Changes: I'll see you in 2000 years (ch 21 - You Are Free - 6 of 6)

by Creative Tree

Telling this story has been a true healing process, my own personal therapy. Thank you for sticking around and reading it to the end! -Tree. This fan fiction takes AoT into a completely new direction throughout time. Introducing new characters and reintroducing forgotten storylines, Changes brings up new mysteries in a search to solve old ones. "I'll see you in 2000 years!"

25. Chapter Twenty-One: You are free- 1 of 6

The Tree

Part Three: In Between

Chapter Twenty-One: "You are free."

- January, 29th - Year 877 - The Lighthouse

Sunrise

Mikasa walked down to the shores of the Lighthouse. It was a sad day for the old mother, and the foggy, cold morning only completed her gloom. She walked alongside the shores, only getting further away from her gigantic and magnificent, but old, house. She stopped for a moment, to appreciate the ocean and to let the cold waves wash upon her feet. Mikasa looked down and to the side, to a patch of seaweeds that had washed against the large rocks. She could almost make out a small trinket in there, intertwined within the weeds. The Ackermann got curious.

She walked closer and leaned over, to examine what looked to be made of pure gold. 'Only gold plated,' she could hear Armin's voice in her head as she picked up the small item. As he would often remind her whenever she showed concern about his carelessness with that precious family heirloom. Mikasa had recognised that pocket watch instantly.

The old thing had seen better days. The muddy and corroded piece no longer shimmered like before, the gold that encased it was dingy and the inscription was now hard to read. The small pocket watch had been made to last and it had been made with precision. And impressively enough, even after almost a decade swimming deep in salt water, even after years rocking with the waves, it still 'ticked'.

Mikasa couldn't believe it: the small pocket watch was right there. It felt like an illusion. She turned it over and analysed it with much care. The inscription was there, all the small medallions, it still even counted the day of the year, together with the hour of the day. The date and time were wrong, of course, but she was still impressed that the dingy thing was still working somehow. Mikasa stood up, cleaning the watch on her shawl graciously and carefully, for she was afraid she could damage it further. The mother felt very cold and anxious to be holding that, for this was the day of her son's birth, and finding this watch didn't feel like a coincidence.

"Were you here?" She softly let out, questioning to the waves.

Armin had given that family heirloom to their son a few weeks before the tragedy. So she knew it was in the boy's possessions when he ran away. It had been almost ten years since all of that happened and Mikasa hadn't lost hope to see her boy again, but her hope had dwindled over the years. She held the pocket watch closer to her heart, holding it with both hands underneath her shawl, for it was a very cold morning. Mikasa closed her eyes and deeply wished to see her son again. Her anguish echoed across the dimensions. She then heard a strange motor sound in the distance, which she recognised right away.

Mikasa turned to see the headlights in the foggy distance as the car crossed the bridge, going towards the Lighthouse. The mother had a visitor, quite a familiar visitor in fact.

"Mum, what are you doing walking on shore? It's freezing out here," Sonnenblume complained with slight admonishment as she stepped out of the vehicle.

"What are you doing here?" her mother roughly questioned while approaching. Mikasa's expression didn't show her worry, but the mother was genuinely concerned. For it was in fact the middle of Winter and she knew this had been a long and perhaps dangerous journey.

"Nice to see you too, mother," Sunny replied with a small smile, she was quite used to her mother's cold and dry tones. She then became more serious while looking towards Mikasa. "I didn't want you to be alone today," the Queen let out.

"What is all this?" Mikasa questioned further while Sonnenblume removed quite a few bags out of the car.

"Food," the daughter simply replied.

The old mother looked annoyed.

"I don't need any of that. I can hunt, I have my plants, my parents taught me well," Mikasa complained as the younger Ackermann took upon herself to hold all those paper bags with only her two arms.

"Well, my parents taught me to take care of others, so…" Sonnenblume replied while walking towards the Lighthouse.

"And I go to the harbour constantly, whenever I need a few things; or to the villages nearby, which I'm sure your spies keep you well informed of," the mother continued her protest as she followed Sonnenblume up the porch steps.

"They are not my spies, Officer Ackermann," Sunny replied with a giggle, reminding her mother of her own army days. "They are just regular guards, Military Police," she continued while going towards the kitchen. "And excuse me for checking up every now and then with our military to be sure that you're still well and safe, and haven't died all alone in this big house," the daughter complained.

"I'm doing very well here, as you can see," Mikasa kept up her protest while looking at her daughter from across the large table. But then decided to help her unload all the goods.

"You'd be doing much better if you were living with me," Sunny suggested, as she had done many times before. But this time only under her breath.

"No, I would not," Mikasa quickly countered. "I already left Hizuru to be near you. What more do you want? This is as far as I go. This is my home," she told Sunny quite firmly.

There was a small silence as Sunny continued to unload the bags, but her mother could see her judging eyes just staring down; so Mikasa proceeded. "You can always build a Summer home near me and spend holidays here when the grandkids start to arrive," the older Ackermann joked in a tone as dry as ever, staring her daughter down.

'Alright, you win,' Sonnenblume thought, but said nothing. Her eyes however, said everything. Her mother knew her very well.

Mikasa let out a small victory smile. She then took her right hand from underneath her shawl and placed the old pocket watch over the kitchen table.

"Do you remember this?" She softly questioned her daughter with eyes full of nostalgia.

Sonnenblume walked over and reached to grab the small gold-plated item. "Of course I do, it's Dad's old watch," Sunny replied as she held the pocket watch up and began to inspect it. The young soul was amazed.

"It was not your Father's, it had been in his family for many generations. He gave it to your brother that Summer, do you remember that?" Mikasa explained and asked.

"Yes," Sunny confirmed and laughed. "He was so annoying about it, he took this thing everywhere. I was just waiting for him to finally break it, I knew it wouldn't take long," the young woman joked, thinking of their lovely childhood. She then took a small piece of seaweed from the golden piece, from between the links of its long chain.

"I just found it on shore," her mother explained.

"Now? Today?" Sunny questioned, a little taken aback by that.

Mikasa affirmed with her head. "I walked past those rocks yesterday and it wasn't there. It arrived this morning," she told Sunny with certainty.

"Maybe it was always there and you just overlooked it," her daughter cogitated. That was clearly more plausible.

"I always go by the same path, everyday. I know it was never there before," Mikasa affirmed, maintaining her account.

Sunny was still sceptical, but she decided to question. "What do you think that means?"

"I'm not sure," Mikasa replied. "But perhaps he was here, after he ran away," she cogitated.

"Knowing Azzy, he probably threw it in the ocean," Sunny theorised, analysing the piece closer.

"Yes," Mikasa confirmed. "It hurts my heart to think of the amount of frustration he must've been feeling to throw away something he loved so much," she let out, quite upset.

Sunny looked at the piece, contemplative. "Yes, he wished Dad would give this watch to him for so long, ever since we were very little… he was so happy to finally get it," she added while contemplating the amount of pain her brother must have been under during those times. "Why would he come here? Did he even know how to get to the Lighthouse?" she questioned her mother.

"I don't think it was on purpose, Azzy was very connected to this place," the mother explained. Mikasa became even more nostalgic and somehow happy. "He was born here after all, twenty-five years ago. Well, it will be twenty-five years after nightfall," she explained. "Your brother was born near midnight."

"It's three years off," Sunny let out, which made her mother a little confused. "The watch," Sunny explained. "It's three years off, but other than that, it seems in good condition."

-.-

- Over Two Thousand Years Ago -

[ the death of Ymir ]

Axl was suddenly pinned against the stone wall with much force as he walked nonchalantly through the corridors of Fritz Castle. "You monster! You killed my mother?!" Elke questioned him with fury as she pushed him even further against the wall.

He looked down at her quite lustfully, enjoying her roughness. "It's been a little while since we've been this close," he softly responded, approaching her neck; while his brothers ignored them completely in that common area. They were more interested in sharpening their weapons and checking their armours and fun gadgets.

"Don't play with me Ackermann," she firmly warned while holding a small dagger against his neck.

"What happened to pookie?" he questioned, a little indignant. This was the nickname the princess had given him when they were still small children and she had never called him anything else since then.

"You killed her? You killed my mother?!" Elke questioned him again, absolutely bewildered and still holding the blade against his throat, expecting her old friend to confess.

Axl seemed a little conflicted as the woman stared into his soul, he could see her anguish. The Ackermann had successfully avoided this confrontation for those past nine years, and he had hoped to avoid it for the rest of their lives. So he was naturally looking for a way out of that questioning.

"Where are you getting this from?" He asked.

"We went to the mountains," Dorian told him as he entered that hall with Torin and the rest of the Fritz brothers soon followed.

"What's this, a fair?" Erik questioned as all the Fritz children joined the Ackermann soldiers in that small stone hall.

Axl turned to face Elke again. "I didn't," he denied, grunting a little humorously. "Dad killed her," he added, quite coldly.

"We only killed the other ladies and the coach," Erik further explained. "And burned everything down," Tyr complemented. "That was so long ago," he added.

"Seriously, you had to travel that far to figure out the obvious?" Klaus asked the Fritzs, also very coldly and humorously.

"To be fair we all knew her fate, deep down," Osmond replied, he and most of the other siblings were convinced that the Queen had been killed on that very day of her exile, or perhaps soon after.

"But it took these three travelling all the way up to that haunted monastery to finally confirm it," Torr added, also a little humorously; talking about Elke, Dorian and Torin. The three siblings had travelled up those mountains to find the building completely empty and abandoned.

"All this time? How can you hide it from me?" Elke questioned Axl with deep pain and frustration. It had been nine years since the Queen had been murdered by the Ackermanns, by the orders of the King, of course.

He sighed, still eyeing that blade very close to his throat. "Some truths are better never spoken out loud," the Ackermann began to justify. "What good would've done you? It would only bring you pain," he argued.

"You think she's gonna kill him?" Erik humorously questioned Ivar on the side, ready to set their bets. "Finally," the younger Ackermann added and they laughed.

"Nah, she's too much of a softy," Jari commented from the other side of the room.

All the brothers were there watching, both Fritzs and Ackermanns, being quite the spectators.

"Come on, Elke! Just cut his throat already," Klaus shouted, rousing the fight. They were all very amused.

Axl side-eyed the bunch disapprovingly as he softly took her hand down. He turned to Elke. "You know that's what your Dad wanted," he softly told the Fritz Princess. "Our Dad was just following the King's orders." Axl then softly took the small dagger away from her and held her hand affectionately.

But the princess let go of his hand abruptly. "What are we supposed to tell the boys when they ask about their grandmother?" she questioned him angrily.

"Nothing like that, hopefully, they're too little," Axl soon replied.

"So, 'keep the lie' is your only answer," Elke hastily concluded, still vexed with her partner.

"We can let them know the full truth once they are old enough, don't twist my words," the Ackermann complained back to her.

Axl and Elke had already been together for many years. They had grown up together and their families closeness made them couple in an early age, to the revel of their fathers. General Ludvík's firstborn and King Fritz's second born already had six boys of their own together. Out of those, only two had met their grandmother when she was still alive, but they were too little then to remember her. Still, Elke was horrified to confirm that the father of her children was partially responsible and had witnessed her mother's death.

The Princess was currently expecting yet another child from the Ackermann. It was only in early stages and still a secret between the couple. And the father hoped this one would finally be a girl, after so many boys. And he wouldn't be wrong, but that was only the beginning of their problems, and of their curse. After all, all of their lives, Ackermanns' and Fritzs', would change forever in that very same day, and in the next.

"I can't believe you just stood there and watched my mother die, knowing full well how much it would affect me," Elke told him in pain. "Did she suffer?" she asked.

Axl sighed, angrily. He ignored her sentimental question and proceeded with his cold logic. "If it hadn't happened that way, your father would have found a different way to kill her. Would you rather it had been in the darkness of the night, like it was, or in the brightness of the day, right in front of you?" he coldly questioned the princess.

"Dad knew if he had ever done that, we would have killed him on the spot. That's why he had you execute her in the faraway darkness. He's a coward," Torr, Fritz and Tara's third born, proceeded with much logic as well.

"And your Dad is even more of a coward. He's just the King's lapdog. He'll do anything Dad says," Tait added in anger. The youngest of the Fritz siblings was very upset about having his mother taken from him at such an early age.

That rattled the Ackermann brothers greatly and all of Ludvík's and Fritz's sons began throwing insults at each other. The whole situation was turning into a brawl as the young men began to fight one another.

"Enough!" Axl yelled in the centre of the room. Taking charge as the oldest of the bunch. He looked towards Torin, who was just sitting in the corner. "Our father was just following orders, you know that." he told the Fritz Prince.

Torin looked to the side, the man seemed reflective. But more calculative than contemplative.

"They both have to pay for it, don't you think?" Torin replied quite coldly.

Axl promptly took out Erik's sword from its scabbard as the younger Ackermann was standing the closest to him and he had no weapons of his own. Ludvík's oldest then walked closer to Torin, threateningly. "If you are suggesting we execute my father, just say it here and now so I can kill you on the spot," Axl threatened him gravely.

Torin looked at the sword and then up to his friend in annoyance. He gently moved the sharp edge away with two of his fingers. "I have no intention of killing Ludvík," he replied, and look to the rest of the room very politically. "We here all know how he has been much more of a father to us than our father ever was," he reminded the other Fritz children.

He turned to Axl again. "I'm just saying it's time for the oldies to go," the eldest prince proceeded. He finally stood up and put his hand around Axl's shoulders. "One day, I'll be King and you'll be my General," he reminded his brother-in-law. "There's no reason this day can't arrive sooner rather than later. Your father can of course retire. He's getting too old for his job as it is-"

"But we all know what has to happen for you to officially take charge," Torr interrupted his older brother, curiously crossing his arms as he completed Torin's line of reasoning.

"Are you going to kill Dad?" Elke promptly questioned her twin. She looked concerned on the outside, but actually joyful on the inside. "Finally," Tait let out, just expressing how all the Fritz siblings were feeling.

"I don't have to do that necessarily," Torin cleverly responded. "Not after all the fuss of yesterday. We have a feral dog in our troops and he's vexed with the King. I'd say we just have to sit and wait," the prince concluded while sitting down again.

"The foreigner?" Elke asked.

"Yes, the alien who is obsessed with the wench," Raleigh confirmed, also following Torin's line of reasoning.

"Oh, he's not just obsessed with her," Elke sharply commented.

"Wasn't he fighting with her yesterday? All those loud yells. Wasn't that the quarrel Dad told you to break off?" Axl asked the princess.

"What were they fighting about?" Osmond asked, curiously.

"What matters is: Dad decided he needs a dressing-down," Torin interjected, leaning back. He put his arms around his head, quite nonchalantly. "He's calling the alien to the throne room later this afternoon for a much needed reprimanding. And we all know Azymondeus' temper," the prince chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "That is not going to go well." He concluded.

Axl turned to the prince in concern. "What happens if he goes haywire? Like that day on the battlefield?" he questioned. "That weird alien might not only kill your Dad, he could wipeout this entire city!" the Ackermann added in alarm.

Torin leaned forward again, pointing down firmly. Laying down their plan. "That's why you have to be there. You and the boys, not your father - he's gone too soft. But you five need to be there, just in case. Be prepared to trap him," the prince cleverly explained. "But please, only after he has gotten rid of my father," he emphasised and laid back again. Torin looked up to the ceiling and sighed in pure happiness and wonder. "It will open the ways for my glorious empire."

"And then what? We're supposed to trap him and that's it? I don't think we can just keep a thing like that trapped for long," Tyr raised the concern. They all knew they were dealing with a creature they couldn't understand. Azymondeus was absolutely unpredictable.

"We eat him," Torin swiftly and coldly replied. It was the Eldians ancient tradition to cannibalise their enemies after all. Especially those more powerful. "I bet we can consume those powers somehow, maybe not completely but at least partially," the prince proceeded. "We can feed him to our army, bit by bit, he ain't regrowing from that," Torin suggested and chuckled with much confidence.

"Not the whole army," Torr interjected. "I bet that odd energy is only good when concentrated," he cleverly remarked.

"And then we eat her too," Elke also suggested, ready for revenge on that wench. "We can't let those powers go to waste."

"What about the little girls?" Ivan naively asked. He was the one in that bunch with the least ruined soul, at least at that point. The Ackermann was still very young.

"Yes, are we supposed to eat them too?" Ralph asked.

"Aren't they your sisters?" Erik promptly questioned, showing some concern. "Or half-sisters," Tyr added, trying to help after his brother's comment was clearly not welcomed by the Fritzs.

But it didn't help much. All the Fritz siblings looked utterly disgusted with that suggestion, and were all immediately mumbling curses about it.

"Oh no, please," Elke voiced their sentiment louder. "Those poor, weird creatures are the devil's children," she explained mid-laugh.

The princess continued quite ambitiously, "those little demons will be ours. They are young and we can raise them as we like. Once they're thirteen they'll finally manifest those powers and turn into monsters like their mother," Elke stated, quite pleased with herself and her plan. "And at that point, well, I'll make sure they'll be much easier to control than that infuriating little whore that gave birth to them."

"Well, lads, I believe our plan is mostly settled," Torin began, standing up again and putting his arms around Axl and Torr. "Today my father will revel with all honour and glory in his conquests in this stupid little ceremony he has thrown for himself. And later, well, let chaos ensue," he hoped.

-.-

High up in the castle's tower, Ymir was brushing her hair unhurriedly, the second Fritz Queen seemed a bit lost. She looked at her reflection in that mirror, feeling exhausted and also vainly worried about the bags under her eyes. Ymir hadn't slept that night, she had only cried. She cried for hours and hours until the sun finally rose again. The woman felt broken, and she also felt angry.

The girls had all slept through most of their mother's desperation. They had all eventually fallen asleep in her arms as she continued to cry. And Ymir then proceeded to cry very quietly, to make sure she wouldn't disturb her precious girls' sleep. So the three girls had woken up with much energy and were all running around the tower. Maria and Rose were playing tag, while Sina just stumbled around trying to catch up with the other two.

"We are leaving today! We are leaving today!" Rose shouted very cheerfully as the girls all ran around and laughed.

Ymir was fixing up her precious jewels and trying to concentrate on the finishing touches of her regal look. And the girls' naive happiness was beginning to infuriate her. She turned to Rose with much annoyance.

"I already told you a million times. We are not going anywhere." She affirmed in pure intensity while standing up from her vanity. "Stop that," she ordered the girls.

"Oh," Maria let out as they stopped running. "I thought we were just waiting until morning, so we don't leave in the dark," the girl timidly relayed. All the three girls looked confused.

"Where's Dad gone? He hasn't come up yet," Rose naively noted.

"I'm sure he'll be here any second," Maria replied to her younger sister, looking towards the balcony, as that was the place where Azymondeus always jumped to when arriving to see them.

"Yes, Dad always comes in with the sun to kiss us good morning," Rose concurred, as Sina clumsy ran towards the balcony.

The toddler giggled, hoping to see her father appearing in the open garden, like always. But Ymir stood in front of her and Sina stopped on her tracks, looking up. The mother ignored those big and confused blue eyes and hastily picked her up. The Queen looked extremely annoyed.

"Stop it already," she complained to the other two girls as they were about to resume their game of tag. She held Sina more firmly in her arms. "That man is not your father," Ymir angrily hissed, deeply regretting the freedom she had given those girls. They could all hear the bolts and latches turning and clicking.

"She's lying. Of course he is," Maria whispered to Rose. She whispered quietly but in full confidence. She knew that was the last thing her mother would want those gossipy ladies to hear.

The seven-year-old could read their mother well, but she also felt worried, for she had never seen Ymir so broken and angry before. And there was only so much a child's mind could comprehend when watching their parents' complex emotions. Maria tilted her head, confused by Ymir's anger. Their mother was breathing heavily, the Fritz Queen seemed quite determined.

The many ladies finally walked into the room after the two guards successfully opened the giant wooden doors. Ymir walked forward with much authority and hastily gave Sina to one of the nannies; and two other women soon held Rose and Maria by their hands. They waited for the Queen to take her distance, so they could all follow her in that flight of stairs.

The two older girls looked up at those giant doors and all the large metal locks as they passed through, they both felt saddened. It seemed they would not leave their prison today, unfortunately. Sina looked ahead, feeling deeply upset to see her mother turn her back to her and walk away. The toddler yearned to be in her mother's arms. She felt neglected, just like her sisters before her.

"You are never making me cry again," Ymir quietly, but angrily whispered as she began to climb down all those stairs. She was feeling very angry and shamed. "Never. You won't ever make me cry." She told herself with pure determination. "Never again."

-.-

"Ah, Christa, an early riser as always," Fritz joked as she climbed down the last steps of the tower.

"Don't call me that," Ymir hastily replied. She walked closer to her husband and stood next to him, to also observe what he was observing in that hall. "It's ten in the morning," she quietly added, complaining about his joke. Ymir crossed her arms.

Fritz had been watching the painter finishing that stunning mural since dawn. "You are my anointed goddess," he replied, still in his joking mood. He knew very well how that title annoyed her.

Ymir rolled her eyes. She looked to the side, as the ladies took the girls to their customary playing corner. Ymir then turned to the mural again, very contemplative.

"Every Eldian who enters the common hall will see the beauty of our expansion," the King declared in triumph.

The mural depicted an intricate map of that great ancient continent and showcased with all glory the vast lands the King had conquered so far. Well, that his Titan had conquered so far. Fritz could tell the slave girl's eyes were fitted on the blue borders of the mural. Ymir was dreaming with the ocean.

He walked a couple of steps forward, to one of the corners where the painter was still adding the finishing touches. "Just a few more campaigns, hopefully, and we reach the coast," the old King noted, and walked all the way to the other side of the wall. "And in the near future we will also hopefully have this kingdom reach from one sea to the other. Coast to coast," the King also declared with eyes full of greed.

Ymir was lost in her thoughts, she had paid no attention to what Fritz was saying. She suddenly noticed Axl walking through the corridors. "Axl!" She called his attention and walked to him.

The Ackermann gently bowed. "Your Majesty," he respectfully replied.

Ymir stopped regally in front of him. "I'm putting you in charge of the young princesses' security for now on. They need a new guard," she informed him with grace and looked to the corner where her children were playing. Axl followed her eyes. The three girls were cheerfully playing while supervised by the countless ladies.

"I thought that was Az's job," he swiftly replied while turning to her again.

"Not anymore," she firmly told him. "I don't want him anywhere near my children. Do you understand?" Ymir asked loudly and firmly in that busy hall. For she knew Azymondeus could hear her from the distance. Her lover looked towards them, completely vexed, but Ymir quickly looked away.

"Alright," Axl concurred. "Why me?" he asked, trying not to chuckle. This whole situation was getting better by the minute. The quarrel between the two creatures would make Torin's plan much easier to execute. Axl was already planning his first actions as General; dreaming about power. The Ackermann was incredibly excited with his prospects.

"Because you're a father, and I trust you," Ymir explained. "But only you. Not Klaus or the others, they all seem like unreliable drunkards to me," the Eldian Queen proceeded scornfully. "And although I shun your questionable choice of wife," she added. Ymir never missed a chance to insult Elke, whom she despised. "You do know what it's like to love one's children. And I can only hope you'll protect them as your own," Ymir solemnly told him. She then proceeded to follow Fritz outside.

"Yes, Ma'am," Axl replied, bowing again and watching the court leave.

All the servants and courtiers were following the King and Queen outside, and both Ackermanns watched them go. Azymondeus soon sped up towards the corner where the girls were as the hall was slowly becoming empty. And Axl swiftly stood in front of his comrade, stopping Az on his tracks.

"You heard well what Her Majesty said," Axl told him in a quiet but deeply reprimanding and condescending tone.

"Don't do this," Az firmly warned.

"Oh, I'm following my orders, like any soldier should. Do you even know what that is?" Axl maintained, with a hint of mockery. Which as he expected, only angered that devil more. He looked the foreigner up and down, condescendingly. And continued the scorn. "Rules? Do they even have those in your country? Or whatever you come from..?" he questioned.

Az only stared him down. "Move," he gravely ordered.

"Or what? Are you going to kill me too?" Axl questioned with a chuckle. "Isn't that what you do to anyone who crosses you?" he teased.

Azymondeus tried to walk forward but Axl stood on his way again. "The Queen said she doesn't want you near her children," he insisted. "And you heard that well." Axl tilted his head, he knew he could take this further. "The King wants to speak to you this afternoon," he reminded the soldier.

"Yes. I have already been informed of that," Az replied through gritted teeth.

Axl did his best to hold his laughter, he was enjoying that far too much. He walked even closer and made himself look more serious. "You better hear what His Majesty has to say and adhere to every word," he advised. Axl looked at his former friend sternly. "You have been here what? Eight years? And you still haven't learned how we Eldians do things? You are not in Marley anymore." The Ackermann firmly affirmed while pointing at Azymondeus' chest. "You better learn to respect authority." Axl gravely schooled him.

The time traveller walked away, clearly completely vexed. Axl let out a small grin while watching him go, happy to have successfully angered Azymondeus further. 'I can't wait to watch you kill him,' the Ackermann thought joyously. Like many others close to the King, he hoped Fritz would have a very violent death.

Azymondeus walked through the campsite full of anger. He reached to grab his prize spear from the stack when Ludvík held his hand hastily.

"No long-range weapons will be needed in this event," he shouted at the battalion. "Put on your best - less dingy - armour and sword and enjoy yourselves in the parade through the old city." He laughed charmingly. "And let us enjoy our feast after the sunset!" He added with humour and made a signal for the army to give him their war salute. And the thousands of soldiers responded quite loudly. Their war cry was gradually echoed through the entire campsite.

Ludvík lost his smile and turned seriously to Azymondeus again. "The King wants to talk to you after the ceremony," he also reminded the younger Ackermann.

"I know," Azymondeus replied, clearly vexed.

Ludvík was aware of what his young pupil was going through. "Be prepared and humble," he fatherly advised. He held the young soldier's shoulder for a tender moment and then let go, leaving the campsite to lead the parade.

Az looked down, breathing heavily, and then turned towards the spear again. 'There will be no meeting this afternoon,' he affirmed in his thoughts. 'He won't be alive after this ceremony.'

The time traveller was determined: he was going to kill Fritz. The Ackermann was planning a public execution; he knew the whole town would be watching. It would be the perfect moment.

The entire parade went on as planned, the villagers rejoiced to see the army cruise so imposingly through their old town. The new Fritz Castle stood further away from where that village first began, so a dais was put together in the centre of the town. In the very same spot where Fritz and Tara's main tent stood and where they would throw all the village feasts over the years. It was a sentimental place for the older villagers, quite the special spot.

Fritz was already sitting on his throne, up the dais, comfortably watching all the proceedings. The Army solemnly made way for the young Queen to make her entrance. She carried her progeny with her: the three small girls who the Eldians hoped to one day become monsters just like their mother.

Ymir was mere seconds away from her doom as she walked up that dais.

Her reflexes were quick and she was suddenly bleeding all over the wooden floor, as the realisation hit she became completely disheartened. He had actually proven to her. In that unexpected way, Azymondeus had proven to her how she valued that crown over the ones who loved her. She valued her power over her family, over her own blood.

All the six Ackermanns jumped quickly into action and immobilised the rogue soldier. Ludvík hit him with all his strength and he fell unconscious as they all restrained him. The three girls were completely confused with all that was suddenly happening. They looked down at their mother, all absolutely terrified to watch her bleeding on that dais. They felt very lost.

Ymir didn't want to live anymore. She gave up. The slave girl closed her eyes and hoped for eternity, she hoped for final peace. But, unfortunately, she opened them again in a cursed nightmare.

- In the pure darkness -

[ the remnants of the Titan Realm ]

Ymir was crying in pure darkness. There was nothing left in that haunted dimension. There was only her soul. She cried inconsolably. "I killed him," she muttered. "I killed him."

The image of his body disintegrating into that light wouldn't leave her mind. She had purposely thrown him away and into that light tree, just to avoid her own death. Now she was alone in her own nightmare.

The light tree had gone out and so had all the stars in the sky, so there was nothing to cast light onto her. Ymir couldn't see anything in that now pitch black dimension.

"I killed him," Ymir muttered. "I killed them," she had also realised, or had finally admitted.

She was thinking about their first deaths and of how much her children had suffered. Ymir had regretted from the start, she regretted allowing herself to die that day. The mother had considered that many times, she had thought about it over and over again. If they had run away the day before, if they had left Eldia even before that. If she had allowed Az to kill Fritz or if she had regenerated from that spear wound. Any of those scenarios could have avoided the death of her loved ones.

Ymir had witnessed how her children were forced to eat her decaying body, she had witnessed how the Ackermanns had butchered and eaten her beloved. All in that dark night. And come sunrise she had to watch as her children were also cruelly slaughtered, also cut into pieces, and eaten by those horrible cannibals.

She could see it all in that light and all that imagery fed her grief and her grief fed that dimension. Ymir's grief had created the Titan Realm and had cursed all of the cannibals who had eaten her loved ones. It cursed them to serve her in life, and cursed their souls to be trapped there in death.

In truth, the witch blamed herself, but she buried her grief and her own guilt deep within that sand. Now all of that guilt flooded her consciousness as she witnessed Azymondeus dying by her hand yet again. Her realisation, acceptance and deep accountability were breaking the dimension apart and making it disappear.

"I killed him," Ymir muttered over and over. "No," she continued. "Please don't leave me, never leave me! I can't lose you," she pleaded brokenly in her muttering, sobbing quietly but uncontrollably. "I love you, please be with me, always be with me, I love you."

"Be with me," she wished.

Ymir suddenly saw small specks of blue light mixed with her transparent tears, illuminating the sand below her again as her tears dropped down from her face. That was the first thing she was finally seeing after the light tree had gone out and all the dimension had turned pitch black. She reached up with her hand, to wipe the tears and analyse them. Ymir became confused but hopeful, for some reason those small sparks of pure light blue made her smile among her sobbing.

That light soon illuminated her heart from the inside out. And her whole nervous system then lit up as well. The sparkles rose up from her spine, like stardust. Spreading out and illuminating the dimension again. There were millions and more millions of those tiny pieces of blue light that were detaching from her spine, almost forming two large light wings and then vaguely resembling a butterfly as they made their way out.

The creature that had once attached itself to her was now freeing itself from her body. Ymir had almost lost her life in that small pond, inside the ancient tree. And that had haunted her lover for all his life, so in his death, his last wish was to save her. Azymondeus wished to save her from drowning, and save her from drowning he did.

The time traveller finally rematerialised completely, forming from the dust right in front of her eyes, still made of pure light. Ymir smiled. She was elated to see him again. They held each other very tenderly as he lit up her body in pure otherworldly energy and they both disappeared from that grief dimension. For good this time.

- October, 31st - Year 854 - Paradise

[ amidst the volcanoes' eruptions ]

The sun was setting in the island of Paradise and the immense Titan was suddenly falling from the sky.

The Phoenix Titan, the Jaw Titan and the Survey Corps soldier were looking for the Armoured Titan, who had been lost somewhere in the goddess' flaming body. They all felt very desperate and deeply concerned. So they were relieved when they finally spotted the small thing falling a little slower than the giant monster, and the two Titans soon dove down to reach their friend.

The gigantic creature was already arriving close to the ocean surface. So by the time the Phoenix was close to grabbing the Armoured by the shoulders, Ymir's Titan hit the waves with immense impact. And all that heated force immediately evaporated much of the water all around the enormous Titan, creating a lot of steam.

All that heat and all that evaporating water made the two smallish Titans lose their senses and all of them dropped to the ocean as well. The Armoured Titan began to drown faster, Reiner was clearly unconscious inside of his Titan. Pieck was feeling quite lost but she soon regained her senses and noticed the Survey Corps soldier swimming towards their friend as fast as he could. Jean hoped to reach the Armoured Titan before it fell too deep into the hot ocean waters. And the Phoenix Titan followed fast behind him. The soldier took out his crystal swords and quickly slashed through the nape. Removing Reiner and holding him in his arms as the Phoenix grabbed them both with her claws and began to rise to the surface.

The Jaw Titan saw it all from up above, as he shook his wings, hoping to dry them. He began to fly higher again, moving away from the evaporating heat. The Phoenix also flew up from the waves, feeling heavy because of her wet Titan body. She flew low, heating herself up and evaporating some of the water away from her feathers. She flew towards shore and gently dropped Jean and the unconscious Reiner over the beach sands. As the soldier was doing his best to resuscitate the Warrior. Jean was hitting Reiner's chest with much force, hoping to restart his heart.

The water was still rising up from the impact of the immense Titan with the waves. A lot of it had evaporated but a lot was also raining down again. The Titan had fallen in the middle of the sea, about two hundred metres from shore and had made a large crater on the ocean floor. Ymir's crystal had cracked open with the impact and she was slowly waking up, completely hazed.

She slowly opened her eyes to see that image of a rainy and colourful sunsetting sky high up above her. An image very different from the starry darkness of the dimension she was accustomed to. She could also see the foggy image of a familiar face becoming clearer right in front of her. Ymir immediately recognised that charming smile and Azymondeus soon hugged her very tightly. And she hugged him back in an equal manner. Well, not as tightly for she was feeling quite weak and tired. He began to build up his customary energy while Ymir's green eyes turned purple one last time. The Original Titan had one last wish to be fulfilled.

Falco could see the gigantic Titan's green eyes turning purple and shining very brightly all of a sudden, which deeply frightened and concerned the small Warrior. He then flew fast towards the Titan's open chest, to look for that witch in her crystal cocoon, imagining she still needed to be finished off. The Jaw Titan then stopped abruptly, and began to hover, witnessing the two lovers hugging each other tightly and suddenly disappearing in all that light. The young boy was incredibly confused and he soon noted that the immense Titan began to disintegrate as soon as those two disappeared. And the carcass was now being covered by the heated waves.

The Jaw Titan then flew to shore. He saw how afflicted the Phoenix Titan was as she hovered above their friends. Jean had been successful in helping Reiner breathe again, but the Warrior was still deeply unconscious and had also been deeply burned.

None of them were paying attention to the Wall Titans as they proceeded with their march. But they soon turned to those giant creatures as they heard them running. All of them. Thousands upon thousands of absolutely gigantic Wall Titans were now running back towards the island.

The Phoenix Titan, the Jaw Titan and the Survey Corps soldier were all very frightened.

-.-

Mitras

The couple reemerged in that small forest again, in the vast lands inside of the Royal Palace walls, in the ancient city of Mitras. In the very same spot from where they had left. From where they first jumped from, over twenty-one years before. Well, twenty-one years in their own physical perspective, of course. For that jump would still happen in the future, it would only happen in the year 859, so they were four years early and over twenty-one years older.

Ymir looked into his eyes with a sweet smile. She then looked up to admire the sky again, and the setting sun that shone through the tree leaves. Azzy turned and also looked up, following her wondering eyes as they still embraced each other. She then raised up her arm, analysing it.

"It feels so… strange," Ymir noted while looking at her hand and arm, confused and contemplative. "I feel so-"

"Alive?" Az asked, sweetly, while still on top of her. "Well you haven't been that for a long time, so it must feel a little odd," he argued with a charming smile while moving to the side. "And you're naked," he noted with some alarm while looking down at her uncovered body.

The soldier then sat up, and immediately began to remove his upper armour and strip out of his long, black undershirt. "Right, we should cover you up," he said while removing and giving her the shirt.

"Calm down, there's no one here," she replied, while putting his large shirt on. Az stood up and then helped her to stand up as well. "There's no one here," Ymir repeated, now with some concern. "Where are we?" she asked, feeling scared.

She had no idea where they had ended up. Ymir's heart soon started racing, filled with concern. Her lover didn't exactly have the best track record with his Jumpings.

"Remember when we played hide-and-seek?" he asked with some charm and much nostalgia.

Ymir was still feeling very lost, but she understood his meaning. So she ran back to the garden, toward her lovely castle, the sand playground that had remained in her dreams for all those years.

"No sandbox," Ymir noted as she arrived at the edge of the small forest. "Where's my castle?" the princess asked while searching around the beautiful garden with her eyes. The palace looked a little different, and it was clearly completely empty, it even had cracks in some places. After all, it had recently been through quite a few earthquakes.

Azzy scratched his head while standing behind her. "We are still in '54," he explained. "No kids' stuff here yet I suppose."

Ymir looked up at him confused.

"I just didn't want to risk time-jumping so soon," he justified.

"Are you saying I'm older than my parents now?" the reborn witch asked with some alarm.

"Well, technically you were born only a few hours ago," Az cleverly replied, joking of course. He looked up at the giant clock in the palace garden. "About seven to eight hours ago, actually. If that thing is still working," he added to the joke.

Ymir stared into his lovely face as he looked at the clock. She tilted her head, concerned for him.

"Where did you go?" she asked more seriously and he turned to face her again. "What happened to you?"

Az was already lost in her beautiful bright green eyes. He was just glad to see her again. She was there and she was real, made of flesh. This was neither a dream nor a nightmare. He couldn't help but feel extremely happy. The man was in an enamoured trance.

"What is the last thing you remember?" she insisted, asking more timidly, Ymir still felt extremely guilty. "I thought I had killed you. I thought you were gone forever," she confessed quietly, looking down to the green grass. She looked up into his blue eyes again. "What did you feel? What did even happen?" she questioned.

He looked away, reflective.

"It was like I died," he tried to explain. "But I just woke up in that field again, same as always. And my first thought was to find you. So I jumped again and found you unconscious in that cracked crystal, I was just happy to see you were still breathing. And I became elated once you opened your eyes."

They smiled at each other and he reached out to hold her hands. "I just wanted to get you out of there," he continued, "to bring you home." He looked up at that garden and at the small forest. "To finally bring you back here."

"Is that all that you remember? Waking up in a field?" she questioned, Ymir was feeling confused. She was worried about what that tree of light had done to him, and concerned as to what extent it had changed the fabric of his being. The witch hadn't realised yet that in her attempt to kill her lover and protect her own existence, she had caused this entire mess.

Az tilted his head. "What do you mean?" he asked, oblivious.

They suddenly heard a noise. It broke the silence of that quiet afternoon in that garden. It sounded like old leaves cracking and moving with the wind. And they both turned in alarm, trying to see if there was someone walking through the woods. The sound came from quite further away from where they were, but it still frightened the couple in that moment.

That was when they saw Ludvík's ghost appearing to them on the edge of the woods. The old man smiled at them from the distance and his five sons also appeared behind him, among the forest trees. He waved goodbye at the couple and became very bright all of a sudden, and so did his boys. They all shot up fast into the sky like six bright stars. The Ackermanns were finally free from their curse, after two thousand years. And Tybur Lake was also now free from crying souls.

Azzy suddenly felt very dizzy, his mind became foggy after all that and his heart was racing. He felt faint and he lost balance, almost falling. Ymir held him in place so he wouldn't fall. "Are you all right?" she asked, very concerned.

"I'm good," he replied, quickly recomposing himself. "It feels strange to be alive again, doesn't it?" Az asked her. "But it feels stranger to not be cursed," he explained.

Ymir looked up to the skies. "I'm just happy they're free," she replied, smiling. She leaned her head fondly onto his shoulder and held his arm with both of her hands, embracing it. And Azzy leaned down and kissed her forehead, and then smiled at her.

The cold forest winds raced around them in that late afternoon. Az then looked down at that old and ragged shirt. It looked like a small dress on Ymir, it wasn't covering much and she was starting to shiver as the night was already falling. Azzy tilted his head. "Aren't you cold?" he asked.

"Yes," Ymir confirmed, still smiling. "But you are very warm," she added, hugging his strong arm even tighter.

He smiled at her and then turned back towards the palace, thinking. "I wonder if your mother's clothes would fit you," he considered, and quickly jumped in and out of the palace.

Ymir was frightened for that quick moment but he soon came back, she barely had time to process what he had said.

Azzy came back with a bundled dress in his hands. "Ah, I see," Ymir understood what he had said as she saw that piece of clothing. Az looked around the empty garden, considering a few things. He was a grown man now, and he was so much better at space-jumping than when he was just a small child. He looked down at Ymir again. "You know, there's somewhere I promised I would take you," he reminded her and hugged her tight.

They jumped again.

Ymir felt a little dizzy as they reappeared, especially because the sun was shining much brighter now. It was actually morning where they had ended up.

"Here," Azzy gave her the Queen's dress that he had 'borrowed' from the palace.

"It looks like a wedding dress," she noted laughing while unfolding the bundle. Ymir was exaggerating a bit, it was one of Historia's white summer dresses.

Azzy shrugged. "It's probably a regular gown for a queen," he presumed.

"Quite fitting then," Ymir joked while returning his shirt and putting the gown on. She was glad that he had grabbed a summer dress, for Ymir was already feeling the tropical heat. The temperature was clearly much higher now, than what it was in the palace garden.

Azzy crossed his arms as he watched her fixing up the dress and then her long hair. "We never got married," he pointed out, "not properly."

"Well," Ymir was about to argue when she looked down to see all that sand in between her feet. "Where are we?" She asked with much alarm. For a moment she was worried they were trapped in that cursed dimension again.

Azzy gave her a wide smile and gently lifted up one of the large tropical leaves of the sumptuous tree standing right next to them, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

"Mrs. Arlert, meet the Pacific," he joked while presenting her to the largest ocean on Earth.

He had finally gotten her there.

Admittedly, Ymir had already flown over the large oceans many times in those past couple of days, while in Titan form. But this was extremely different. Ymir's human eyes were seeing those vast waters for the very first time. Her mind was also much clearer now. She felt lighter and much happier. Ymir had actually unintentionally blocked a lot of those past two days from her memory. Her subconscious didn't want her to focus too much on her guilt and the pain she had caused. But it would all come back to her eventually.

She walked slowly, making her way in that sand, contemplating the waters. It was a beautiful scenery.

Ymir finally stopped on shore and reached down, like a curious child. She wanted to feel the waves with her hands as they arrived on the sand.

"I told you I was going to show you the ocean," Azzy said while approaching. And laughed, still with arms crossed.

Ymir stood up and turned back to face him. "It only took you two thousand years." She cleverly responded, joking of course.

"Jumping can get a bit messy," he justified while shrugging and scratching his hair. "It takes Time to perfect it," Azzy joked back.

Ymir smiled and looked towards the waves again. "This place is beautiful, where are we?"

"I'd say somewhere in the middle of the ocean, right on the other side of the world." Az supposed.

"So, away from Eldia and everything?" she asked and he nodded. "Thirteen hours away to be exact," Azzy added.

"Perfect," Ymir let out, she wanted to leave all of that trauma behind - her grief and her guilt, at least for that moment.

She turned to him with a beautiful smile. Ymir had never felt this happy before, this free. She was finally away from everything, and she was with her love. This was her true paradise. It was a joyous moment.

Az was looking up to the bright blue sky, with his hands on his hips, taking the sun in. Ymir took the opportunity, she smiled and pushed him gently, and he clumsily fell in the sand. They laughed, like children do. She then ran into the waves so he could chase after her, and chase after her he did. The couple played together in the water like they were young again, swimming together and embracing each other closely. They turned towards the infinity of blues, trying to find where the ocean ended and the sky began.

"This is too beautiful," Ymir noted while staring at that infinity.

"You are beautiful," he told her with much love while staring at her face. She turned towards him with a sweet smile and they finally kissed. The gentle, long and wet kiss they were both yearning for. No malice, no ulterior motives, no savagery, nor vassalage. Just pure and unaltered love.

They floated together, completely embraced, and Ymir rested her head on his chest, peacefully listening to his heart beating. Glad to feel him living. He leaned down once again and kissed the top of her head. They were both alive. Alive and happy.

Ymir turned her head away from the ocean horizon and towards shore. "I could spend an eternity here," she told him.

"Really? I'm already starting to feel cold," Azzy joked back to her. They swam and kissed passionately in those ocean waters for a little longer, then made their way back to shore again.

They sat on that pure white beach for some time, enjoying the moment.

"I can't believe there actually is water in this," Ymir said, completely baffled, as she continued to drink from that little coconut.

"I knew it was going to blow your mind," Azzy replied with a laugh, as he laid on the sand a little away from her. He was enjoying the sunlight with much gusto. He then raised himself up again, sitting upright. "It kills more people than sharks," he added while pointing at the small green fruit in her hands.

"What?" Ymir asked, completely confused.

Azzy laughed. "Just something I read in the library once," he explained. "That book of curiosities was actually one of my favourites when I was little," he reminisced, looking up to the blue sky again.

Ymir looked towards the ocean, a little lost. "What are sharks?" she questioned while tilting her head.

And Azzy chuckled. "Something I'm glad we don't have to worry about here. Which makes this beach a great spot for future vacations," he told her with a nice smile.

"Future…" Ymir mumbled, she turned to the ocean, quite contemplative.

Az reached down to grab some of the sand with his hands as Ymir put her little coconut to the side. He lifted up his hand, letting the sand grains fall through his fingers, just like when they were little. "Now, this is real sand," he joked. Finally finishing the point of that first conversation they had had, as small children, back in that artificial sandbox.

Ymir giggled and turned to watch the waves again. "This place is truly magical. Thank you for bringing me here," she said while turning to him again.

"Oh, this is only the beginning," he told her, already getting more excited. He approached closer. "There are so many places on Earth I want to show you! You're gonna love it," he continued, but sat back again for a moment. "But we should probably just travel by boat like normal people. I really need to cut on all that jumping," he admitted.

"Agreed," Ymir replied, truthfully.

She smiled, looking down, and passed her hands through the sand grains as well, she became more reflective and melancholic. "I bet the girls would have loved this," she finally said what they were both thinking. Ymir's grief was finding its way back to her consciousness again.

"Yes, I know they would," the father agreed.

Ymir looked to the side as the grief creeped up on her, she began to feel cold and very guilty. They both felt guilty. And silence suddenly fell upon them after the mention of their three deceased children.

"Perhaps we should only be friends now," he quietly suggested, finally breaking the silence, and she turned back towards him. "I wouldn't mind if you preferred that away," Az told her very respectfully. "We already lived our lives."

"Because risking having more children would be wrong?" She asked, trying to confirm his meaning.

The couple hadn't actually copulated yet, not since they had met in flesh again, in these new bodies. Azymondeus and Ymir had made a pact, many many years before, to leave any possibility of conception to fate and not to any devices or medicines. And it seemed unlikely for them to break that pact now.

"It would feel like betrayal, at least that's what I feel. It would feel like betraying them," the father confessed. "How do you feel?" he asked the mother.

"I don't know." She told him sincerely. "I spent so long avoiding thinking about them, I don't know how I feel. I haven't allowed myself to feel or think about any of that."

She took a moment, Ymir became very reflective.

"We began to have sex out of lust," she said. "Agreed," Azzy quickly concurred, nodding his head. Ymir continued. "And I made sure we would conceive out of my thirst for power," she admitted. "I wanted to leave a legacy and I knew our children would be different and special-"

Ymir stopped herself, she was feeling like crying, so she took a deeper breath. "And they were the ones who paid the price for my greed," she relayed, broken.

Azymondeus remained quiet, he agreed with her assessment, and he also carried much guilt himself. He felt like he had failed to protect Ymir and the girls. And he also felt deeply responsible for their deaths. He was very aware that if he hadn't taken Ymir so far into the past, they perhaps would have actually fallen in love in their own time. And perhaps even would've ended up having children in their own time.

But it was impossible to know now, and he didn't want to dwell too much on what could have been. The important thing for the grieving father now was that they were back in their own time, and that they were happy. And his guilty conscience filled him with fear of betraying his three lovely girls. That's why he felt that he and Ymir shouldn't have any more children. That was the root of his sentiment.

Ymir looked to the ocean. "We couldn't even bury them," she added quietly.

Az reached for her hand and kissed it. "But we can keep their memory," he told her softly.

They watched the waves for a little longer.

"You're my best friend, you know that right?" he asked her.

"And you don't mind being only that?" she asked back.

"No, I don't mind," he solemnly confirmed, and kissed her hand again.

"Actually, come to think of it, I'm not your best friend, Azzy. I'm your only friend," she joked.

"That's not true," he contested.

"Name another one," she challenged him and he became a little silent.

"Damn it, seriously?" he complained, he actually couldn't think of anyone else.

"I was always more sociable than you," Ymir added, chuckling.

"Are you saying I'm not your best friend?" he questioned her more seriously.

"Don't be so jealous, I'm saying I'm easier to make friends with. Of course you're my best friend, you idiot," she replied and leaned in to kiss him.

They kissed quite passionately once again.

"Do you think lust will get in the way of our first pact?" she asked after pulling away, Ymir was genuinely concerned.

Azzy was a little lost in her gaze after that kiss but he came back into his senses. "We're too old to be lustful," he joked back at her.

She quickly patted his shoulder, "we're not that old," Ymir complained.

They smiled again at each other.

"Wanna get out of here?" he asked, leaning in for yet another kiss. She smirked at him and they kissed once again.

Ymir noticed Azzy's eyes lighting up as she pulled away from the kiss. She became confused, they had just gotten there. "Why do you want to leave so soon?" Ymir asked, hoping to stay longer in her paradise.

"It's time to go, I'm sure we'll come back here again at some point," he told her.

She was hesitant as Az continued to build his energy. "We have jumped twice in the past few minutes don't you think this is dangerous?" she questioned him.

"This will be the last one, I promise," he told her. "Where we're going we won't ever have to jump across time and dimensions again. We'll stay there until the end of our lives." Az promised.

"Where are we going?" Ymir asked, confused and curious.

"Back to reality, my love," Az replied as he involved her in pure light, and they disappeared from that beach.

-.-

Paradise

Those three mighty volcanoes had erupted with all their glory in the island of Paradise, after sleeping for many millennia. The island was now covered in pure red lava that swam down like living blood through the mountains. After Forster's sacrifice, the Devil had lost contact with Earth's dimension and all of its creatures were immediately undone. And the lava cauterised any malformation left behind. The island was full of corpses and wreckage. And at the moment, was also full of Titans. Pure Titans that had been called to existence by the Founder; and Wall Titans that had been created over a hundred years before and awakened in the previous morning.

Most of those Wall Titans had already left the island, however, and were making their way to the Great Continent via the large ocean. After the goddess Ymir's final relinquishment and after she finally disconnected herself from her enormous Titan, the Pure Titans that were infesting the island ceased to exist. All those Eldians became human again, very confused and disoriented humans.

Ymir had decided to give those Eldians their humanity back. But the goddess had a completely different plan in mind for her Wall Titans. It was Ymir's last wish for her people, before she left that reality, and her powers, behind.

She wanted her children to be protected forever.

Armin's flesh had been slowly eaten away inside of his titan form. After over a day and a half of exerting so much power, his human body had begun to melt away with the heat and fuse with his Titan. His mind was deeply confused and fatigued and he could no longer keep control. And he got his orders.

The Colossal Titan let out an incredibly deafening scream. Mikasa startled while on the creature's shoulder. She frantically tried to close her ears, while kneeling down. The Ackermann swiftly carved one of her crystal swords deep into its muscles. For the whole area around her was reverberating that scream and she was trying not to fall. The Colossal Titan started to run inland and all the other gigantic creatures began to follow it. They were running fast and actually in a seemingly organised fashion.

The Phoenix Titan, the Jaw Titan and the Survey Corps soldier were all very frightened. They could not understand what was happening. All of the Wall Titans that had crossed the ocean towards the other continents were now returning to the island, and they were returning quite fast. And the others still left in Paradise were also running inland. All following the Colossal Titan. The Phoenix Titan soon held the two humans again in her claws and took flight, quickly followed by the Jaw Titan. They watched the madness from up above, completely clueless as to what was happening.

The giant creatures all behaved like one hive mind. The ones that were still marching through the Sina and northern Rose regions began to run in the opposite direction. They were all forming only one gigantic circle: a new Wall. As this formation contained Titans from the three previous Walls, it was turning out much larger than Wall Maria ever was. This one Wall would cover a much larger section of the island. Ymir wanted to give Paradise the best protection possible. That was the Original Titan's final wish, her last order as the Founder. And all the Wall Titans obliged in an instant, they all ran in unison, following the Colossal Titan's lead.

The Wall was slowly formed from the sides. Titans began joining their raised arms and recrystallising their bodies from the extreme points on East and West at the same time, and the formation of this new Wall continued going up North and down South simultaneously. The coordination of the seemingly mindless creatures was unfathomable.

The Colossal Titan proceeded running, coordinating the other creatures like they were its own herd. The Ackermann was absolutely confused and baffled. She jumped across from the creature's shoulders and up to its head, doing her best to try to communicate with her beloved, but she was clearly unsuccessful.

"Please. Can't you hear me in there? What is going on?! Why are you acting so mindless?" Mikasa asked in screams while leaning closer to the nape. But the creature only ignored her and continued to run. "Please! Armin, come on. Talk to me!" she insisted, feeling very anxious and upset. "Talk to me!" the Ackermann continued, but she got no response. She then went up to its shoulder with the help of her ODM gear, Mikasa was almost out of gas in her equipment but she didn't care. She arrived at the Colossal Titan's shoulder again and began to look forward with much attention. Mikasa was trying to determine where it was so fervently and mindlessly running to.

The Ackermann could see the Wall slowly forming in the very long distance. It was quite far away still, but the formation was so big, and those kinds of walls were so familiar to the young Ackermann that she understood what was happening right away. "Oh, no." She let out with determination. "They are not taking you away from me," she affirmed while climbing down again.

The Colossal Titan began to run even faster, mindlessly eyeing the very centre of the forming Wall. But Mikasa was not just going to give up, she had dealt with too much distress in those past couple of days alone. Now, their troubles were finally over and she was determined that she would not just survive all this ordeal alone. No. They would survive it together. "I'll go grab you in hell if I have too," she let out under her breath while cutting through all that flesh, trying to find the Titan Shifter inside that gigantic nape.

The Ackermann cut through much flesh, the Titan was burning hot and she was being burnt all over. Fortunately, Mikasa's pregnancy had given her regenerative capabilities. And her burns were the last thing on her mind. The experienced Survey Corps soldier was more than determined: she was going to take Armin out of there.

She jumped out with her ODM gear from side to side, making skilful manoeuvres and cutting deep through the flesh. She jumped in and out over and over again, as fast as she could, before the creature could begin to regenerate again. Her target was very deep inside that hideous and extremely hot creature, and Mikasa was starting to get angry. Her anger only fuelled her determination further. Mikasa had always hated the Colossal Titan. From the moment it destroyed Shiganshina, to the day it killed Armin. And hated it even further when Armin himself had to be turned into the thing. "You are not taking him away from me," she told the Titan, breathlessly. She hated the creature and she hated the curse. Mikasa was done with it all.

The Ackermann thought of their good moments, of their happy childhood and now happy family. She thought of their wedding and of the day they finally saw the ocean together. She thought about their Lighthouse. 'We'll grow old together there,' she wished with all her heart. And continued to cut through until she finally found the human inside all that flesh and heat. The Ackermann swiftly cut him out from all those titan fibres and pulled him out with all her might.

She was right on time. The Wall was already being crystallised right in front of them. She yanked Armin out and the Colossal Titan's carcass immediately fell with the inertia, right in front of where it should have stood. The new Wall was not completely sealed as a result of that.

Mikasa jumped out high in the air with the last propulsion of her ODM gear, as the unconscious Armin fell away from her arms and down in the other direction. The Ackermann quickly reacted and released one of her grappling hooks towards him. The hook lodged in Armin's right side with much force and that pain immediately brought him back into consciousness. He woke up with the startle, to see that sunsetting sky high above him. Armin immediately realised that he was seeing the sky with his human eyes: he was finally out of his Titan. The Ackermann swiftly pulled him by the hook that was firmly lodged in his insides; guiding them towards the forming Wall as the two last Titans were crystallising the area where the Colossal Titan should have been.

They landed on the top of the newly formed Wall, in that sunset. The Ackermann landed firmly on the freshly formed grey crystal, while Arlert's body slid then rolled to the side, almost falling on the edge. But the Ackermann swiftly held the hook so he would stop before that precipice. She then naturally pulled the grappling hook back again, and the pain of that metal object now leaving his insides woke up Armin even more.

He slowly reached towards the edge and looked down, his skin and much of his muscles still regenerating in all that signature Titan steam. Armin was slowly coming back to his full conscience, and he stared deeply down below, very reflective. He raised himself up slightly and kneeled, reaching down to his stomach, to make sure all his organs were still intact down there. His internal organs were not in the best shape and he could feel it. But he was quickly regenerating, so he didn't mind Mikasa's brutality with that sharp grappling hook. It had saved him after all, she had saved him. If she hadn't been so hell-bent on rescuing him, he would have been trapped in that Wall for the foreseeable future; so Armin was eternally grateful.

Mikasa stood up, she was glad to see that he was breathing, and moving. The steam of his regeneration rose up in the air and into the sunset. The fight, all that war, it was finally over. Mikasa was still shaken, that had all been a lot. Especially those last moments. She stared at the sunsetting horizon, and at the Paradisian shore in the far distance. The Ackermann removed her crystal helmet as she slowly kneeled down on that Wall, concentrating on the sunset. She rested the tiny remains of her last blade over her knees and took a deep breath.

Armin looked towards her. He could see a lonely tear falling down her worried face as he reflectively touched and analysed his wounded side. Arlert tilted his head. "I'm sorry about that, I don't know what came over me," he timidly expressed, and looked down at the hole left in the new Wall again. He held his head, still feeling confused. "I was supposed to be the door, that was the witch's last command." Armin relayed.

"And you had to obey it?" Mikasa swiftly questioned while turning towards him.

Armin shrugged, still timidly. "I couldn't stop myself, I don't know why. It was like I couldn't think," he tried to explain. "Thank you for not giving up on me," he told her with a sincere smile. "I owe you my life."

"You are my life," Mikasa replied.

"You are my life," Armin repeated, reciprocally.

Mikasa turned to the small blade over her knees again, and continued staring at it reflectively. It was what was left from the sword she had used to cut him out of that cursed Titan: her last blade. Her heart was still beating extremely fast. That amount of desperation was a feeling she never wanted to have to feel again. Never again.

"No more," Mikasa said, she stood up and swiftly threw the blade to the side. Armin followed it with his eyes as it slowly made its way down the gigantic wall. "I'm done fighting." Mikasa relayed quite firmly.

The mother had decided, she no longer wanted this life for herself. She had never wanted it in the first place. All she wanted was to protect her brother and then her friends. The soldier had made a pledge to protect the citizens of the Walls and she had felt fulfilment in her duty. But the emotional stress of those last few years had crushed her fighting spirit. All she wanted now was to arrive back at her Lighthouse and enjoy a sunny day with her husband and their small son and unborn daughter. Mikasa wanted peace.

The young Ackermann stood firmly on that Wall and began to remove all of her crystal armour, also throwing those pieces down below; as Armin observed her arms quickly regenerating the burns. The Ackermann's regenerating capabilities were much faster than a Titan Shifter's. He tilted his head, confused for a moment, but he quickly remembered her current state. "That's right," he mumbled. They were about to have their second child.

Armin tried to stand up to walk closer to her, but he was still extremely weak, so he contorted in pain instead. Mikasa startled and immediately came towards him. "I'll be alright, just give me a couple of minutes," he told her charmingly, but clearly in pain as she rushed over and held both of his muscle-bared hands. Armin was also regenerating fast, but his entire body had been severely injured.

They were both tired of all that mess and they were both glad it was finally over. Armin looked up for a moment. "Can you see that?" He asked her, pointing upwards, towards the thin layer of energy that was colourfully shining while reflecting the orange sunset light.

"Yes," Mikasa replied while she followed his eyes. "Faintly," she added.

"I wonder what that means," Arlert cogitated, confused but also very curious.

The new Wall of Paradise was seventy metres tall, and much larger and longer than the previous three ones. It had been made taller by the Wall Titans raising their arms up while holding hands to crystallise themselves. The supposed door was now open, for where the Colossal Titan should have stood now only laid thinner layers of grey and white crystal spiking around like icy spears into a spiderweb. But that didn't mean that anyone could just pass, for Arlert and Ackermann could both see that thin layer of otherworldly energy covering that door like a veil. It was almost completely invisible, but not quite, at least not for Eldians. The sons and daughters of Ymir could all see the thin veil, and they were also the only ones who could pass through that magical barrier without losing their lives. Something the Marlean troops still inside of the Wall were about to find out.

The immense and invisible dome covered all of the area within the Wall like it was a true sanctuary. That force field also protected the area below from any airborne attacks. The only things able to pass through besides Eldians were animals and the rain. Just nature and nothing else.

The three volcanoes were all inside of the Wall, and they were still spewing lava everywhere. A lava that would soon turn all that land into incredibly fertile fields. Paradise Island was on its way into a new era, it was becoming truly that: a paradise.

Armin stared at Mikasa's face as she confusedly analysed that strange dome. He was admiring her beauty. While she, on the other hand, was clearly distracted by those three bursting volcanoes in the far distance. She was quite curious to know what all that was, quite frankly. But Armin was more focused on her ingenuous and angelical face. She finally turned towards him again and was surprised to see his dumbfounded stare. Mikasa smiled. And leaned in to kiss him.

They happily and passionately kissed on top of the Wall, and later turned to watch that sunset. Both quite delighted and serene, watching the sun go away and the moon quietly beginning to shine more and more.

And in between the night-falling clouds, they saw that gigantic bird. The Jaw Titan was cruising the skies in that area, probably looking for them.

Armin finally turned to Mikasa again, after all those minutes of pure elated silence. "Let's go home," he told her while looking deep into her eyes.

Mikasa tilted her head, "we need to-" the mother began to say and he completed her sentence: "get Azzy first. I know."

She stood up slowly and the father took that moment to kiss her stomach. Armin smiled, looking up at her while standing up as well. "Do you think these two will get along?" the father asked, quite curious about the future and wondering what their son and daughter's relationship would be like.

"Oh, I know they'll be best friends," the mother swiftly replied, while also smiling. "Or I'll make them be," she added more seriously, with a dash of her dry Ackermann humour.

Armin chuckled and looked up to the sky. He followed the flying Jaw Titan with his eyes and whistled quite loudly, calling Falco's attention. The Warrior turned and finally sighted the two Survey Corps soldiers. So he began to fly towards them.

Mikasa looked down, Armin was still regenerating slowly but most of his skin was back. Except for the larger wound on his side and that strange gash full of Titan Crystal running all across his right hand and arm. She lifted up his arm and looked at it closer. The tiny specks of crystal were slowly coming out from the wound as it healed, like stardust raising up in the night air.

She looked quite confused while staring at it. "Oh, right," Armin let out as he noticed her curiosity. He lifted the arm even closer to his face. "I'm glad this is finally fading away. I hope it will disappear completely once I finally regenerate," he expressed while opening and closing his right hand and analysing the cursed wound.

"How did you get your arm damaged like that while inside the Titan?" his wife questioned, quite confused and worried about that strange wound. It made her feel eerie.

"Not inside the Titan per se," Arlert began to explain. "But in the Titan Realm. I made a blood pact with Eren while we were there and it transcended into the real world, it seems," he continued while still analysing the deep gash in his hand.

"You made a what with who?" Mikasa asked in pure alarm.

"It was for us to combine our powers so we could produce enough crystal to hold the island together," he tried to justify it but Mikasa still looked baffled. She knew any type of deal with Eren could not be a good thing. And a blood pact sounded horrific to her.

"Well, it's all over with now," Armin insisted.

The Jaw Titan finally landed next to them. "The witch is dead," he informed, sounding quite relieved.

"It is over," Mikasa let out, also relieved but perplexed at the same time.

"Truly over," Armin firmly added, confirming it while looking deep into her eyes.

She reached and held his right hand very tightly, hoping that horrid gash would go away as soon as possible. Mikasa took a deep and worried breath.

Arlert looked up to the Jaw Titan again. "Are you alright in there?" he questioned the boy.

"I feel just fine. You don't look very good, sir. But I can see you're regenerating so it's clearly fine too," Falco commented.

"I'm regenerating because I left my Titan before the Wall was formed. And hopefully for the last time," he added while turning to Mikasa, feeling very grateful. "It seems the Eldian curse has been broken," he continued firmly. "We should get you out of there soon, and hope your human body is not too damaged after all this," Arlert insisted.

"Like I said, I feel just fine, sir," Falco insisted. "And I was tasked with finding you both, so-" he added.

"Where are the others?" Mikasa questioned the boy.

"They went looking for a hospital to take Mr. Braun, he was not doing so good. I hope he'll recover." Falco expressed.

"Alright, so now you found us. You should leave the Titan-" Armin began to argue but stopped himself. He looked down from the edge. "As soon as you take us down from up here, of course," Armin added with a nervous smile.

"Wait." Mikasa interjected while holding his arm. She turned to Falco. "Do you think you can take us to the farm?"

"What farm?" the boy questioned.

"The Queen's farm. It's all the way in the Rose region," Arlert explained further.

The Jaw Titan shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure," he agreed, and leaned down so the couple could climb onto him.

They flew away, and Arlert could then see the full extension of that immense Wall. The Colossal Titan's carcass was still disintegrating away at where the 'door' should have been. Where he should have stood. That made Armin extremely reflective and a little uneasy.

-.-

It was all over with.

In the crystal dimension the toddler was still holding newborn Ymir in his arms. Azzy looked down after silence finally fell upon them. The newborn baby had stopped crying. The hideous tree roots had finally left her. Those strange roots had fallen on the ground and were now disintegrating into crystal dust, rising up in the air.

Azzy looked down in love and childhood innocence as he cradled the tiny baby. Ymir seemed exhausted, and she had again fallen asleep in his safe arms. So he held her even closer.

-.-

It was truly all over with.

Eren was being choked by the goddess' own hand. Her Titan's fingernails beginning to cut through his own human neck, inside of his titan form. When suddenly everything stopped. Hitch was aiming the rifle closely, looking straight at that newborn baby boy. Terrified about what she was about to do, but assured by the baby's own mother that this was the only way to end all that evil. Hitch was ready to pull that trigger, when everything stopped. The odd flying Titan that was crushing Yeager's chest stopped moving and was beginning to steam out and the tiny baby also stopped emitting all that evil purple energy all around them. Ezra's eyes ceased to be blackened, and turned clear blue once again. And the baby started to cry, he cried quite loudly for his mother. This had been a difficult day for that small human, and it was only his first day on Earth.

Historia was very weak, the Queen still had red marks around her neck and arms; from the evilness that had taken over that tree and had made it hold her down. She looked towards the crystallised, but now disintegrating Titan hand that had trapped her newborn baby son. Historia clearly wanted to hold him. So Gabrielle quickly jumped into action and ran to fetch the tiny baby for his mother to hold. Although the baby was wrapped in all that crystal, Gabi didn't have any trouble picking him up. For the crystal was turning into glassy dust as the Titan disintegrated. The odd Titan Fibres that also held Ezra into Ymir's hand, connecting the twins through their spines, had also fallen away. In the very same way and at the very same time as the light roots had fallen out from the newborn Ymir in the crystal dimension.

The Eldian Queen reached out to hold her precious baby son as the small girl offered the boy to her. Historia was finally at peace. She cradled Ezra tenderly in her arms and he eventually stopped crying.

Both the War-Hammer-Attack Titan and the Female Titan stood up once again. Eren took a moment to see the other Titan's reaction, worried that it might still be possessed. But the Female Titan seemed to behave normally. So he looked down, to assess the situation with his daughter Ymir. He gently removed the Titan's hand out from his own Titan's chest cavity and Ymir's Titan's arm disintegrated and crumbled in his Titan's hand. The sudden and odd crumbling disturbed and saddened Eren unexpectedly. The Titan was clearly steaming out completely, meaning she was no longer in control of it. Eren wondered what had happened to her. It seemed his angel was gone forever. Yeager felt deep grief in that moment. The War-Hammer-Attack Titan gently kneeled down and caressed the disintegrating Titan's blonde hair. He looked at those lifeless green eyes quite tenderly and closed them gently. Eren stayed there for a moment, deeply grieving. But also happy to see how serene Historia was as she could finally hold Ezra again.

Eren then turned his attention towards the now crystallised orphanage. The building had lost two floors in those bombings but the floor where the Queen's quarters resided was still there, and that was all that mattered to him. The father hoped his newborn baby daughter was there, still in Historia's room, in her lovely crib. 'I wonder how long I'll have you with me, my angel,' Eren thought. He had no idea when Ymir would fall into the past. He just knew it would eventually happen and that there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

The War-Hammer-Attack Titan then stood up, ready to aid the others.

Annie was feeling quite confused. She woke up again while still in her Titan and was now slowly coming back to her senses. The Female Titan looked around those fields. She noticed that there were no Wall Titans marching in that area anymore. And that the marlean fleet was nowhere to be seen, apart from those dirigibles that had already fallen. The Warrior then turned to watch the volcano erupting in the distance, quite contemplative.

Levi ran across all that wreckage. He was covered in cinder and dust and was desperately looking for Hange. He finally saw what he believed to be part of her uniform so he lifted up a whole beam and many other wooden poles and burnt bricks to reach her. Digging deep into that debris until he finally reached her hand. It was clearly warm, so he was relieved.

The Commander came out coughing and completely covered in dirt. "Are you alright?!" Levi asked her, extremely worried. Hange looked up and into his eyes, and just hugged him very tight. The Ackermann was stunned for a moment, but he soon hugged his dear old friend back.

It was over.

-.-

Maria was staring into the sunset. Peacefully watching and admiring the beauty of those orange rays. The previous Jaw Titan holder had had quite an eventful day. Her ghostly figure sat on top of that freshly created Wall, quite reflective. She looked down, into her translucent hands, a little amused. The elders of the church used to tell stories about the last day of October. And how it was a deeply spiritual day: the day when Heaven met Earth. They believe it was the goddess Ymir's birthday and that this was the reason for the dimensions to touch. "And as it turned out, those crazies weren't completely wrong," Maria mumbled in pure amusement as she admired the Paradisian sunset. She dangled her legs on the dangerous heights and enjoyed the dusk.

She was amused to somehow be in that situation: now being a ghost herself. Her amusement was quickly gone however, and she began to feel saddened and a little empty. For she could feel that she had lost the connection with the Titan Realm completely. And she had no idea of what would be of her existence next. The lonely orphan sighed. Taking the dusk in, and hoping to keep it in her memory.

"How did I find myself in this mess?" she then let out, thinking of how crazy her life on Earth had been, and how even crazier her existence in the Titan Realm was.

"Hi!" she suddenly heard that childish voice right next to her. It eerily sounded like a young Historia, so it really startled her. "I'm Maria," the small ghostly girl continued, presenting herself very cheerfully.

The woman tilted her head. "So am I," she cleverly replied and the small ghost smiled even wider.

"Do you want to come with me?" the girl asked, offering her hand.

That lonely orphan looked down, staring deeply into that tiny translucent hand. She looked up at the girl and smiled back. "Yes," the older Maria confirmed, and held the small girl's hand.

They both immediately turned into pure white light and shot up into the sky like beautiful stars.

-.-

The sun was setting.

The young orphans in that farm were still very frightened. They were still there: trapped in pure darkness. All of the available torches had gone out, and the rarefied air was difficult to breathe.

They suddenly saw sunlight again as the War-Hammer-Attack Titan and the Female Titan lifted the wreckage of the burnt building that was on top of that basement. The night was already falling but it was still vastly better than being trapped in complete darkness. All the children came out, happy to breathe all that pure air in, feeling much more hopeful.

Eren immediately kneeled his Titan down and began to remove himself from it, also finally breathing the fresh dusk air with his own human lungs. All the children were seeing hero Titans for the first time, and they were mesmerised. "It's Eren Yeager!" A few of them shouted and they all ran towards him, all very cheerful and happy. They all surrounded him and hugged him while the three nuns tried her best to count and make sure the orphan children were all there. Eren was a little lost and discomposed with all the naive attention but it deeply warmed his heart after that sudden rush of grief. He looked at Historia with Ezra under that tree and at the third floor of the building, where he hoped Ymir to be. He smiled, the father was enjoying that sudden rush of love from those impressionable kids, but he wanted to hug his own children. His newborn twins.

Annie finally removed herself from her Titan as well and immediately looked a little scared after that wave of children also came her way; all very dazzled by those giant creatures and the humans inside.

"They are all here, fifty-two," one of the surviving nuns informed the others in relief. It was easier to count as they were all closed together, surrounding the two Titan Shifters.

"Fifty-two?" an older nun questioned the counting. There were fifty-two children enrolled in the Queen's main orphanage at that time, but only a couple of days before, one more child had been added to the counting. "Not fifty-three?" the old woman asked.

The two other surviving nuns seemed confused. "The small boy Officer Ackermann brought us, that makes fifty-three," she further explained, reminding them.

The women looked around, searching among the children. "Do you think he's the one missing?" the younger nun asked, they all seemed very worried.

The children were soon escorted to the great hall of the main building, so the nuns could analyse all of them better and make sure everything was in order. They didn't make any fuss about having one child possibly missing. The experienced and stern women wanted to be completely sure first. And they also secretly hoped that the boy was hiding somewhere in the building and not dead - which was more probable.

"Very good. This was all very well handled. You almost seem human now," Hitch joked while walking towards Annie, applauding and laughing. She was surprised to see the Warrior carrying so much, even for the children. All the orphans were running towards the building now, after being called to assemble in the main hall.

Annie watched the children leave, secretly happy for them having survived. She turned to Hitch in pure annoyance. She did not seem very amused, but Hitch just kept laughing.

"Do I get a pardon yet?" She asked very coldly and in deep irony; while tilting her head and finally removing her left arm from her Titan's fibres completely.

Only then the giant thing began to disintegrate. She felt dizzy for a brief moment, and very cold. Leonhart looked up to the sunsetting sky and down to the steaming out Titan. She wondered if this meant she was finally free from it, and from her curse. The Warrior then began to walk away from the carcass.

Hitch crossed her arms. "Well, we'll see about that, for now-" she proceeded with her joking tone.

"You'll take me back to prison?" Annie interrupted her with the question.

"I wonder if there's any prison left standing on the island. I wonder if there's anything left standing, really," Hitch then argued, reflective.

Annie walked closer towards her, seemingly quite vexed. "You shouldn't have added Marlo to that list," she told her old friend. Annie still remembered the list well and thought it was completely unfair for Hitch to blame her for Marlo's death. His name would sting the most whenever Hitch recited the list back to her over the years.

Hitch stopped laughing, this had caught her off guard. All those years she was never really sure if Annie was listening, but she clearly was.

Leonhart just walked away, taking quite a distance from the MP.

"Where are you going?" Hitch shouted from the distance.

"I don't know, maybe I'll walk into a volcano," Annie shouted back in annoyance. The Warrior just felt like walking, so she kept going.

"What?" Hitch questioned, confused. She had no idea what a volcano was.

The volcano in question was still slowly erupting in the distance. It was the closest one to the Reiss Lands and it was beautifully illuminating the sunsetting sky. Mixing a flaming red into all the oranges, pinks and light and dark blues. And also heating up an otherwise cold evening in Paradise.

Eren watched as the children ran towards the now crystallised building. He smiled, feeling very light. The nuns were shouting for the orphans to rush inside and promising them a hot dinner. Luckily the basement where they were hiding all that day was now opened again and there was where the orphanage's pantry was located; meaning all their food was intact. The children felt very happy and safe as they watched the nuns lighting up the fireplace to bring them heat and to later prepare them soup.

All the children were inside and had once again been counted: only fifty-two. The Ackermann boy was still missing.

Yeager turned to the fields again, contemplative. "You did good, my boy," he suddenly heard. Eren immediately turned to see his mother Carla standing next to him.

"Very good," she said. The ghostly mother looked quite happy and proud.

"Is it really you this time? A-Are you really here?" He asked, confused and worried. Eren felt like a small boy once again.

Carla tilted her ghostly head. "Of course, I've been watching you from the start," she revealed.

"Now I should gather my girls and get going," the mother said as they turned to watch Sina and Rose cheerfully playing tag around the bright green grass. They laughed joyously, a laugh that warmed Eren's heart. "They surely have enjoyed this outing," Carla commented with her son, smiling.

"Will I see you again?" Eren asked his mother, sounding very naive and small.

Carla smiled warmly at him. "Yes, I hope so," she replied and chuckled. "But let's hope it takes many, many years," she wished. Carla hoped her son would live a very long life on Earth.

Eren smiled, he looked down, reflective. He could feel how different it was to actually talk to his mother instead of that awful, devilish illusion he had experienced before. This was real and he could finally say goodbye to her. Something he had wished for since that dreadful day.

"You are free, Eren," his mother told him. "Free to live."

Carla turned to watch Historia lovingly cradling that newborn baby under that tree. "Have a good life, my son," she wished. "A very long one."

She held Eren's face tenderly. Her physical structure was quite different from any earthly flesh, but Eren could still feel his mother's hand warmly touching his face. "Be happy, that's all I ask," Carla softly said and Eren nodded, holding her hand close to his cheek. "Goodbye, my boy," she wished.

Carla smiled at him and then disappeared, shooting up into the sky very brightly, and followed by the two small girls. All looking like pure stars.

"Goodbye, mother," Eren whispered, staring longingly into the sunsetting sky. The lost boy finally let his mother go. After many years lost in his grief, Eren felt as if a weight had been lifted. He felt happy and genuinely free.

He stared at that sunsetting sky for a moment longer, then walked towards the tree. He stopped to admire Historia being so tender with their newborn. Eren felt lighter, he felt free, and hopeful for the future.

Eren became intrigued to see that once bushy but small tree now so dry and strangely scorched and still burning, he tilted his head, observing it.

The evening was falling and the cold was setting in. Gabi had come over and had given the Queen a blanket, the young girl was still concerned with that shaken and tired mother and what she had been through.

"Scram," Eren told the girl, pointing backwards. Yeager was still annoyed with that small Warrior's mere existence.

Gabi quickly ran off, back towards the nuns and the orphanage children and Historia looked up at him with a small smile.

"I think she looks a lot like you," the Queen commented, while fixing up the blanket with one hand and holding the newborn baby with the other. Historia gently shivered. The night was arriving and the temperature was quickly dropping.

"Ergh, don't say that," Eren complained back to her while looking towards Gabi running in the distance.

Historia looked down with much love, holding the baby in her arms very tenderly. "Do you think he looks like you?" she softly asked.

Eren kneeled down gently in front of her, also looking down and admiring the tiny child. He reached to hold Ezra's tiny hand. "I think he looks very red," the father commented with a small chuckle.

"Well, he had a difficult first day on this Earth," Historia defended the tiny boy. "We all had a difficult day today," she added, looking around her destroyed home.

The orphanage building was completely scorched, even with all the crystal surrounding the structure. And the side building was nothing but shambles now. It was a mixture of black bricks, scorched wood and waves of transparent glass that reflected the night sky and the burning vegetation surrounding the Queen's childhood farm.

Alma's favourite tree was also scorched and had lost most of its leaves, the tree burned small flakes of fire instead. And the volcanic ash was slowly falling down on the region, like black snowflakes.

The volcano closest to the Reiss Lands was still on fire and it was illuminating the dusk sky beautifully, almost competing and clearly winning from the still arriving, but full, moon.

"How are you feeling?" Eren asked his love.

"Alive," Historia replied with a small chuckle. "That's what matters," she said, smiling brokenly.

Yeager gently leaned in close and she brought the boy closer to him, so the father could take a better look. Eren seemed deeply concentrated as he watched his baby son sleeping soundly in Historia's arms. He felt truly elated.

Ezra began to wake up again and make small crying sounds.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. I'm right here," Historia softly comforted him, cradling the baby gently. "It's all over now, I will never let anything cause you any harm ever again." She softly promised as the baby slowly opened his clear blue eyes.

"Ezra, meet your father. He's been protecting you all this time," Historia softly told him, smiling purely. Eren smiled as well and caressed the tiny boy's head. The father giggled, he never thought he would feel this much love for such a tiny piece of living flesh before.

He looked up at Historia smiling and kissed her very passionately. And his lover kissed him back in equal measure - with much love and relief. That evil and traumatic day was finally all over with.

They were locked on each other's gaze for a while as Eren reflexively played with Ezra's tiny fingers. They both looked down, to admire their baby son.

Eren felt quite proud. He was a father now. "Thank you for choosing me over the witch," his beloved sweetly commented, clearly very grateful as she cradled their boy.

"What?" Eren lifted up his head and asked her with pure confusion.

Historia looked at him very lovingly. "You could have gone with her and destroyed the entire world, like you told me you would," she reminded him. "But you decided to come back here and protect me instead, and our son."

Eren had no idea what had happened with that Rumbling, especially now that Ezra and Ymir had been separated again.

"And now the immense Wall will protect us. It will protect the island forever," Historia added, looking down to their son. "We'll never have to worry again," she softly added.

"What wall?" Yeager asked the Eldian Queen, still extremely confused and also curious.

"The new Wall. The witch told me all about it," Historia naively explained. "She left it with a magical barrier that will protect us from any outside threats. And we are free to come and go as we please, at least those with Eldian blood."

"You talked with the… witch..?" Eren asked her, still confused and even more curious now. "How?"

"She came to me in a dream… or a vision, I don't know how to explain really. The goddess Ymir," Historia fumbled. "Not our baby Ymir of course, or our old friend Ymir, whom my Ymir is named after. But the one from the past."

"She talked to you?" Eren asked with a small smile, he raised his eyebrows in light amusement.

"Yes," Historia replied. "Do you think that's too strange?" she asked.

"Well, not really," Yeager replied. "You are a Fritz," he noted. Eren curiously tilted his head. "What does she look like?" he asked.

"Honestly? A lot like my mother. But I don't want to get into that," Historia relayed. "It was probably just my exhausted brain making a blender out of everything."

She looked up to that scorched tree and its now fiery leaves, thinking of her mother, contemplative. They both turned to see the volcano exploding yet again, it had been doing that for a few hours now, and it would keep doing it for a few days.

The ashes began to fall in greater quantities now, like a light black snowstorm.

"What is that?" Historia questioned while holding her hand up and letting some of the black flakes fall into her palm.

"Ashes from the volcano," Eren replied.

"How do you know? We've never seen anything like it before," Historia asked.

"I haven't, but someone in my Attack Titan line must've at some point," Eren explained. He became worried as the ashes began falling heavily, carried by the strong dusk winds. "We should get you inside," he noted and motioned to carry her up.

"Inside? The roof of that building is gone," Historia noted humorously.

"Yes, but it's getting too cold out here," Eren replied and stood up firmly, carrying her in his arms.

Historia held the newborn closer, securing him safely as Eren carried her in his arms. The puerperal woman was still bleeding away, a lot of it staining her nightgown, but also a lot staining the bright green grass. Before she was carried back to the warm and clean safety of her Royal Quarters, the Eldian Queen had left a pool of blood and also her newborn son's afterbirth over that grass; all which would serve as good fertiliser for her mother's favourite tree. It would soon revive it completely and the small, bushy tree would soon grow into a large and exuberant wonder.

Yeager walked carefully, carrying the Queen and the newborn boy all the way to the orphanage building, hoping to keep them both warm and to finally check on the newborn girl. He hoped Ymir would be sound asleep, safe in the Queen's private quarters. But unfortunately, he would not find her there.

Ymir was still in a completely different dimension.

-.-

To be continued...