren walked up to the bed, sitting down at the edge as Historia's eyes refused to move from their child.
"I wanted to tell him that I love him…"
Eren opened his mouth, resembling a fish out of water as he tried for formulate words, failing miserably as he felt like a teenager again.
But as tears dripped down her cheek, and her smile morphed into heartbreak, the words seemed to flow automatically into his mind.
"And he'd like to tell you… that he loves the both of you too."
Her reaction was instant, head snapping up, her blue eyes wide in shock, wonder, and hesitant hope… and when they met his own, taking in his features, she twitched, as if wanting to throw her arms around him, but stopping herself so she did not throw their daughter as well.
"E-Eren?" She asked, voice trembling as he slowly nodded.
"Yeah… the plan… changed. The world… it's gone. Paradis is secure." He answered her unasked question as she just looked so relieved, as if the cost of what she was seeing wasn't so monumental, like she didn't care in this moment.
After a long moment, her eyes glanced down to her daughter and then back, her smile spreading further before looking up.
"Eren… I want you to meet someone." She said, scooting closer as their shoulders touched, moving their daughter over into his arms as her weight settled comfortably into his own.
His heart almost melted as her head turned, her drool slowly coating his heart as she grabbed hold of the fabric with a giggle.
"...Wow…" Eren gasped, breathing out soft gasps as he smiled.
"Her name… it's Ymir… Ymir Yeager." Eren froze a minute before his body relaxed, smiling down at the giggling girl. Ymir Fritz was gone… she'd lived, and passed on… this wasn't her… but… maybe, in a weird way, it was her reincarnation. Like a chance at a new, happier life.
Eren liked that thought, it gave him a sense of peace.
"Ymir… you…" He held their baby up, her head over his shoulder as he smiled, Looking at Historia "Are free."
The years passed quickly, Historia taking on her duties within a short month after the birth of Ymir. Eren, not one for ruling, had taken a backseat in it all, staying at home for the most part and raising, and taking care of Ymir during the day.
It was a weird dynamic, not very traditional, but it worked for them. Historia had been thrilled to know that the power of the Titans no longer had a curse on it. That it was fully in his control.
Slowly, the island began to recover and expand, the people creating new villages, which sprawled into towns.
Two years after Ymir's birth, Eren had met Armin for the first time since the rumbling had begun.
The encounter had been awkward, him walking through town one day with Historia at home and their gazes had met by chance.
He'd been there with the rest of the group, alongside Reiner and the others.
They'd talked for a long time, and some harsh words had been exchanged, but he found that despite their anger at what he had done, their anger was somewhat reduced given that their families were here too, their colossal titans having walked back before returning to humans by Eren's will.
In the end, apologies were made, but too much animosity had formed. They'd split apart, but not before Eren had taken one last look at the warriors, and spoken words he knew meant more to them than anything else he could have said.
That he forgave them.
He'd briefly seen the expression on both Annie's and Reiner's face. How they'd scrunched up, their emotions going rampant, but he hadn't stayed long enough to watch.
He'd left, wishing them all long and happy lives
Fifteen years after Ymir's birth, she'd asked for Historia to teach her how to be a good queen, and so they'd started spending the days together, the younger Yeager learning from the queen of the lands on how to rule.
Which led him to now, eighteen years after, sitting on the porch of their house, Historia leaning into him as she softly played with his fingers, smiling, his daughter
Not everything was perfect… he'd lost much, too many had died and far too many still suffered. But he was content.
He had his family… and that was enough for him.
And that's done, the three-shot series finished. This has been sitting and unfinished for a while and I finally decided, what the hell, let's just do it.
It's not exactly what I'd originally imagined, but I'm quite happy with it. It's not the perfect ending or anything, I'm not gonna even attempt to claim that, I don't even think it's that good of one, but it's enough for me.
Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed it, and happy readings!