Attack on Titan: A New Path

by The Court of Talons

Ozma and Salem have been at war for millennia. The fight has taken many lives and taken many years. The champion of the Brother of Light has failed countless times to complete his task. Now, more than ever, Remnant needs a new protector. It needs a man who knows the cruelty of life. A man who doesn't falter in doing the unthinkable. A dark guardian. Remnant needs... Eren Yeager.

42. Chapter 42

"Half finished work generally proves to be labor lost."

Abraham Lincoln

Chapter 42: Ride the Wave

A week had passed since the hearing in Mistral, and things had gone back to normal for Eren and his friends. There were a few news reports and articles about the hearing, but not too much attention had been drawn to the heroes of Kuroyuri once more. All that was known to the public was that the Mistral Council would be reviewing the Hunt Inquisitorius practice and invite its previous members to join once it was ready.

In the meantime, everyone went back to their lives in Kuroyuri.

Ren, Nora, Emerald, and Mercury all continued their work on the farm, from tending the fields to fixing hardware that was needed by the other staff. In the meantime, if they weren't helping the defensemen with Grimm, the teenagers would rest amongst themselves and enjoy life.

Cinder also worked on the farm, but her concurrent task was helping her mother at her school. She would help children with difficult lessons, grade tests, and do joint-lectures with Dina to teach the next generation of Kuroyuri about the world. Cinder had even used this chance to continue her studies into Mistral law and society, which she hoped to immerse herself in as a member of the Hunt Inquisitorius.

Midori and Vernal had stayed away from this line of work, however. Midori was still working at the hospital, treating whatever wounds or injuries that needed her help. She was also tending to Summer Rose, who was making a good physical recovery.

Her dampened spirits, however, were something that Healing Wish couldn't help.

Vernal had managed to get work around the farm, where she would share a room with Mercury. Given recent events, Carla knew she would need all the help she could get. However, Vernal didn't express much excitement about her work. It was almost as if it was just a means to an end. In fact, she didn't have too much to say about the Hunt Inquisitorius as well. Nothing was really exciting Vernal anymore. Mercury had meant to talk to her about this, but he never found the time.

And though he wasn't seen too much, Eren found himself to be the one with the most work to do.

During his week, Eren had found himself absent from Kuroyuri for a very good reason. He and a few other farmhands were all working together to build a brand new farm in one of the villages close to Kuroyuri, since Carla had found the chance to expand her business. They worked long and hard, travelled to and fro, all in the name of progress. The process of building a new farm wasn't easy, but it was something they all had their minds on.

Eren was the most focused of all, since he wished for this farm to become a new reality. Everyone knew what a good landscaper he was, and his newfound control over the Grimm had kept their travels safe from any attack. Because of Eren and his steadfast course, a lot of work had been done in the past week.

And the first farm was almost complete.

With the final touches about to be set, Eren and some of the other farmhands thought it would be appropriate for Carla to come and see the fruits of their labor. Carla had always taken airships to and from Kuroyuri, which were mainly going to the capital city. However, she rarely made trips across the outskirts, especially on horse or carriage.

This time, however, Carla made an exception.

Eren and Carla decided to sit together on a horse-drawn carriage, which was carrying more food and supplies the brand new farm needed. There were a couple of more carriages like it, which was what some of the farmhands were riding on. But Eren and Carla had a carriage of their own, which was perfect for the mother and son to spend some quality time together.

Eren even went to lengths to prove that the supplies would be safe from the Grimm. Rather than fighting, however, he simply walked up to the first Grimm pack he saw and told them to go away.

Which they did without hesitation.

"Did you see that?" Eren said as he turned back towards his mother. "It's just like I said."

"Wow," Carla said in amazement. She had heard how Eren was immune to the Grimm and could simply shoo them away, but a part of her remained skeptical of the idea. However, Eren's demonstration was all she needed to see. "That's amazing!"

Carla's farmhands had seen the miracle before on their previous travels. Still, it was hard to believe that anyone was capable of such a thing.

"Whoa!"

"It really is just like he said!"

"Looks like we can kiss our Grimm problems goodbye!"

"How'd he do that?!"

"Way to go, Eren!"

Eren couldn't resist the urge to laugh with everyone he had been working with as he made his way back to the carriage. With a small movement of the reins, the horses began to move again.

"Not bad, huh?" Eren asked his mother.

"I'll say," Carla replied as she laid back in her seat. "Does this mean it'll be smooth sailing from here on out?"

"Looks that way." Eren looked up to the sky, which was perfectly sunny with a few clouds. "As long as the weather works for us."

Carla looked up at the sky as well, and saw the same beautiful sight her son saw. "I'm sure it will. I heard we'll be getting weather like this all week."

"Perfect." Eren stopped looking at the sky and back to his mother. "So, you excited to see your first farm?"

"Our first farm," Carla reminded Eren. "And yes, I really am. I can't thank you enough for putting in all the work."

"Don't mention it," Eren replied. "Like I said, this is pretty exciting. You should be proud of the work you've put in too."

Eren was referring to all the paperwork and planning Carla had put in with her new business partners. It was mainly a lot of contracts to sign and details to cover, but it was worth every second. And there was one detail the soon-to-be prosperous farmer was especially happy about.

"I'm just glad we were able to do this together," said Carla. "Doing this without you was out of the question."

"I know what you mean," Eren replied. "We haven't really done the whole 'mother and son bonding' lately. Sorry about that."

Eren knew that between stopping Salem and dealing with the aftermath of his quest, he hadn't done a whole lot with his mother. It was a little sad, but Eren hoped this project would make up for the time he lost.

Eren was right, of course, but Carla didn't take any offense towards Eren's previous absences.

"No, it's okay," Carla reassured Eren. "I understand. And don't forget we were still able to watch the basketball championship together."

"Oh, yeah," Eren replied after a chuckle. "I didn't think they'd pull it off, but it's about time the Shamrocks are champions again."

Carla laughed alongside Eren as she recalled the game they watched. "You didn't think so? They won three games in a row before the one we watched!"

"Yeah, but they lost that fourth one! I was getting nervous."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Well, with the stakes that high, I don't blame you."

"Exactly." After spending enough time thinking about the game he watched on TV, Eren thought about something else. "So, are you looking forward to anything in particular for this farm?"

"Hmm... nothing really." Carla looked around as she remembered something she thought of before. "I've been thinking about a new kind of transportation, though. If we had a train like the Argus Limited, trips like these would be faster. But I guess I could rent a few airships."

"Are you sure? I've been getting good with my Titan Hardening. How much you wanna bet I could build some train tracks?"

Carla quickly turned towards Eren and extended a finger at him. "No, I already told you! We're keeping it under wraps unless it's a matter of life or death."

Eren quickly moved his hands up in defense. "Just kidding, just kidding!" After a quick laugh, Eren looked to the road and began to share another idea he had. "There's actually one thing I've been thinking about. With the farm."

"What's that?"

"Well... brands and businesses usually have some kind of symbol, you know? Not just a title card, but some kind of image that makes it unique." Eren turned back to Carla. "You know what I mean?"

Carla knew that products and businesses in places like the capital city had pictures they used for selling items. However, this wasn't something Carla had thought about too much.

"That's not a bad idea," she said. "Do you think we need one? I don't think the outskirts really use them like Mistral does."

"Well, yeah, but it wouldn't hurt," Eren said. "You know, just to have something of ours we can show everyone." Eren remembered an example he had that Carla would like. "Cinder actually had one at our hearing, you know."

"She did?"

"Yeah, I didn't notice it either. But she explained it to me on our first date." Eren pointed towards his waist as he explained himself. "You remember that brooch she had that day? It was on her dress around this area."

"Oh, that. It was the big blue one, right?"

"Yeah, that one. I didn't notice it at first, but Cinder was telling me that she got the inspiration for making it from something back home." Eren made sure the other farmhands were out of ear's reach in order to keep talking. "It was a star. The symbol of Eldia."

"Really?" Carla didn't see the star for herself, but Eren and Dina had told her about it before. "Wait, I thought that was the symbol Marley made Eldians wear."

"Yeah, I was confused too. But Cinder was telling me she liked how the star was uneven. That it was bigger at the top. She said it gave her the idea that it was shining. That... That there was some hope for people like Dad and Ms. Fritz, who had to live with what Marley did to them."

"..."

Neither Eren or Carla talked about Grisha very much. It was still hard to think about at times, especially the fact that Carla was Grisha's second wife. But Carla had forgiven him for keeping his past a secret, especially since the story he had before they met ended in such tragedy.

The more she thought about it, Carla could see where Cinder had gotten the idea behind her brooch. Eren understood it too, since hope was one of the ideas that drove his father to join the Eldian Restorationists. Now, he hoped to have a similar symbol with Ambrose Farms.

And so did Carla.

"You're right, Eren," Carla decided. "A symbol for the farm is a good idea. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Not off the top of my head," said Eren. "I was going to leave that up to you. I mean, you know Ambrose Farms better than I do."

Carla turned her head to the road once more as she thought of possible ideas. However, she put them on hold when she saw something in the distance.

"Well, I guess it'll have to wait," she said as she pointed outwards. "It looks like we're here."

Eren looked back to the road and saw the same thing his mother saw: the village of Maykr.

Maykr was a village known to both Eren and Carla. It was the first stop on Eren's quest to stop Salem, where he hoped to find a working airship in a town full of mechanics. However, he and his friends instead found remnants of the Branwen Tribe that were in the middle of raiding the village. After they stopped the bandits, Eren and his friends were repaid by the people of Maykr by helping Mercury transform an Atlesian combat vehicle into the Dark Wing.

And Carla had been trading with the village for a long time, where tools would be exchanged for food that she grew. When she made the proposal of extending Ambrose Farms into Maykr, the Mayor and the citizens happily accepted the offer.

Truth be told, they were somewhat envious of Kuroyuri becoming what they called the "New Argus." So when they heard the chance of Maykr potentially growing like Kuroyuri did, the citizens took their chance and approved of the Mayor's deal with Carla.

That was how the village of Maykr was prepared to fully unveil Carla's first extension of Ambrose Farms. Some of the citizens had helped Eren and Carla's farmhands build the establishment, including Midori's uncle, Kazu. In the meantime, Eren and his other workers had trained volunteered citizens to become farmhands. They would inherit the farm and work closely with Carla, making the dream of an extended business a reality.

Whenever Eren and the farmhands came to town, they would be greeted by everyone they had been working with. However, the front gate was barren today. There wasn't a soul in sight.

"That's weird," said one of Carla's farmhands. "Nobody's here."

Another farmhand turned towards the carriage. "Are we early?" she asked Eren.

Eren took out his Scroll and looked at the time. "No," he said. "We're right on time." Eren thought the lack of a reception was strange, but he didn't think it changed everything. "They probably got a head start today. I mean, you're here today, Mom."

"You're probably right," said Carla. "So, which way's the farm?"

"Over here." Eren moved the reins so the horses would move in a certain direction, which was exactly what they did.

Eren had been to Maykr quite a few times this week, so he knew most of the details by now. The town was notable for its mechanical work, and there was always at least one blacksmith's shop on each small street. Mercury had been ordering parts he needed for the farm as well as the weapons he would work on, and Eren was able to bring back a few boxes during his work.

Other places included a small church that doubled as a meeting hall, not too different from what Kuroyuri had. There were also small vendors, a wood shop that usually dealt with furniture, a tavern, and a market with imported food from Mistral.

The streets were always covered with people talking amongst themselves and enjoying their lives. Today, however, there were very few people that Eren could see. The ones he did see were inside their houses, and they kept a careful eye on him and his friends. But they only stared for a few seconds before they went back inside.

"Okay, this is weird," Eren said to himself. "Why's everyone huddled inside on a day like this?" Eren looked up to the sky once more, and didn't see any signs of bad weather or anything else people would normally hide from.

But that didn't mean there wasn't a reason.

"It's quiet," Eren thought as he looked around. "Too quiet." Eren couldn't help but think about the time the Branwen Tribe attacked this town, but there weren't any telltale signs that Maykr was under duress once again. "What's going on around here?"

"Oh, Eren! Look at this!"

Eren suddenly realized that he and everyone else had arrived at the new farm. It wasn't too much to look at yet, but Carla was awestruck.

Maykr's new farm was a barn that needed a few more touches, where a few animals were already inside the stables. The surrounding area had a lot of bags, mainly seeds ready to be planted, and the land around it had been prepared for cultivation.

Crops were starting to grow, vegetables were starting to sprout, and the rest of the area had been completely landscaped for more work.

"Oh, yeah," Eren said as he got off the carriage. He offered a hand to help Carla down, which she took as she continued to look around the area. "Welcome to the Maykr division of Ambrose Farms."

Carla walked around the area and made detailed observations of how everything looked. The crops had been laid down as she planned, the barn was in just the right spot, and everything else was exactly how she wanted.

"It's not much, I know," said Eren, who was somewhat nervous of his mother's silence. "But we think with enough time, it'll be-"

"It's perfect," Carla said as she turned around. "This is perfect, Eren." After taking a single look at the new farm, Carla remembered how excited she felt when she made the decision to expand her business. She remembered how happy she was that her dream was starting to become real.

And now, it was real.

"Thank you, Eren," Carla said before she turned to her farmhands. "Thank you all."

Eren felt proud when he heard this. He and the other farmhands had put a lot of work into the farm, and he was hoping that Carla would approve. Now that she did, Eren knew that his mother would be happy to see the rest of the farms he was prepared to build for her.

The other farmhands were proud as well, since they too had poured their strength into this project. The one who was the most proud of all was Peter, who had been elected to manage the new farm. He knew leaving Kuroyuri would be hard, but the new position was too good to turn down. Fortunately, Carla assured him that he and everyone else he was working with would be welcome back any time.

"Glad you like it, Carla," said Peter, who took a step forward. "I didn't think this was gonna be easy, but here we are." Carla and everyone else shared a laugh before Peter spoke again. "And I promise you, whatever dreams or plans you have with this place, I'm gonna make sure it'll happen."

"Me too," said a farmhand.

"Me too," said another.

"Me too," said Eren. He didn't plan on leaving Kuroyuri permanently, but he was going to do whatever was necessary to make Ambrose Farms an expanded and profitable business.

Carla was happy to hear this, and she had prepared a short speech for the unveiling of this new farm. However, this was put on hold when Carla noticed something odd behind her son and friends.

"Eren, Peter... did you hire those people?" she asked with a pointed finger.

Everyone turned to where Carla was pointing to see a strange sight. Not far from the farm, but rather close to the forest near Maykr, was a group of people standing around and talking.

Eren and the other farmhands recognized a few of the people as Midori's uncle and the town's Mayor, but the group they were talking to were all strangers.

A lot of strangers.

"Uh... no?" Eren replied as he stared at the group. He was sure he never met them before, but he was confused as to why they were here.

"That's Kazu and the Mayor," Peter pointed out to separate their friends from the strangers. "Who are those other guys?"

"What are they doing near the woods?" a farmhand asked. "I thought that's where the Grimm were known to come from."

Carla joined her son as she asked herself the same questions everyone else was asking. "Wait, what's that?" she asked as she looked at one particular person. "Does he have-?"

Eren could see it too; one of the people had a holster on his waist.

Between the solitary nature of the townspeople and the group of strangers, Eren had seen enough red flags to know that something had to be done. "Mom... stay here," he said as he began to move forward. "Let me see what this is about."

Carla also saw the red flags from the group, but was concerned about Eren going alone. She knew what Eren was capable of, but he didn't have Soaring Freedom with him. So if Eren needed to act, it would be better to do so armed.

"Hold on," she said as she moved to the cart. "I think I saw a knife in here. Take it just in-"

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Gunfire and bullets made their way towards the group of farmers, which scared everybody. The horses at the carriages got scared from the noise and galloped in the air, but some of the farmhands caught them by the reins before they could run off.

"Take cover!" Eren yelled as he held his horses. If they ran now, the carriage he rode in would leave too. So rather than be caught out in the open, Eren held the reins and crouched behind the carriage as close as he could with Carla.

The bullets stopped quickly, but the sounds of voices and footsteps took their place.

"Well, what have we here?" a man's voice asked.

"Looks like a bunch of tools," said another man, who was looking through some of the bags. "Oh, look at this! There's enough food for weeks here!"

Eren gestured for Carla to stay as low as she could while he looked past the carriage. There, he could see that Kazu and the Mayor were being held at gunpoint. And the guns in question appeared to be Atlesian.

"What was that you were saying, Mr. Mayor?" a woman sarcastically asked as she poked the Mayor with her gun. "You didn't have anything to offer us?"

"Those aren't ours!" said the Mayor. "I've never seen them before!"

"Yeah, right."

The rest of the bandits laughed with the woman before another man spoke up. "Looks like the Wave's washed ashore, everyone! Now let's take what we can!"

When the nature of the strangers revealed itself to be bandits, Eren's immediate idea was a return of the Branwen Tribe. He hadn't seen hair nor hide of them since the initial attack on Maykr, so he assumed they were either gone or were biding their time. He thought the answer was the latter, but that changed when Eren heard these people call themselves "the Wave."

He would have mistaken the title as part of a joke the gang-member was making, but then Eren noticed a symbol on a bandit's sleeve. It was a blue one that appeared to be a wave of water coming to a shore, something that stuck out easily. Eren had never seen such a symbol on any member of the Branwen Tribe, so he drew the conclusion that these people were new and looking for trouble.

And now, after nearly killing his friends and mother... the Wave had found trouble in the form of Eren Yeager.

After observing his new enemy, Eren made a plan to confront them. He didn't have Soaring Freedom, but his training, his Aura, and his Titan were all the things Eren needed for a fight like this. As for Carla and the farmhands, Eren decided to give them a chance to run for cover while he created a diversion.

Eren turned to his mother and pointed to the barn behind them. It wasn't exactly finished, but it was the perfect place for her and the farmhands to take cover. Carla took one look at the barn and understood her son's plan, and knew exactly when to make a run for it.

It was as soon as Eren struck the first horse attached to the car.

*SMACK*

*NEIGH*

When the horse felt a hard slap to its rear, it let out a loud cry as it began to run in the path ahead of it. The second horse ran with its partner, leaving the bandit looking at the cart to step back in surprise.

"Whoa!" the bandit yelled as he jumped out of the way. "What the hell?"

With the carriage gone, Eren seized his chance to attack the bandit. One of his friends tried to warn him, but the bandit looked back too late and felt his face collide with a powerful fist.

*BAM*

With the gang member now rendered unconscious, Eren quickly took another opportunity before him and picked up an Atlesian rifle his enemy dropped. Once he had it in hand, Eren fired sporadically at the group while avoiding Kazu and the Mayor.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

As bullets rang out, the other horses became scared and all ran in various directions. The gang was too distracted by Eren and their search for cover to think about killing Carla and the other farmhands, which gave them a chance to run towards the barn.

Carla was the first to reach the barn, where she waited for all of her farmhands to come inside. Some of them had been wounded from a couple of grazed bullets, but all of them had managed to reach the barn in one piece.

Carla and Peter were about the close the doors, but two voices caught their attention.

"Wait!"

"Stop!"

Carla and Peter looked to see that Kazu and Maykr's Mayor were running towards the barn as well. Eren's distraction had also given them their chance to escape, which they took in a heartbeat. And when they saw everyone run towards the barn, they both ran in the hopes of finding salvation.

They were fortunate that their fate rested in the hands of someone as selfless as Carla. Despite the danger, Carla kept her door open while Peter followed her lead. Only when the innocent men found the way inside did Carla and Peter finally close the doors.

"Abe, find a beam!" Peter said to one of the farmhands. "We can lock this door!"

"On it!" said Abraham, who searched the area for a wooden beam to use.

While the door was being locked, Carla rushed over to see if Kazu or the Mayor were hurt. Given that she had her newly unlocked Aura, Carla didn't have to worry about her own wellbeing. Instead, she focused solely on the two men.

"Ms. Yeager," said the Mayor, who was catching his breath. "What are... What are you doing here?"

Carla was surprised at first, given that she made a plan to visit the farm today. But she knew recent events made forgetting a meeting rather easy, that there were much more important things to worry about.

"To see you," Carla initially explained. "About the farm. But that's not important now. Are you okay, Mr. Mayor?"

The Mayor coughed one more time before he stood up. "Just... out of breath. Thank you... for helping. But you shouldn't be here."

"Yeah," said Peter, who turned to the door when he heard more gunfire. "I think we're starting to get that."

"What is going on around here?" Carla asked. "Who are those people?"

"They came yesterday," said Kazu. "They called themselves the Wave, or something like that."

"Bandits?"

"Bandits. They came demanding food and supplies yesterday. We had our fill with the Branwen Tribe, so we tried to convince them that we didn't have much to offer."

"We gave them a couple of half-filled bags of food to convince them," said the Mayor. "I guess they didn't believe us."

"Or didn't care," Kazu replied. "We had just finished rebuilding after the Branwen Tribe attacked us, and your son even helped with that. We just didn't have enough time to rebuild defenses."

"Don't worry," said Carla. "Eren's out there now, he'll know what to do." Carla was worried about her son, just like any mother would be. However, she was no fool. Carla knew Eren had everything he needed with his Titan, that he would surely use it in this life-or-death scenario.

"I just wish you hadn't come," said the Mayor. "I sent my swiftest messenger after the Wave came to warn villages like your own."

"You did?" Peter asked. "We didn't get any message."

"You didn't?"

"No, nobody."

"..."

It didn't take a genius to see what had happened to Maykr's messenger. The Wave not only made sure the warning was never delivered, but they also decided to bide their time and strike in the same place twice.

And when Carla's equipment arrived, it was the perfect time to act.

"Oh, this is terrible," said the Mayor. "It's bad enough other villages had to endure attacks like this, but I didn't think it would happen here again!"

"Other villages?" Carla asked. "You mean this has happened before?"

"We heard about attacks at other villages like Matanui," said Kazu. "Gangs suddenly coming out of nowhere and taking what they could."

"We hoped we could prepare for such an event," the Mayor continue. "Or perhaps prevent it from happening altogether." The Mayor groaned as he lamented on his failure. "Obviously, I failed."

Carla pitied the man greatly, along with the rest of Maykr. The predicament was indeed a dire one, but the one thing Carla refused to do was despair. Though she had her reservations against Titans, Carla had faith Eren was going to do everything within his power to prevent Maykr from falling.

And a loud explosion outside told Carla that her faith had been rewarded.

*BOOM*

The farm shook from the explosion and caused everyone to fall down. Once they stood back up, everyone was wondering what just happened. Kazu brought up the idea of an Atlesian weapon, like a rocket launcher. But nobody had seen the Wave carrying it before.

Carla wanted to make sure that it was Eren, so she had an idea to separate herself from the group.

"Peter, does this farm have a hay loft?" she asked her farmhand.

"Yeah, right above us," Peter replied. "The ladder's over there." Peter pointed towards a ladder that led to the hay loft right above the first floor, where there would be a door for straw to be thrown down.

Carla was ready to use that door to look around. "Everyone stay here," she ordered as she moved to the ladder. "I'll check it out."

"I'll come too," Peter said as he followed Carla.

The trip upwards didn't take very long, and the door to the outside was right where Peter said it would be. Carla opened it as fast as she could and saw a large drop to the ground below her feet. This was normal for a barn, since straw would be moved down whenever it was needed.

Carla could also see that Eren had indeed transformed into a Titan.

After he ran out of ammunition for the gun he stole, Eren knew he would have to fight the gang a different way. He had used his hand-to-hand training on another bandit, but Eren knew he couldn't rely on it for all his enemies. They had acquired a lot of Atlesian resources, some of which Eren had never seen before.

So it was natural for him to fall back on his Titan, after Eren made sure nobody was looking.

The Founding Titan not only gave Eren a new advantage in strength, but in fear as well. One by one, the bandits lost their courage as they stared upon the beast. After Eren stepped and crushed a few members, the Wave finally gave up and ran for their lives. Some of them fired at the Titan and covered their friends' retreat, but their efforts were in vain.

Eren decided to use this chance to show the Wave what he could do with his Titan. He had found the time to do some training with Emerald's Titan, which led him to do new things with his own Titan. Besides making and controlling Grimm, the Founding Titan's greatest strength was Hardening, which Eren had decided to use to make projectiles. Sharp crystal appeared on Eren's fists, which he tore off and threw at the gang members.

Just like all the times Zeke Yeager would throw rocks, each crystal Eren threw made a direct hit with his target.

The Wave all began to spread out as they ran, but Eren was able to keep most of them in his sight. One member, however, had the same idea as Carla and her farmhands. However, ran towards the barn doors and found them to be locked. Naturally, he started hitting the door with all his strength, which threatened to break the beam holding the doors and leave everyone in danger.

Carla and Peter could see what was happening from where they were, and they knew they had to put a stop to it. Neither of them had a weapon, but Carla was able to found a few spare bricks that had been put in the hay loft for future use. In order to protect her friends, Carla picked up a brick, took careful aim, and threw it at the bandit.

*BAM*

"Guh!"

It was almost hard to believe, since Carla was never the athletic kind of person, but her throw had made a direct hit with the bandit's head. The man fell over and dropped his weapon, which left everyone in the barn safe.

Carla didn't know how to feel about her victory, since it all happened so fast. She couldn't remember the last time she defended herself or took action in such a manner; it almost seemed like she was taking a page out of Eren's book. And Eren was doing just fine on his own.

For the bandits closest to him, Eren either threw more Hardened projectiles or stepped on them. For the ones that found themselves to be far away, Eren allowed some of his flesh to form Beowolves and Creeps, perfect for chasing and hunting them down.

Eren was in a field close to the woods, at a good distance from Maykr. When he saw that all of his enemies were destroyed, Eren decided to remove himself from his Titan and go back to the village. To prevent his secret from being revealed, Eren used his Aura to heal the lines under his eyes and brushed the steam coming off his body as best as he could. It didn't take long to do this, so Eren prepared to head back and explain the Grimm that scared off the invaders.

*VROOM*

*VROOM*

Eren turned around when he heard a familiar noise coming from the woods. Far from where he was, Eren could see two large vehicles drive out of the trees and away from the village. Eren was not only surprised by the fact that there were more members of the Wave waiting, but they were driving familiar vehicles.

"Hey!" Eren said to himself. "That's the same kind of car Mercury used to make the Dark Wing! They have more of those?"

The cars were far from Eren's Titan, so he wasn't worried about being exposed. However, Eren knew that these gang members would come back, perhaps in greater number than before. Eren was prepared to give chase, to crush the vehicles in an instant and prevent any more attacks on this village.

But then he had another idea.

Eren bit into his hand and watched black blood form on his palm. But rather than turn into a Titan once more, Eren decided to let a puddle of Grimm fall on the ground. The puddle wasn't very big, but it was large enough for Eren to summon a small Nevermore. On. With emerged from the tar-like liquid, the Grimm flew into Eren's hand and heard a simple command.

"Follow those cars," the creator ordered. "Find out where they're going and then come find me at Kuroyuri."

The Nevermore flew into the air and gave chase to the cars. Eren would have followed immediately, but he decided to make sure his mother and the people of Maykr were safe. And once the Grimm provided him with the location of the Wave's acting base, Eren would see to it personally that they wouldn't hurt anyone else again.

He would also make sure to keep one person alive, to interrogate them and find out where this gang had come from. And if there were more like them.

---

Thankfully, the encounter with the Wave was brief and relatively harmless. The only damage done to the village was a few bullet holes in walls and windows, unlike the Branwen Tribe's attack. But with the Wave gone, Maykr could not only resume work on the new farm, but also rebuild defenses to prevent a third attack.

In the meantime, Eren and Carla didn't waste a second getting back home. They were relieved to see that their home had not been "visited" by any kind of gang, but the fear of an inevitable attack was an immediate call for action.

Carla decided to speak with Kuroyuri's Mayor as soon as she got back while some of the farmhands spread the word across town to be prepared. Others like Peter had stayed behind in Maykr to help, since they were planning to stay there and run the farm. If Maykr was to be their new home, they had to protect it as they would protect Kuroyuri.

Eren's action was to report the incident to his friends, who he knew were equipped to handle such an emergency.

"That's terrible!" said Nora, who had just finished listening to Eren's story.

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked.

"I'm fine," Eren replied. "My Titan gave me everything I needed."

Ren was just as concerned as his friends, and he decided to get all of the facts right before making any decisions. "Just so we're clear," he began. "This wasn't the Branwen Tribe again?"

"No," Eren denied. "Whoever these people are, they're new. They called themselves 'the Wave.'"

"The Wave?" Emerald asked. "Never heard of them."

"Me neither. But the Mayor was saying that it's happening all over. Gangs attacking villages for whatever they can carry."

"Wait, this has happened before?" Cinder asked. "Where?"

"The Mayor said he got a message from Matanui a few days ago," said Eren. "And they apparently got the news from somewhere else."

"A few days ago? At Matanui?" Cinder was gravely concerned, but for a new reason. "And we're hearing about it now?"

"The Mayor said he sent his own messenger since he couldn't call." The CCT range never worked very well in the outskirts, with Kuroyuri occasionally being an exception. "I guess he didn't make the trip."

"That's so sad." Cinder knew how dangerous the roads of the outskirts could be, and the lack of proper protection had always troubled her. "But why haven't we heard about this on the news?" Cinder took out her Scroll and began to move to another room. "Hang on, I have to check this out."

When Cinder left the room, Emerald turned to Mercury with a perplexed look on her face. "You're awfully quiet, Mercury," she said. "Don't you have some smart-ass thing to say?"

Everyone in the room also noticed that Mercury had been rather quiet. In fact, he also appeared to be thinking over everything Eren had just told him. It was almost like he had been analyzing what he heard.

Which was definitely a first for him.

"Eren, you sure this gang is just a bunch of newbies?" Mercury asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Eren replied. "I never heard of the Wave before. Why do you ask?"

"There's... something really familiar about that name."

Everyone turned to Mercury when they heard this. None of them had recognized the name, so it was logical to assume they were a new gang. But to hear otherwise was surprising.

"Really?" asked Nora.

"How so?" Ren followed.

"I feel like I heard it before," said Mercury. "When I was a kid, I think."

"A kid?" Emerald asked. "Really?"

"Yeah. My dad worked with a bunch of people in Mistral, and this 'Wave' really rings a bell."

Nobody had forgotten about the kind of man Marcus Black was. Emerald was fortunate to have never met him, but she heard just about everything she needed to know from her friends. So if Mercury was ever willing to talk about his father, he would make sure there was always a good reason.

And today seemed like a very good reason.

"You think your dad worked with them before?" Eren asked.

"All I'm saying is that they might not be some new group," Mercury replied. "They may have been at this for a while."

"But that's a little odd," said Ren. "If they've been at this for a while, how come we're hearing about them now?"

"Maybe it's because of the Branwen Tribe," said Nora. "Remember how the SDC tried to work here after the Branwen Tribe split up? This 'Wave,' whoever they are, might be trying the same thing the SDC did."

"You mean fill up the power vacuum?" Emerald asked.

"That makes sense," said Eren. "Based on what the Mayor told me... this sounds like the start of a gang war." Eren had only heard the term used on television shows and movies, but he knew what a gang war looked like.

And the outskirts of Mistral, his home, were definitely starting to look like one.

"Well, shit," said Mercury. "A freaking gang war. And we're caught in the middle."

"It's worse than that."

Everyone turned to Cinder, who had returned to the room. "I just did some research online," she said as she held up her Scroll. "Turns out the Wave isn't a new gang after all."

"I knew it!" said Mercury. "What did the news say?"

"Apparently, the Wave was a group that dealt with stolen Atlesian tech. That would explain the guns you found, Eren."

"And the military vehicles that drove off," Eren included.

"Aw, man," Mercury groaned. "If I could just get one of those back, I could finally get started on the next Dark Wing. Maybe change up a few things."

"Yeah, like the toilet!" said Nora.

"Definitely the toilet," said Emerald. "No toilet, no me." She was mostly joking, but Emerald agreed with Nora about the need for this feature.

"Wait a minute," said Ren. "Cinder, did you say 'was' a group?"

"Yeah, that's the weird part," said Cinder. "According to the news, the Wave disbanded after their leader tried fighting a group of Huntsmen answering to Lionheart."

"Lionheart?" Mercury asked. "So you're saying these guys are the only people he didn't try to kill?"

"Huh," Emerald hummed. "Go figure."

Eren focused on the first part of Cinder's report. "They didn't look disbanded," he said. "That group I fought was pretty big. And they had two cars that fled."

"Maybe they regrouped after their incident with the Huntsmen," said Ren. "If their leader died, a new one could have easily taken their place."

"I couldn't find anything about that," said Cinder. "The article I found didn't give too many details. It's more of a propaganda piece than a news report. Just glorifying the Huntsmen if you ask me."

"What about those other gangs?" Eren asked. "The ones that Maykr was warned about?"

"And anything about a gang war?" Mercury asked.

"No, nothing," Cinder replied regretfully. "It looks like none of the news outlets in Mistral are covering this news."

"What?" Ren asked. "Nobody at the capital knows?"

"As far as I can tell." Cinder felt that once again, the capital of Mistral was unaware of the true situation in the outskirts. Cinder had hoped her speech in Mistral would change this, but things remained unchanged.

Everyone was sad about this news, but that didn't shake their resolve.

"Come on, guys!" Nora said as she jumped out of her seat. "So what if the capital doesn't know about this? That's never stopped us before!"

"She's right," said Mercury. "I might have missed all the action with the Branwen Tribe. I'm not gonna skip out on this."

When he saw nods and heard sounds of agreement, Eren stood up and decided to begin the action. "I sent a Nevermore to find the Wave," he said. "When it comes back, we'll find the Wave and whoever they're fighting. Our Titans can handle the rest."

Everyone was on board with this. Emerald had been training really hard with her new Titan, and had discovered a few new powers along the way. With them, she planned to aid her friends however she could in order to get this job done.

Cinder was also willing to aid her friends, but not in the manner Eren had in mind.

"That'll totally work," she said. "But... I think I have a better idea."

---

Cinder's idea was rather simple, but definitely one that would work in the long run.

Like the rest of her friends, Cinder saw no problem in using the power of the Titans to cleanse the outskirts of the violent gangs and stop their war. However, Cinder was bothered by the fact that nobody in the capital, or the rest of the the world, would know what had happened. The outskirts would still be at square one, where they wouldn't be seen nor heard.

So, Cinder proposed an idea on how to fix this.

Cinder remembered that the Mistral Council planned to tinker with the laws of the Hunt Inquisitorius after the successful arrest of Arthur Watts. Cinder recalled how the Council wanted to work with her and her friends again, once the program was ready for use.

And to Cinder, a gang war that threatened villages like her home of Kuroyuri sounded like a good place to start.

Eren liked the idea of Cinder involving the Hunt Inquisitorius, and their friends had no objection to the idea. They were all planning to accept the offer once it was officially made, and Cinder believed working for the Council would lead to the outskirts of Anima getting the attention they deserved.

So while Cinder reached out to the Council, the rest of her friends decided to see if Midori and Vernal could help them in their new mission.

However, this part of the plan would prove to be harder than it sounded.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's wise for Midori to leave the hospital."

Erne and his friends, save for Cinder, were currently talking to Doctor McCoy. He was one of the best doctors at Kuroyuri's hospital, and Midori's boss. He was a skilled man of medicine, and Midori's Semblance made his job a lot easier. It was this idea that led to Eren and his friends to believe that was the reason Doctor McCoy didn't want Midori to leave.

"I'm sure she's busy, Doctor," said Eren. "But we could really use someone like her with what we're doing."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed. "We might need a little pick-me-up to deal with gangs!"

"And she's gotten better at fighting," Mercury included, who had been helping Midori practice with Scalpel. "She can really hold her own."

"Oh, I'm sure she can," said Doctor McCoy, who moved towards a door. "But I'm afraid Midori is... Well..." Instead of explaining, the doctor decided to open the door to reveal problem.

Namely, that Midori was sick as a dog.

"Ugh," Midori painfully groaned as she moved up in the bed she was resting in. "Hi, guys."

Nobody was used to seeing their friend in such a state, so they were equally surprised. "Whoa, Midori," said Emerald. "You don't look so good."

"Yeah, you're pale," said Nora. "Really pale."

"I know," Midori replied as she wiped her forehead clean of sweat. "I must have picked up something while I was working." Midori mustered all the strength she could to get out of bed, but the pain she was feeling caused her to groan loudly. "I was feeling okay last night, but I just can't handle any fighting right now."

Eren was aware that Midori could get sick easily before she discovered Healing Wish. He couldn't help but wonder if a relapse of her sickness had occurred, and if Healing Wish was preventing a recovery.

"Is this what happened to you earlier?" Eren asked. "Before you left Argus? Before you unlocked Healing Wish?"

Midori wiped her forehead once again before she shook her head. "I thought it was. But this is different. I have this wicked fever, my muscles are tensing up all over... I don't know, it's like..." Midori looked at her hands. "Like something inside me is itching to get out. And it's about to burst."

When everyone heard just how serious Midori's condition was, they all turned to Doctor McCoy for answers. "We gave her a checkup," the doctor explained. "And besides her fever, we couldn't really find anything wrong with Midori. It's strange, I don't think I've seen something like this before."

"It's not contagious, is it?" Mercury asked.

"Or lethal?" Ren wondered.

"I don't believe so," said McCoy. "Her vitals are normal. Above normal, actually. I reached out to a consultant in Mistral, so I told Midori to rest until I hear back."

Eren was disappointed to see that Midori wasn't going to be joining him, but he was much more concerned for her wellbeing. "Alright, then," he said. "Feel better soon, Midori. Oh, by the way, your uncle's doing good. He says 'Hi.'"

News of Maykr's attack spread quickly across the small city, so Midori knew what had happened. And now, she was happy to hear that her uncle, her only other relative besides her mother, was doing well. "Thanks, Eren," she said. "Good luck with... whatever's going on."

Doctor McCoy closed the door once more so Midori could rest. He could tell that Eren and his friends were disappointed to see Midori in such a state, so he decided to offer the group some good news before they left.

"Before you go, I think you'd like to know your friend Summer Rose has made a full recovery," he said. "We're actually checking her out today."

"Wait, really?" Eren asked with widened eyes. The rest of his friends were just as surprised as he was, and just as hopeful too.

"Yes," said Doctor McCoy. "Midori took great care of Summer while she was still working. Which reminds me, Summer asked to speak with you before she goes. You'll find her in the same room as before."

Eren and his friends immediately decided to pay Summer a visit. The trip didn't take long too long, and they all found themselves at a closed door in front of them. Midori had told them that Summer had been keeping the door closed for a while, ever since she learned she had missed many years of her life.

Nobody knew what condition Summer was in. She was clearly depressed after learning the truth, and nobody wanted to upset her more. But Eren knew one last talk between them would be for the best, so he knocked gently on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in," a familiar voice said.

Eren slowly opened the door, where he expected to see Summer in either her wheelchair or her bed, either staring out the window or hardly making eye contact with her new visitors. These conditions were extremely warranted, given Summer's mental condition and her lack of visitors of late.

However, Summer wasn't in bed or in a wheelchair this time. Instead, she was on her own two feet, perhaps for the first time since she and Eren met. She looked like a whole new person, given that she got a haircut and wasn't wearing her hospital robe.

Instead, Summer was wearing a pair of combat boots with a pair of gray leggings. She was also wearing a high-neck blouse and combat skirt, both of which were black with a small white trim on the blouse. But the real piece of clothing that stood out was a large white cloak that had a hood on the back.

As far as physical looks spoke, Summer was definitely ready to leave.

When she saw she had company, Summer stopped fiddling with the neck-piece of her cloak and gave everyone her full attention. "Hello, everyone," she said.

"Whoa!" said Nora, who couldn't take her eyes off Summer's clothes. "Nice outfit, Summer!"

Ren stepped forward and offered a more calm observation after Summer awkwardly laughed at the statement. "I believe what Nora means is that you're looking much better," he said, which caused Nora to nod in agreement.

Summer smiled at Ren when she heard this. "Thank you," she said. "I'm feeling much better, actually." Summer looked at her clothes. "And Midori was kind enough to go out and buy me these clothes. I'm surprised Kuroyuri had my sense of style."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Mercury replied with a laugh. "Our tailor's a genius, I'm telling you."

"I think I noticed." Summer touched her cloak once more, which had been made especially for her. She told Midori what she used to wear as a Huntress, so Midori made sure to get the same clothes once more. The hood was hard to find, so Midori asked the tailor to make a new one for Summer.

Words couldn't describe the gratitude Summer felt for this act of kindness. And though she was leaving the hospital, Summer planned to pay back Midori.

"I haven't seen Midori today, but I'll pay her back somehow," Summer promised. "I just won't be able to do it today."

"We understand," Eren insisted. Given that he didn't find a wallet along with Summer, it was clear she didn't have much money on her. "You know, there's plenty of space in Kuroyuri for you. I'm pretty sure we have a few vacant houses near the larger wall."

"Thanks, Eren. But I don't want to overstay my welcome. And you've all done so much for me already."

Eren once again understood. "Well, the offer's still on the table. In case you change your mind."

After Summer smiled gratefully at Eren, she heard Emerald ask a question. "So what's the plan?" the young girl asked. "Any ideas where you want to go?"

"Well... I'm going home," Summer replied. "To Patch. That's where I'll find my family." Most of Summer's memories had finally come back to her, given what Emerald did in her mind. The most prevalent memories were that of her family, who Summer missed very much. "I know it's been years... but I have to make sure they're okay."

This was perfect toy understandable, and everyone agreed that this course of action was preferable. After all, Eren had traveled between worlds to find his mother again. And given what Summer had been through, she deserved to see her family once more.

"I hope you find them," said Eren.

"Thank you," said Summer. "I hope so too."

"If you need any help doing so, you know where to find us," said Ren.

"Yeah!" said Nora. "We've hunted down people before! Finding your family should be easy."

"Thank you," Summer replied. "One of your friends actually offered the same thing. She even decided to come with me."

"Wait, really?" Mercury asked. "Who?"

Just as Mercury asked this question, a pair of footsteps and a familiar voice answered that question.

"Ready when you are, Summer."

Everyone turned to see Vernal, who looked just as surprised as her friends. "Oh, hey, guys!" she said. "What's going on?"

"Hey, babe," Mercury said. "You're leaving with Summer?"

"Just for the day. Summer hasn't really been out for a while, I thought I'd catch her up on what she missed."

Summer was still sad to know many years had passed, but Vernal's offer of teaching and helping her was too good to refuse. "I'm sure it's a lot," she said. "It's probably going to take a while, but learning while I'm traveling will help."

"Yeah," said Vernal. "We got an airship going to Vale today. I'm good to go whenever you're ready."

Vernal didn't enter the room, but she leaned against the wall outside the room while she waited for Summer to be ready. While doing so, Mercury took a chance to talk to Vernal.

"Hey, how come you didn't tell me you were leaving?" he asked. Mercury normally wouldn't mind, but this was the first he heard about Vernal planning to leave for a little while.

"I did," Vernal replied. "While you were fixing Soaring Freedom for Eren."

"Oh. I don't remember that." It was hard for Mercury to pay attention to things around him while he was working, but he took Vernal's word for it. "Well, you sure you wanna go? Me and everyone else were about to hunt down some gangs that have been causing trouble. Kinda sounds right up our alley, don't you think?"

Vernal shook her head rather quickly. "Eh, I think I'll pass."

Mercury couldn't remember the last time Vernal passed up an opportunity like this. "Really? You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm not really feeling it today. But we can do something when you get back. You know, something fun."

"Uh... okay. Yeah, sure."

Mercury didn't know how to feel about Vernal's decision, given that she hadn't done so before. In fact, Mercury also remembered that Vernal had been acting strange as of late. Eren had been trying to help with her transformations, which she started to get control over, but there wasn't much else going on.

But Mercury decided to save this for later when Summer announced that she was ready to leave.

Cinder met her friends at the landing pads of Kuroyuri, where she learned that Midori wasn't feeling well and Summer was leaving. She was able to say a proper goodbye with the rest of her friends, as well as wish her good luck, before Summer's airship for Vale took off with her and Vernal.

"I hope she finds them," Cinder prayed.

"Me too," said Eren.

Mercury decided to distract himself from Vernal's untimely departure by focusing on the task at hand. "So, uh, how'd it go with the Council?" he asked.

Cinder turned away from the sky and back to her friends. "It was good," she said. "Councilwoman Redwood said that she and the Council had actually finished revising the laws on the Hunt Inquisitorius yesterday. She meant to call, but she and the Council were busy."

"Cool!" said Nora. "So we get to be on the job again?"

"Yeah... but there might be a problem." Cinder hadn't anticipated such a thing would happen, but she knew her friends needed to know what was going on. "We're... not the only ones interested in the Hunt Inquisitorius."

"What do you mean?" asked Ren, who was just as uncertain as his friends.

"Well, it turns out Councilwoman Redwood is sending two people who want the job. Like us."

"What?" Emerald asked. "But... who else would know about it?"

"I don't know. But Councilwoman Redwood said she wants us to work with them before doing anything." Cinder pointed to the landing pads. "That's why I came here. To see them when they come."

This came as a surprise for everyone. When they showed interest in the Hunt Inquisitorius program, they always believed they would work with themselves and each other. Hiring other people outside their group was strange, and possibly dangerous. Cinder was even worried that a few Huntsmen or Huntresses planned to infiltrate their group. And Eren was worried about the secret of the Titans being exposed.

But the latter fear wasn't something that couldn't be controlled.

"I guess this means our Titans won't help us," he said. "But that's okay. We can do this without them."

"Yeah!" Mercury agreed. "I fixed up Soaring Freedom for you, Eren. You can use that again."

"Thanks, that'd be great. I'll also keep an eye on that Nevermore I sent out. See if it gets here before these new people do."

"Yeah, that'll work," said Cinder. "But I'm just worried these new people will be Huntsmen. What if they try to do things their way?"

Eren simply shrugged. "Then we don't let them," he said. "It's one thing that the Council may have chosen them, but we've done this before. If they cross a line, then they're out of here."

"Eren's right," said Ren. "We have more experience with this than a Huntsman. Maybe even more experience with the outskirts."

"Yeah," said Mercury. "Out here, we know what's what."

"And if they can't get with program, that's on them," said Eren, who moved closer to his girlfriend. "Don't worry, Cinder. We'll figure this out."

"..."

If there was one person Cinder could trust with a matter like this, it was certainty Eren. And this wasn't the first time he made a promise such as this and kept it. Fortunately, this was enough for Cinder to set her worries aside for the moment.

Just as Eren hoped, the Nevermore he sent had returned to him. And by searching through its memories, Eren was able to see that the Wave had indeed regrouped and reorganized their strength.

Not only were they reorganized, but they were under the command of four people. Eren didn't get their names, but he learned something incredible: they were led by a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses called Team SMMK. Somehow, they had managed to lead a group of criminals with Haven Academy being none the wiser to their treachery.

The Nevermore could see that the Wave had been busy. Not only were they raiding villages, but they were indeed at war with other gangs. The gangs in question here were called "the Hana Guild" and "the Hearth," who were causing as much chaos as the Wave. They were acting across Anima, but the Wave had a map of where they were currently located.

But nobody else beyond the outskirts knew or planned to do a thing about it. Fortunately, that was where Eren and his friends came in.

Cinder took the news of corrupt Huntsmen both positively and negatively. She hated that there was still corruption in the system, just like she said in her speech. However, Cinder planned to not only stop Team SMMK, she also wanted to show the world how Huntsmen like them were dangerous and needed to be kept in check.

After all, the Hunt Inquisitorius answered to the Mistral Council. Now it was time for the Huntsmen to do the same.

By the time Eren had finished sharing the information he got from the Nevermore, a new airship had arrived. Everyone recognized the design as the same kind of airship they took to their hearing, so they knew it belonged to the Council. Now, they were going to be meeting the people who wanted to join them.

Everyone immediately expected hostility due to Cinder's idea. She was right to think about a Huntsman or Huntress, just like she was right to be skeptical. Everyone around her not only shared her idea, but they prepared themselves to see something new, hostile, and someone who believed in the opposite of what they did.

Which was why it came as such a relief to see that Winter Schnee was coming out of the airship.

"Hello, again," Winter said politely.

As everyone before her gasped, the ideas of skepticism and hostility disappeared like their breath. The situation could have been much worse, but seeing Winter after her untimely departure was as good as things could be.

"Winter," said Cinder, who stepped forward to get a closer look. She almost didn't believe her eyes as Winter stepped off the airship, but there was no denying that Winter Schnee was here. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"What I should have done when I first came here," Winter replied. Just then, she slowly extended a hand to Cinder, and delivered some good news. "Help you."

"..."

Cinder didn't know what to say. The last time she saw Winter, her entire life had been turned upside down. Her career had been ruined, she had no place to call home, and she seemed that she wanted nothing else but to be left alone.

Cinder and her friends felt very guilty about what happened to Winter. So to hear that she was willing to come back and help, that she didn't seem to hold any ill will, was perfect.

Cinder was still silent, but she gladly shook Winter's hand. In the meantime, everyone huddled around Winter and talked to her. "Winter!" Nora said first. "Good to see you again!"

"We haven't seen you since the hearing," said Eren. "Where have you been?"

"Well... that's kind of a long story," Winter replied after she let go of Cinder's hand. "But don't worry. We will do everything we can to help you."

"We?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"..."

It almost sounded like Winter's voice had answered Ren's question. The only problem, however, was that Winter hadn't even opened her mouth. The voice was coming from the airship, which caused everyone to turn and see who it belonged to. There, they saw another surprise in the human form of a woman dressed in a common tan shirt and jeans.

There wasn't too much about the woman to stare at, but her short brown hair, freckles, and voice that matched Winter's had all captured their complete and undivided attention.

"Miss me, assholes?" Ymir asked with her typical grin and sarcastic attitude.

"..."

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before they looked back to Ymir. Mercury was the one who responded, and the one to deliver the same kind of sarcasm as Ymir.

"Great..."

---

As soon as the Hunt Inquisitorius left Kuroyuri by horse, after Eren and his friends said goodbye to their loved ones, Winter began to explain herself.

After the hearing, Winter believed it would be best to process everything alone. She was happy to be free, but devastated that her life had taken a complete change. Winter's emotions couldn't help but take over, which led her to take a moment in an alleyway not too far from the capital building.

Oddly enough, that was exactly where she met Ymir.

Ymir explained that she had not only left Kuroyuri, but decided to make her way to Mistral via airship. There, she began to set herself up in a similar manner she did when she first arrived in the walls of Paradis. Lower Mistral was not only a good place to get what she needed, but also what she wanted too.

Despite the news of the Council's hearing being under a closed lid, word had managed to escape upper Mistral and find its way into lower Mistral. Ymir overheard the news being discussed, where the criminals mainly talked about the need to keep an eye on the Hunt Inquisitorius.

Ymir didn't like everyone on the team, but she decided to keep a close eye on Eren and his friends. After all, she had been dragged across Remnant during their adventures. Rather than being dragged on another one, Ymir decided to see what would happen herself.

She couldn't get into the room, but Ymir listened to all the details Winter provided her.

Ymir felt satisfied by what she heard, mainly that none of it involved her. She decided to leave, and even decided to take Winter with her. The latter was a hard decision to make, given that Ymir didn't want too much to do with Eren and his friends. However, given that she was relatively a newborn in Mistral, on Remnant for that matter, Ymir decided to take Winter home with her.

"Okay," said Eren, who had just finished listening to Ymir's story. "So where's home for you?"

"A small place bordering both halves of Mistral," Ymir explained. "Not much, but it's better than sleeping in those slums you got in the lower half."

"And by 'place,' you mean..." Ren asked.

"Oh, it's an apartment. That's what you call those small homes in buildings, right?"

"That's right," said Nora.

"Wait a minute," said Cinder. "An apartment costs money to rent. Where'd you get the money?"

"Well..." Ymir began. "You know how you guys brought money with your supplies?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you should really start counting it before leaving it out."

"..."

Eren stopped his horse as soon as he knew why Ymir would say such a thing. "What?!" he asked. "You robbed us?!"

"I only took what I needed!" Ymir replied. "And I gave you your jacket back!" She was referring to the fact that Eren let her borrow his jacket, given that she didn't have anything to wear at the time. "Besides, doesn't your mom own a farm? You'll make the money back in no time."

Eren knew he wasn't going to get that money back, and there wasn't really any harm done. "Okay," he said as he relaxed. "So you got some money for an airship to Mistral too."

"Yep," Ymir replied. "After I bought some clothes at that shop you have."

"Oh, yeah," said Cinder. "There's a clothes shop close to the farm. But isn't it closed after dark?"

"Yeah... I left the money at the counter."

"..."

It didn't take a genius to see that Ymir had broken into the store to get what she needed. Instead, everyone was wondering how someone as... morally questionable as Ymir would want to be risking her life in the outskirts.

"Okay... so why are you helping us?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, don't you hate us?" Cinder asked.

Ymir turned to Cinder with a grin. "Not all of you," she said. Cinder rolled her eyes at the joke and left Ymir to explain herself. "But I'm helping because this is kinda like the Survey Corps. You know, fighting monsters, helping people, doing the right thing. Winter told me how much good this will-"

"You're out of money, aren't you?" Eren asked, who had gotten enough hints from Ymir's explanations.

"Yeah, bone dry," Ymir confessed without hesitation. "I gotta set myself up somehow. But Winter was going on about how good this whole thing was."

"I knew the Council wanted to revive the program," Winter recalled. "Given Ymir's financial situation, I thought it would be best to try and see if the Council would hire both of us." Winter immediately turned to Cinder. "I really want to help, though. I even had another idea before Councilwoman Redwood told us about you."

"Oh, really?" Cinder asked. She truly believed Winter wanted to help, but she didn't know Winter had another idea for helping. "What's that?"

"While Ymir was in lower Mistral, she heard a few things that were going on," Winter explained. "And the police would be none the wiser. So we gave everything she heard to the Council and expected to be sent to lower Mistral. But then we were sent here."

"Wow, that's great!" Cinder was impressed with this plan, and was glad to see that Winter had plans to do some good for a Kingdom she owed no loyalty to. However, she didn't like the idea of putting those plans on hold. "I mean, I'm sorry if we got in the way."

"It's fine. Councilwoman Redwood said she would give everything we had to the police. Besides, I'm just happy to be doing this."

As Cinder and Winter discussed more aspects of working directly under the Mistral Council, Eren simply listened. Not only was he happy to see that Cinder's idea had worked out great, but he was glad to see that the idea was expanding. That the Council was willing to address issues with the Kingdom through this group. In lower Mistral and the outskirts alike, it seemed the Kingdom was ready for change.

And Eren knew there was no better person to inspire that change than Cinder. After all, Winter was now more open to change as well. Eren was sure not everything about the Atlesian had changed, but her views on carrying out actions to help others was certainly different.

Everyone behind Eren was surprised at the civil nature between Cinder and Winter. They were all expecting Ymir to remain the same, but it seemed like yesterday when Cinder and Winter disagreed on just about everything. It would take some time to get used to it, but they were proud to see how Cinder and Winter had grown. How they moved past their differences and took the chance to work together.

With any luck, this could inspire places like Mistral to grow as well.

Eren and his friends soon found themselves by a familiar sign post, one that had names for different villages. Kuroyuri was one of the signs, and there were quite a few others too.

"Here we are," Nora joked. "There and back again." She was referring to the time she came to this post with Eren, Cinder, and Ren. That was when they fought the Branwen Tribe, and now they were about to do similar work.

"Yeah," said Cinder. "I haven't been here in a while."

"I passed by this today," Eren recalled. "On my way to Maykr." Eren wasn't assigned as leader of the Hunt Inquisitorius, but he believed that making a decision here and now was for the best. "Okay, this might be the best place to start."

"What's the plan?" Mercury asked, having no objection with Eren showing the way.

"There are three different gangs fighting each other, all in different parts of the outskirts. I say we split up here and go to the villages that saw them."

Not only did everyone agree to the plan, but they also began suggesting places they could go. "Nora and I can go there," Ren said as he pointed at one of the signs. "I believe that's where Maykr said we would find the Hana Guild."

"I'm ready when you are, Ren!" Nora said with excitement.

Mercury looked towards the sign post and decided where he would go. "The Hearth doesn't sound so scary," he said. "Me and Vernal can go kick ass and take names."

Nobody had any objections about Mercury choosing where to go. However, they did feel the need to correct his mistake. "Um... I think you might need to go with someone else," said Cinder. "Since Vernal, uh..."

Mercury realized what he had said and immediately backtracked. "Oh... shit," he said with a rather awkward chuckle. "Sorry, forced habit." Mercury turned to another member of the group, and made another decision. "Em, you wanna tag along?"

"Sure," Emerald replied. "But if you try pulling another one of your pranks, your ass is done."

Cinder didn't need to look at the sign to determine where she wanted to go. "Eren, you're going after the Wave, right?" she asked. "Do you mind if I come with you? I want to see Team SMMK for myself." Cinder also wanted to be with Eren on this mission, but she wanted to know if that was okay with him. She hadn't forgotten what she learned about him at the Forever Fall.

"Yeah, let's do it," Eren agreed. There was no way he was going to do this mission alone, and he was proud to do it with Cinder by his side.

"Wait a minute," said Winter. "I thought you said there were three gangs causing chaos across Anima. Should I go with one of you to stop them?"

Ymir quickly moved her horse to Cinder. "Dibs on going with Cinder," she said with a grin. "Eren, we'll figure it out on the way."

Eren and Cinder shook their heads at the remark in unison. And Eren didn't forget about Winter either, he had a plan for her and Ymir. "Actually..." Eren said as he pointed to the post. "I was thinking that you and Winter can go there."

Winter turned towards the sign that Eren was pointing at. "Kuchinashi?" she read slowly. It was a little hard to pronounce, since Winter had never heard of the place. "What's there?"

"Remember how the Mayor of Maykr told me about the other gangs and villages? He also told me a rumor he heard about that village."

"What kind of rumor? More gangs?"

"The opposite, actually. He said the people there may have found a way to fight back against them."

"Kuchinashi was able to defend themselves? Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately, no. That's why we have to be sure."

Eren had told his friends about this while they were waiting for Winter and Ymir, so they understood how promising it sounded. "This is the second time we've had to deal with gangs and bandits out here," said Ren, recalling the Branwen Tribe. "If Kuchinashi has a way to prevent a third time, we should find out what it is."

"And you were a soldier, Winter," said Cinder. "You might have some experience with negotiation that could help us."

Winter took a moment to think about the idea. "That makes sense," she said. "I do have experience with negotiation between members of authority... I'll do it."

"Thanks, Winter," Eren said gratefully. "But you'll have to be more careful than any of us. You don't have a Titan and I can't make the Grimm back off from you like before."

"Hold on," said Emerald. "How about one of us goes with Winter? I've been training with my Titan. I can help."

"That won't be necessary, Emerald," Winter insisted. "As you can see, I'm armed." Winter looked down to her waist, where Omen was resting by her side. Her old sword had been lost long ago, but Omen had proven to be quite the replacement.

"I can't believe you got that back," Nora remarked. "It's a great look for you, though."

Winter missed her original weapon, but she had gotten used to Omen rather quickly. "Raven's sword was the weapon I carried when we arrived in Mistral," she said. "The Council believed I deserved it back. And it's proven quite effective against the Grimm."

Mercury turned to Ymir, who appeared to be unarmed. "Where's your weapon, Ymir?" he asked.

"I got this knife," Ymir said as she took out a knife from her back. "I would've gotten something bigger, if Winter had let me."

"I've been training Ymir on the combat I learned at Atlas Academy," Winter explained. "Once we finish with a knife, we'll move on to other weapons."

"Can't I do that somewhere else?" Ymir pointed to Cinder. "Why can't I go with someone I actually like?"

Cinder had a response that got some enjoyment from her. "Because you stole our money," she said, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Oh..."

Eren decided that this was a proper punishment for Ymir, and he had faith that each group could handle whatever was thrown in their path. "Alright," he said in content. "Let's try to meet back here by sundown. We'll catch each other up on our way home. And if need be, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. Everyone ready?"

"Ready," everyone agreed.

"Good luck."

---

While the Hunt Inquisitorius was traveling across the outskirts, Summer Rose found herself on an airship heading towards Vale. This wasn't a new experience for her, but it was definitely one she didn't have for a while. To be off the ground and soaring through the clouds was a daunting experience for some, but Summer always liked it.

That was one of the few things she remembered about her life.

"So, yeah. The SDC is run by some guy named Jacques, they tried to tear down my boyfriend's village, but that's over. Did I forget anything else? Oh, yeah, I think you missed Drew Berrymore's latest movie. You know her, right?"

During the trip, Vernal had taken it upon herself to catch up Summer on a decade's worth of current events that she may have missed. And it turned out that there was quite a lot that Summer had missed.

Vernal wasn't normally one for talking so much, especially to someone who she didn't know too well. However, the last week had found itself to be rather lonely for her. She had all this conversation built within her, but Vernal didn't let much of it out. Summer didn't mind, however, since she was taking notes while looking out the window.

"Okay..." Summer said as she began to type on her new Scroll. "Jacques Schnee running company... Berrymore still acting... Got it." Summer decided to put her Scroll away and looked away from Vernal. "I think we can take a break."

"Sure," said Vernal. "Just let me know if you got any questions."

Summer didn't have too many questions about Remnant at the moment. She knew the world had changed, but she planned to catch herself up by doing her own research later on. However, there was something that Summer was rather curious about.

"Actually, I was hoping to talk more about your friends," she said. "I mean, are you sure Midori didn't mind getting me these new clothes and Scroll?"

"Nah," Vernal casually replied. "Midori's pretty cool. Never really held a grudge against most people. Besides, I'm pretty sure the hospital gave her that money to begin with."

"Oh... right." Summer laughed to herself as she understood. "Well, what about the rest of your friends? I only know what Midori told me about them."

"Yeah, they're all cool. Eren doesn't really admit it, but he's kinda the leader of the group. He's got a lot of experience with fighting. He also trained most of us too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's pretty strong. And he survived a whole lot too." Vernal knew about Eren's past on Paradis, but had every intention of keeping it to herself. "Cinder's the most outspoken. She doesn't really take stuff lying down."

"You mean with that hearing."

"Yeah, that's just one example. I heard she made some great speech in Mistral about how the outskirts are treated as second class. I haven't lived there too long, but she's got a valid point."

Summer also hadn't been in Mistral for very long, but she didn't see any reason for Cinder to lie about something like this. "I think I'll take your word for it," she said.

"Sure," Vernal replied without much care. "And then you got Ren. Not much to say about him, he's mostly quiet. Nora, on the other hand, gets excited by just about anything. Everything's just sunshine and rainbows for her. And practically anything that has sugar in it."

"Heh, heh, heh. Well, that's nice."

"Yeah, then there's Emerald. She's alright, but I don't know her like everyone else does. And Mercury, he's..."

"..."

Summer was surprised to hear Vernal fall into silence all of a sudden. Vernal had been quite talkative so far, and Summer was almost certain Vernal would want to talk about Mercury. Midori had told Summer that Vernal was dating Mercury, so the silence seemed rather unwarranted.

"He's your boyfriend," Summer finished for Vernal. "Right?"

"Uh, yeah," Vernal said. "Yeah, that's right."

"Well... anything I should know about him?"

"Not really. I mean, he likes building things, but that's it."

The answer Summer got was very brief and to the point. It almost seemed like Vernal was putting a wall around herself, to prevent herself from talking anymore.

It also seemed like she did it because she wasn't very happy.

"Are you okay?" Summer asked. "I don't mean to pry, but-"

"I'm fine," Vernal said quickly.

"Well, it's just... You don't sound fine."

"..."

"If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen. I won't judge, I promise."

Perhaps it was Summer's generous nature, combined with her goodwill towards anyone who needed help, that led her to invite a complete stranger to open up more. On any given day, however, Vernal would either deliver a sarcastic remark or act more like herself.

But given that this was the most conversation she had in a while, and that she wasn't ready for it to stop, Vernal decided to open up.

"Merc and I are fine," she insisted. "We're not fighting or anything. But... it's just that..."

"Just what?" Summer asked. She was quite patient and willing to wait for someone to open up, but she could tell there was something at the tip of Vernal's tongue.

"I don't know. Mercury just seems so... serious, all of a sudden."

"Serious? How?"

"Back when we met, Merc was a really fun guy. He broke all the rules, laughed his way through everything. Being around someone like that was awesome." Vernal had been smiling as she reflected on her relationship with Mercury. But as she began to explain her problem, Vernal stopped smiling. "But lately... he's been the opposite. He's always working, whether it's building things or doing Council shit. Which is great, but it's not my kinda thing." Vernal turned to Summer once again. "I know you don't know me pretty well, but I wouldn't really call myself the heroic type."

Summer didn't think Vernal was saying that she was a bad person, but that Vernal wasn't really cut out for the work Mercury was doing. "Well, from the sound of it... I don't think Mercury wants to spend less time with you," Summer proposed. "He's around your age, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, it sounds like he's growing. You know, being more mature. That's a good change."

"Hm..."

Vernal hadn't really thought about this. All she noticed was that Mercury was changing, but she never thought about the reason behind these changes. Growth and maturity were definitely possibilities, but Vernal never really liked change.

She had her hybrid status to thank for that.

"Maybe," Vernal finally said. "But I'm not sure I want to see him change. I like Mercury just the way he is."

Summer thought this was rather sweet of Vernal, but change was a constant factor of life. Fortunately, Summer had some good advice for dealing with change. "Well, sometimes, when you love someone... you learn how to meet them halfway," she said.

Vernal turned back to Summer. "Halfway, huh? You mean meet somewhere in the middle?"

"That's right. Take me and Tai, for example. We have two wonderful girls and live together... but we never married."

Vernal was never one who thought about marriage, but she always believed Summer had married long ago. "Really? How come?"

"Tai once explained it was normal in his family. They thought the actions they carried out for one another showed their bond, rather than a legal document or ceremony. So I never married him, but I have such a strong bond with him." Summer hoped that this bond still existed after all this time, just like she hoped Vernal would take her advice.

"Yeah, that makes sense," she said. "Sounds kinda hard, though. You know, to meet somewhere in the middle."

"It'll take some time," Summer assured the young girl. "But it's not hard to work out when you get the hang of it. If I could do it..." Summer smiled at Vernal as she made her next statement. "So can you."

---

Time passed as it always did in the outskirts. As sunset began to come closer and closer, many villagers were finishing up their work for the day before they would return home and rest. However, the village of Maykr had much to do before any of its residents could rest.

After the attack by the Wave, the people of Maykr began to do everything in their power to create proper defense. Given that it was a town known for blacksmiths and mechanics, the construction of weapons and proper fortifications were increased. Many Atlesian rifles had been left behind since Eren killed some of the members, so some of the townspeople took them without question. And every corner of the outer perimeter was guarded constantly.

These precautions seemed to have paid off, given that nobody had seen any kind of trouble since the Wave came and left. The only kind of danger they saw was a pack of Grimm that were easily disposed of. After a while, it became clear that no foreign force outside of Maykr would be undetected.

A foreign force inside Maykr, however, was a different story.

Nobody noticed during their work, but there was a woman walking the streets of Maykr who paid close attention to everything. The woman was of average height, and had a pale compression with dark black hair. She was wearing a fur-trimmed aviator jacket, a pair of black gloves, and baggy pants with combat boots.

She would almost be mistaken for Cinder, if not for her dull brown eyes.

The woman had walked around the village twice now, and she was prepared to leave. But rather than walk out the front gate, the woman moved into an alley and clenched her fists. A brown light began to cover her body, which was strongest at her right fist.

And in a small flash, she was gone.

*WHOOSH*

When the woman opened her eyes, she found herself right at home; namely, in an isolated area where members of the Wave were preparing for war.

The woman called herself "Khaki," and she was a member of Team SMMK. Like her comrades, Khaki found herself disillusioned with the life and expectations of an honest Huntress. And it was easy for her and her team to not only keep her license, but also use her abilities for a more grim campaign.

One that never ended.

Team SMMK originally found themselves as mercenaries, pledging their loyalty to their highest bidder. Up until recently, the highest bidder was the former leader of the Wave. They were normally known to steal Atlesian technology, as well as other important artifacts. However, when more noble Huntsmen and Huntresses caught wind of the Wave's actions, Team SMMK ran for the hills rather than defend their employer.

The battle with the Huntsmen and Huntresses left the Wave disbanded, and Team SMMK found themselves with an opportunity to rebuild what had been broken. None of them had led a gang before, but it was much easier than they anticipated. For weeks, they had been able to rob the outskirts of Anima blind, with nobody in Mistral being none the wiser. Their only real problem was the rival gangs they had to endure, but that was manageable.

But what wasn't manageable was members being killed and eaten alive by Grimm.

Khaki had been sent by her team to investigate Maykr, to see if the story the survivors told held any weight. While she didn't see any sign of a Titan, Khaki did see the lengths Maykr was going to defend their town. She believed this was important enough to report back to her team, which was how she found herself back with them.

"Welcome back," said Sil, the leader of Team SMMK. He was a man slightly shorter than Khaki, one with black hair and a black leather coat.

"Someone took their time," said Marton, a heavy-set man with dirty blonde hair. He, like the rest of his team, were wondering what had taken Khaki so long.

"What did you expect?" Khaki sarcastically asked the tall man. "Reconnaissance takes time, you know."

"Ignore him," said Mina Lavender, the fourth member of Team SMMK. Unlike her comrades, Mina disguised her face with a helmet and wore patches of armor over her purple clothes. She had done infiltration missions before, so she knew the time Khaki spent was used wisely. "What did you see?"

"There wasn't any kind of Grimm the grunts were talking about," Khaki said as she looked at a few gang members that were out of earshot. "But those villagers are ready for war."

"Let me guess," said Sil. "They got some of the guns?"

"And they're working around the clock to make other weapons," Khaki confirmed.

"Great," Marton replied in annoyance. "So this place is a bust."

"Hold on," Sil commanded. "How are their numbers? Is everyone in that village armed?"

"No, but they have a good watch at the gate," Khaki replied. "They're vigilant, but there aren't that many of them."

"In other words..." Mina began while looking at the Wave members around her. "We have them outnumbered."

"And we have a way inside the village," said Sil, referring to the method Khaki used to get inside and outside of Maykr.

"So we're staying?" asked Marton, who was finally starting to have a good feeling about this.

"We're staying." Sil looked to the sky and saw the sun overhead. "I say we wait until the sun goes down. Then it'll be easy to take them down in the dark."

"I'm up for it," said Khaki, who wore a smile on her face.

"When the grunts hear there isn't a Titan, that'll get their rears in gear," said Mina.

"This might be easier without them," said Marton, who had his reservations against leading a gang. "We've done worse things than taking a village. Taking this one and bringing back the goods should be easy."

"And set an example for them," said Sil, who considered the bigger picture.

"That's true," said Khaki. "The Wave's previous leader never got her hands dirty like this. Let's show them how we do things."

The more he heard, the more Sil liked the plan his team proposed. "Alright. We'll leave the Wave here and go to Maykr ourselves."

"Shouldn't be hard to make them guard the camp," said Marton. "What could go wrong?"

*BOOM*

The sound of an explosion in the distance answered Marton's question.

Everyone in the area, Team SMMK and the Wave included, all stopped what they were doing and turned in the direction of the explosion. Nobody could see anything out of the ordinary, not even a cloud of smoke. However, the explosion was followed by the sound of gunfire and screaming.

While nobody could see anything, Sil and his team were aware that they had sent a few people to guard their camp. They didn't have heavy guns or rocket launchers, so nobody knew what could have caused an explosion of any kind.

But it was either an exploding Ursa... or someone who was trying to kill them.

*WHOOSH*

*SHICK*

The answer to the question proved to be the latter, given that a metal arrow had found its way to a tree next to Sil.

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

Sil knew exactly what the beeping and flashing red light meant. "Move!" he said as he pushed past Marton. "Everybody move!"

*BOOM*

Team SMMK did as they ordered and found themselves away from the tree and the explosion. While he was safe from the flame, the blast had knocked Sil to the ground while he was rendered momentarily deaf. His sight, however, was still intact.

This allowed Sil to see two people flying through the air and across the ground, killing everyone in their path.

Eren and Cinder had followed the Nevermore towards the Wave's camp. Just as Eren predicated, it wasn't far from the village of Maykr. Another attack was more than likely, so Eren and Cinder launched the attack first. There were a few guards at the front to take care of, but Cinder's explosive arrows made quick work of them.

Now, Eren and Cinder could work together to make sure the Wave wouldn't attack another village again.

Their fighting relied heavily on their vertical maneuvering equipment. Eren didn't mind, since attack each gang member and avoiding the bullets fired at him gave him the chance to test the new and improved Soaring Freedom.

The metal of Soaring Freedom gleamed a glossy ebony, with faint ivory and emerald highlights. The harness and individual gear components were also more curved and aerodynamic compared to the more straight and boxy look of the original, almost similar to how Cinder's Dancing Midnight was made. The wire storage seemed a little bigger, as well as the fuel cell.

The metalwork was very impressive, and so were the gear controls. Mercury's previous version had the sword-like handles similar to the original Paradis variant. But now, Soaring Freedom's hand controls were actual handguns. There were three sets of triggers on each gun, one for shooting, and the other two for operating the gear itself. At the top of the gun slide, where the slot would be for ejecting spent bullet casings, were two emitter ports or docks, as if something was meant to come out of them, or something to be inserted in place.

And that turned out to be Eren's Hard-Light Dust swords, which were cutting through the Wave like they were paper.

Sil could see everything that was happening to the gang, everything that Eren and Cinder were doing. He was in complete disbelief and frustration, but he could see how much the warriors relied on their gear. The Hard-Light Dust had given him an idea, one that would help him regain the advantage.

"Marton!" he yelled to his large teammate. "Shut that Dust down!"

"With pleasure," the man said as he began to concentrate. After he locked eye on Eren and Cinder, Marton lifted a single hand and snapped his fingers.

*SNAP*

*CLICK*

Eren didn't see the man snap his fingers, but he could see his Hard-Light swords disappear within the blink of an eye. "Huh?" Eren asked as he pressed the triggers of his weapons. He shook the handles as well, but his swords refused to return.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cinder yelled. She was previously soaring through the air with Dancing Midnight, but now her gear refused to work. Not even the Volant on her back would save her from falling, almost like it had run completely out of fuel.

Fortunately, Eren was fast enough to forget about his swords and run to catch Cinder. "Gotcha!" he said as Cinder landed in his arms. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Cinder replied gratefully. "I don't know what happened, my gear just... broke."

"Mine too." Eren quickly set Cinder down and raised his hand to his mouth. "We can still use our-"

*THWIP*

*THWIP*

Eren and Cinder were thrown to the ground by a force to their backs. They tried to get back up, but found their arms stuck to their torsos by a sticky substance. When they looked down, Eren and Cinder could see that they had somehow been caught in a spider's web.

The web had been produced by Mina Lavender, who was a spider Faunus beneath her clothes and armor. A sharp pair of fangs rested behind her helmet, but the woman's true power was her ability to produce webs. She was even able to use her Semblance to produce weapons out of the webs.

But the real triumph over Eren and Cinder came from Marton, whose Semblance had nullified the Dust in Soaring Freedom and Dancing Midnight. They were sitting ducks now, Sil was ready to finish them off.

"I don't know how you just pulled this off," he said. "But frankly, I don't give a damn." Sil turned to Mina, who had an axe in her hand. "Sic 'em."

Mina was ready to do her job with pleasure, since she too was annoyed by Eren and Cinder. She couldn't decide whether to cut their heads off immediately or dismember them, but the Faunus planned to do away with these intruders once and for all.

This plan was put on hold, however, when a Beowolf pounced right on Mina.

*ROAR*

*BAM*

The area was suddenly covered with Grimm, which had been made by Eren. The young man knew the Wave was large, so Eren decided to create a small army of Grimm to take care of the stragglers while he and Cinder took care of the major group of criminals.

This plan worked on the remaining Wave members, who were either struggling to hold their ground or were too busy retreating towards the vehicles they stole. However, Team SMMK were able to hold their own against the beasts. They were no better than common criminals, but they were all trained Huntsmen and Huntresses. They had fought against countless Grimm even before their fall from grace, so this time was no different.

Fortunately, the Grimm gave Eren and Cinder the chance to free themselves from the webs. Eren was able to use his Semblance to break the substance off himself, and then he freed Cinder without hesitation. The duo stood up with ease, but once again found themselves unable to use their gear.

"Aw, too bad," said Marton, who walked towards Eren and Cinder with curled fists. "What are you gonna do without your weapons?"

Marton grabbed Eren's shoulder and turned him around, where he planned to deliver a solid punch to his face. However, the arrogant and corrupt Huntsman failed to see that Eren also had fists ready. And with his Semblance, Eren threw one fist in the man's gut and another to the side of his head.

*BAM*

*CRACK*

Marton fell over with ease, since he foolishly didn't activate his Aura. Now, Eren was standing triumphantly over the man and delivered an answer.

"Whatever it takes to put you in the ground," Eren replied.

"..."

Marton wasn't going to be getting back up anytime soon, so Eren and Cinder turned to the rest of Team SMMK. Khaki was still dealing with the Grimm, but Sil and Mina were ready for a new fight. "I'll get the leader," Eren said as he looked at the unarmed Sil.

Cinder took out her swords and looked at Mina. "I'll get the other one," she said.

Without another word, the warriors charged at each other. Cinder was able to block each of the strikes Mina sent with her axe, and her Aura protected her from the other weapons Mina was creating. Cinder was even able to cut through the web material, which left Mina to rely on her axe.

Eren and Sil were engaged in a brutal match of hand-to-hand combat, where fists were thrown and blocked at the same time. Sil was able to kick Eren a few times, but Eren was able to catch Sil's leg and strike it with his elbow.

*CRACK*

"Aaugh!" Sil groaned as he stumbled back. His Aura healed the wound, which left Sil with the ability to block a punch from Eren. He then delivered two punches of his own to Eren's face, but Eren's Aura was able to protect him.

After a shared bout of throwing fists and kicks, Sil could see that he was evenly matched with Eren. However, he had an idea on how to turn the tables once more. After he took a step back, Sil closed his eyes and spread his hands out.

Eren saw this as a chance to hit Sil where it hurt, and he lunged forward to take this chance. However, his opportunity had been lost when the entire area became shrouded in darkness.

"Huh?" Eren asked as he looked around. He couldn't see anything, not even his own hands. Sil, however, was able to move around freely and hit Eren multiple times.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Eren could do nothing but let the strikes hit him, since he couldn't see a thing. He tried throwing another punch at his opponent, but Eren hit nothing but thin air. Because of this, Sil hit Eren once again.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

The tide had truly turned against Eren, courtesy of Sil's Semblance. He was able to surround an entire area in darkness, where not even the light could find him. Because of this, Sil had blinded Eren and made him into a wide open target. Sil had done this before and found victory in fights like this. In his mind, this time would be no different.

However, there was one thing that Sil did not know. While he had managed to manipulate darkness, there was one person who knew darkness better than anyone.

And he was helping Eren.

"I see your opponent, Eren," the God of Darkness said in Eren's mind. "Heed my words and you will succeed."

"..."

"Block on your left."

"..."

Eren would normally ignore the voice of Darkness, but the recent punches he received told Eren that he needed all the help he could get. So, he did as he was told and found himself blocking a fist.

"Strike!" Darkness ordered.

*BAM*

Eren had made contact with someone, and he was sure it was Sil. He didn't have any time to celebrate, however, since Darkness spoke once more.

"Block again."

Eren obeyed.

"Strike!"

*BAM*

"Again."

*BAM*

"Again."

*BAM*

"Again!"

*BAM*

Eren had activated his Semblance once more. Almost being beaten and hearing the sinister voice in his head had made Eren mad, but his enhanced strength had been rewarded with sunlight appearing once again.

When the shadows disappeared, Eren found himself standing triumphantly over the corrupt team of Huntsmen and Huntresses. His Semblance was active, which was due to the vast amount of anger Eren held in his heart. His anger towards Team SMMK was strong, but it paled in comparison to the hatred Eren felt towards two people.

The first was Darkness, who invoked himself once again. And the second was himself, for becoming dependent on Darkness once again.

But now, Eren was ready to finish this fight himself. Cinder had returned to his side with her swords in hand, and she found Eren staring daggers at Sil.

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked, despite the fact that Eren was standing.

"Let's finish this," Eren said without answering the question. He took the first steps forward with his curled fists and his glowing body. Cinder joined him as they lunged towards Sil, who was powerless to stop the duo.

But he wasn't witless.

"Khaki!" Sil yelled to his partner in crime. "Get them outta here!"

Eren and Cinder couldn't see it, but Khaki was off the ground and extending her hand towards them. But rather than try to grab the duo, Khaki let her hand glow as she focused on her enemies.

And before Eren and Cinder could get to Sil, a light enveloped around them and temporarily blinded them. When their sight returned, the duo found themselves not fighting, but falling straight to ground.

*BAM*

"Gah!"

"Oof!"

Their landing was a rough one, which had given Eren and Cinder a couple of bumps and bruises. Neither of them knew what had just happened, but they knew it couldn't have been good. However, Cinder was more concerned about the wellbeing of herself and Eren.

"Eren, are you okay?" Cinder asked once more as she rubbed her arm.

"Ugh..." Eren groaned as he rubbed his head. "I think so. But I landed hard on something."

Before either of them could say anything else, a new and muffled voice spoke to them.

"Not on something! On someone, you bastard!"

Eren looked down to see that he was right on top of Ymir. She had apparently broken his fall, though Eren had no idea how any of this had happened. Regardless, Eren quickly got off Ymir and tried to help her up.

"Oh, shit, Ymir!" Eren said as he got up. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"Save it," Ymir said as she got up and brushed herself off. "I'm back in my own body and you're still finding ways to beat the hell outta me?"

Cinder's vision of Eren and Ymir was momentarily obstructed by a hand offering her help. "Cinder, are you okay?" asked Winter, who was prepared to help Cinder off the ground.

"Uh... yeah," Cinder said as she took the hand. "Thanks, but... what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Huh?" Eren asked. "Why? This isn't anywhere near..." Eren had finally managed to become aware of his surroundings. And rather than a forest, Eren was on a dirt path in a flat valley with Winter and Ymir.

Team SMMK and the Wave were gone.

"What's the matter?" Ymir groaned as she brushed dirt off her clothes. "You hit your head after you hit me?"

Cinder had also become aware of her surroundings, and was starting to see what was going on. "Wait... are we at Kuchinashi?" she asked.

"Just beyond Kuchinashi," Winter corrected. "We left ten minutes ago."

"Then you fell on me," Ymir complained. "What did I do this time?"

"That was an accident," Eren said to ease Ymir's frustrations. "We were fighting the Wave and those Huntsmen. Then we just... came here."

Winter not only believed Eren's story, but she was able to see what happened. "You said you were fighting Huntsmen?" she asked. "Perhaps they sent you here via Semblance."

"They were using their Semblances a lot," said Cinder. "That lady in khakis must have had a teleportation Semblance."

Eren could see that this was a very likely idea. He remembered each member of Team SMMK using their Semblances. And when those refused to stop him and Cinder, they were removed from the equation.

"Great," Eren said in frustration. "They're probably running for the hills right now. And we're miles away."

Cinder was just as frustrated as Eren, but she remembered that every cloud had a silver lining. "You said you left Kuchinashi, Winter?" Cinder asked the Atlesian. "Did you find what we were looking for?"

"We did," said Winter. "It would be best to share it with everyone else, though."

Eren looked up to see that it was almost sunset. It wouldn't take long to get back to the signpost he wished to meet his friends at, so he agreed with Winter's assessment. "Lead the way," he said.

---

"Here we are, Vernal. The island of Patch."

"Hm. Not bad."

Just as she said, Summer and Vernal had arrived at Patch, an island just off the coast of Vale. Summer wasn't born here, but she recalled how it served as a home for her after graduating from Beacon.

For her and her family.

"So this is where your family is, huh?" Vernal asked.

"That's what I remember," Summer replied. "Tai had a cottage not far from here." Summer was prepared to make her walk through the woods and towards the cabin she remembered. However, she had one last thing to take care of. "You can head on home if you want. I should be okay from here on out."

"I've got no place to be," Vernal insisted. "Besides, if they're not here, we should think of a different plan."

"..."

Vernal realized she could have worded that phrase better, even though her intentions were true. "Shit, I mean-"

"It's okay," Summer replied. "Thirteen years is... is a long time. I just... have to be sure."

"Lead the way," Vernal said as she gestured for Summer to walk.

Summer and Vernal began to walk through the woods together. There were many trees around them, which gave off the impression that the land hadn't really been modernized or industrialized like Vale had been. It actually reminded Vernal of the outskirts of Anima, given how untouched the environment there was.

As they walked, Summer and Vernal didn't converse as much. Vernal was too busy thinking about the advice Summer generously provided about her relationship. Meeting Mercury halfway not only seemed fair, but also seemed like an opportunity to keep some of the things they liked the same. Vernal had thought about how much changed between the two of them, how she became a hybrid while Mercury decided to take on a more heroic role in life.

Earlier, Vernal thought that nothing between them would ever be the same again. But when Summer put things into perspective, Vernal realized that she was still with Mercury. And neither of them wanted that to change any time soon.

Summer's thoughts were more centered around what she would tell her family. She couldn't recall much of her time at Beacon or as a Huntress. Namely, if Tai knew about Salem or not. She would need to tell him a lot, regardless of what he knew and didn't know.

And she would have to explain a lot to her children.

Summer couldn't help but wonder what had changed between the two sisters that hopefully resided on Patch. Summer recalled how energetic and happy Yang, her adoptive daughter, was as a child. Every day, the young girl wore a smile on her face, one that almost never faded away.

But not having a mom, however, would certainly break the child's heart.

More than that, Summer also thought about Ruby, her biological daughter. When she left, Ruby hadn't really learned to talk just yet. But after thirteen years, it was almost certain that they would have a lot to say to each other.

Summer didn't know where she would begin. How she could tell anybody that she left her home to fight someone who threatened everything. What was even worse was that Summer didn't have any proof that Salem existed.

However, Summer knew she had something to show her family. It was something that she vaguely remembered, something that she had possessed since birth. While it was risky, Summer decided to keep it a secret from Eren and his friends. Not even Vernal, who was willing to see this mission through, knew what she possessed.

All Summer knew was that it was a gift. And she had a feeling that she used it, albeit inadvertently, while she was at the hospital. But rather than talk about it, Summer believed only her family could understand. And she prayed that it would serve as evidence for her story.

After thinking about this, Summer then thought about just how much she had missed her children. And how she couldn't wait to see them again.

"Hey, look up ahead," said Vernal, who was pointing to something in the distance. "Is that it?"

Summer looked where Vernal was pointing, and almost found herself at a loss for words. "...That's it," she confirmed.

Summer and Vernal could see a cottage just ahead of them, waiting for Summer to come home. The cottage wasn't too much to look at; it was made out of logs, it had five windows on the front side, and sunflowers near the front door. Vernal didn't think too much about it, but Summer was overtaken with emotion.

After thirteen years... she was finally home.

"Nice place you got," said Vernal. "Still think they're here?"

"I'm positive," Summer said as she approached the front door.

"Yeah? How?"

Summer pointed to the flowers. "Yang loves sunflowers. And Tai always took care of them after we planted them here." Summer chuckled as she recalled the memories. "I can't believe he kept them."

"Well... welcome home, then."

"Thank you."

Summer stopped at the front door and took a breath. Even though she thought about what she wanted to say, Summer didn't take much time to rehearse it. However, Summer knew there would be a wide range of emotions when she saw her family again. So planning it out didn't sound like it would do much good.

Besides... she had come all this way.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Summer immediately stepped back after she knocked on the door. It had taken a lot of courage and willpower to do such a simple thing, but Summer felt better after she did it.

This feeling, however, disappeared with the moments of silence that followed.

"..."

Summer and Vernal looked to each other after ten seconds of silence. Vernal simply shrugged, since she didn't really plan on doing too much. Summer understood, so she turned back to the door and knocked again.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

"..."

"..."

Summer and Vernal looked at each other once more. But rather than shrugging, Vernal moved to the closest window to have a look inside. "Doesn't look like anybody's home," she said as she turned back to Summer. "Well, except your dog."

"Dog?" Summer asked. "We don't have a dog."

Vernal pointed to Summer's feet. "Then what's that?"

Summer looked where Vernal was pointing to see a small shape at her feet. The shape had black and white fur, four small legs, and a nose that was sniffing at Summer's left foot. And when it stopped, the head of a small dog looked up at Summer with a friendly look on its face.

*RUFF*

*RUFF*

"Whoa!" Summer said in surprise. She wasn't scared, just surprised to see such a small thing. "There's a dog here!"

"Looks like a corgi to me," Vernal said as she walked towards Summer.

Summer kneeled down to the friendly dog and smiled as she stroked its back. "Hi, there," she said. "Are you friendly?" The dog responded by licking Summer's face, which caused the woman to giggle. After a few seconds, Summer moved from the dog's mouth and looked at the collar around its neck. "Well, your collar says you live here, you got all your shots... and your name is Zwei."

"Zwei, huh?" Vernal kneeled down to pet the dog, who liked it very much. "That's a boy's name, right?"

"I guess so. It's funny, I don't remember the girls ever saying they wanted a pet. But I guess he lives here."

"How'd he get out here? There's no dog door at the front."

Summer looked back to the front door and saw that Vernal was right. "Good question," she said as she looked back to the dog. "How did you get out here?"

*RUFF*

*RUFF*

Zwei suddenly ran away from the duo and towards the back of the house. Summer and Vernal decided to follow, where they saw Zwei run into an open back door. Vernal took the open door as a sign that somebody was indeed home, but Summer had a bad feeling about this. She didn't recall if Tai ever left the back door unlocked, so it raised a red flag for her.

Curiosity got the better of Summer as she took a small step inside, which led her to the kitchen. There wasn't much to look at, given that the kitchen was rather clean. But Summer's eyes fell upon a note on the refrigerator.

"Hey, Dad! Yang's taking me out back for a sparring match. Zwei has new food and water, we'll be back for dinner!

Ruby"

Summer's worries were put to rest after she read the note. Rather than someone breaking in, it seemed that someone had forgotten to close the back door. And to Summer's relief, that someone was most likely one of her daughters.

"They're here," she told Vernal. "This is still my house."

"Cool," Vernal replied. "Are they inside?"

"Ruby left a note saying she and Yang went out back to train." Summer pointed past the backyard and towards the tree line. "I think I remember a small patch of land Tai liked to spar at. He never liked training in front of the girls."

Vernal could understand that Summer's daughters were too young to understand sparring at the time. Either that or they could run into the crossfire. It seemed that after all these years, the girls had taken up after their parents.

"Got it," said Vernal. "You wanna handle this on your own, or do you-Ack!"

Vernal groaned as she grabbed her side. A twinge of pain traveled across her body, one that was too hard to ignore.

"Vernal?" Summer asked. The attack of pain was enough to worry Summer and move closer to Vernal. "Are you okay? What is it?"

"Ah... sorry." The pain was strong, but Vernal was able to concentrate on the pain and slowly made it subside. "It's just my condition."

Summer had been told about Vernal's condition, how she would sometimes turn into a Grimm. This was a secret Summer planned to keep, along with the rest of Vernal's friends, but Summer was still worried. "Oh, no," she said. "Are you changing?"

"No, I'm good," Vernal promised. "I'm still working on it, but I've gotten more control. Now it only starts up when Grimm are close."

Summer could see that Vernal was fine, but there was something still causing her concern. "Wait... what did you say?"

Vernal shook her arm after the pain subsided and looked back to Summer. "I said I can start changing when Grimm are close by. Why?"

"..."

For the first time in thirteen years, Summer's maternal instincts had awoken. Between not knowing where her children were and where a Grimm supposedly was, Summer feared for the safety of both Ruby and Yang. So she immediately ran towards the forest, where she hoped to find Tai's old training ground and her daughters safe and sound.

Vernal was right behind Summer, so she heard the reason why Summer was worried.

"Can you tell me where the Grimm are?" Summer asked. "Or how many there are?"

"Sorry, it doesn't work like that," said Vernal. "Tracking them sounds like Eren's department."

"Then we have to hurry. We shouldn't be far."

"Ease up, Summer. If your kids are sparring, they gotta have weapons on them. I'm sure they can handle Grimm. Besides, it's probably just a Beowolf or something just as small."

Summer understood that Vernal was trying to be rational, but her instincts told her that something was wrong. And unfortunately, so did the unfamiliar yell in the air.

"Ruby!"

Summer not only knew that her daughters were close, but that they were in danger. So she took off in the direction of the yell, but it was easy to get lost in such a large forest.

Summer was prepared to yell out for her children, but a hand on her shoulder made her pause. "Look!" said Vernal, who was pointing towards a clearing in the trees. "Over there!"

In the middle of the clearing was a teenage girl in brown clothes, brown combat boots, and long blonde hair with her fists curled. She couldn't see Summer or Vernal due to the numerous trees behind her, as well as the fact that she was staring at a large Ursa before her.

Summer couldn't see the girl's face, but the golden hair was a dead giveaway for her name.

"Yang..."

"..."

The girl was indeed Yang Xiao Long, who was previously training with her younger sister, Ruby. Unfortunately, Yang lost sight of her sister when she used her Semblance to evade a punch. It was a good move, but it had somehow resulted in Ruby disappearing and an Ursa appearing in her place.

Neither the girl nor the Grimm were going to let each other go without a fight. And a fight had just begun.

The Ursa stepped out from a bush and started to charge at Yang. After two yellow gauntlets appeared on her forearms, Yang propelled herself forward rolled on the ground to meet the Grimm. The Grimm swung its dangerous claws at the girl, but Yang was able to dodge when a burst of Dust emerged from one of her gauntlets.

Yang now had the chance deliver two punches to the Ursa, and a third one that was enhanced with another Dust round.

*BANG*

Neither Summer nor Vernal could see it, but Yang's gauntlets were loaded with shotgun shells, which had just caused the Ursa pain. Summer couldn't believe what she was seeing, but Yang was able to hold her own against the Grimm just fine.

She had grown from a small child into a capable warrior.

The Ursa was also quite the fighter, and it had recovered from Yang's attack. It swung its paw at Yang once more, and made contact with the girl. Yang had an Aura, so she was able to shield herself, perform a flip, and land back on to her feet midflight so could fire two shots at the Grimm. The Ursa wasn't hurt this time, and it m charged at Yang once more. But Yang blocked the attack with her left arm and delivered an uppercut to the Ursa's jaw.

Yang landed in front of the Ursa once again, where she ran and slid underneath the beast to fire six shots into its back.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

"Whoa," said Vernal, who couldn't help but watch the battle unfold. "Not bad."

"..."

Summer disagreed with the idea of "not bad," but only because she found Yang to be incredible. She had such speed, such strength, and she was able to hold her own against such an enormous foe. She too couldn't help but watch the battle, where she felt nothing but pride for her daughter.

However, Summer came to her senses when the Grimm was finally able to land a blow on Yang. The fight had gone on for what felt like serval minutes, and the Grimm was finally able to muster enough strength to send Yang flying into several trees and onto the ground.

*CRASH*

When she saw her daughter fall, Summer knew she had to help. But instead of picking Yang up off the ground, Summer closed her eyes and focused on the gift she had previously thought of. She was confident it would be enough to kill the Grimm and protect Yang, so Summer wasted no time in focusing on the gift; on her special ability.

"What are you doing?" Vernal asked.

"Something drastic," Summer replied. "It'll help Yang. Trust me."

"..."

Vernal didn't question Summer, she instead looked back to the field. She could see that another girl had entered the fray, a dark haired one wearing black clothes and a red hood. She stared at the Grimm in fear, and it almost looked like she was about to fight or flee.

Instead, Yang arrived between the duo and allows the Grimm to bite her midsection A yellow light shimmered around Yang as the Ursa threw her away, which caused the other girl to yell.

"Yang!"

The yell had caused Summer to lose focus on herself and look back to the field. "What was that?" she asked. "What happened?"

Before Vernal could reply, Yang had appeared once more. She had activated her Semblance and jumped off against a tree to land one more punch against the Ursa. The Grimm struck back with its own claw, and the clash blew several trees back. Summer and Vernal also fell, which caused them to miss the Ursa's arm snapping and both fighters flying in different directions.

The Grimm had finally disintegrated into ash, and Yang had crashed into a tree. The second girl had seen the whole thing, and was now rushing to Yang as fast as she could.

"Yang!" she said as she kneeled down. "Yang, are you okay? Oh, I didn't know how to help without my scythe! I'm so sorry!"

Summer and Vernal had gotten off the ground, and they could see the field once more. Not only did they notice that the Ursa was gone, but they could also see that Yang was alive and well. She was resting against the tree, but she was looking up to the girl with a smile.

"It's okay," she said. "I've always got your back, sis."

"..."

Summer could now see the second girl's face. She could see that it was a reflection of her own, albeit much younger. She knew without a doubt that the girl was Ruby, her biological daughter.

And she was just as beautiful as the last time Summer saw her.

"Damn," Vernal said in a whisper as she looked at the smoky remains of the Ursa. "You never told me that your kid was a trooper, Summer."

"..."

Vernal looked to her left to see that Summer was looking directly at her children. She was filled with pride, joy, and also love. The love for both girls had only intensified when Summer's saw how much they had grown.

They were older, stronger... but they seemed just as happy as they were when they were children.

"Hey," Vernal said to get Summer's attention. "Now's your chance."

Summer looked back to the girls and realized that Vernal was right. Ruby and Yang were walking back home, and Summer had the chance to run after them. To call out to them and hold them in her arms once more.

She had left the spot where she watched the battle, and Summer began to follow the girls home. With each step she took, Summer tried to decide what she would say to them. She wanted to tell Yang how proud she was of her, she wanted to tell Ruby that she would be alright, but most of all, Summer wanted to tell her children that she loved them dearly.

The chance to do this came when Summer found herself directly behind the sisters. She opened her mouth to call out to them, and reached out to touch them. They were so close now, and Summer wanted nothing more than to be even closer.

But just as soon as her chance came... Summer let it go.

Vernal was behind Summer, and she could see that the mother had stopped moving. Rather than hold her children, Summer lowered her arms and watched them leave the woods. And rather than stepping forward, Summer turned around and took steps back.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa," Vernal said when she met Summer again. "What are you doing? You gonna see your kids or not?"

Summer was looking at the ground when Vernal asked her question. As she lifted her head, Summer let out a remorseful sigh and answered the question.

"I... I can't," she regretfully said.

"Huh?" Vernal asked. "What do you mean you can't? We came all this way, didn't we?"

"I know, I know. But..."

"But what?"

Summer pointed back towards the field once more. "Vernal... did you see what happened back there?"

"Of course I did," Vernal replied. "And it was awesome! That blonde, what was her name? Yang? She's kind of a badass, not gonna lie. I thought you'd be proud."

Summer smiled for a moment, which let a frown come to her face once more. "I am," she said. "But that fight... the way Yang stood up for herself... it made me see that... I don't think I have the right to do this."

"The right?" Vernal believed Summer was talking nonsense at this point, but that didn't stop Summer from explaining herself.

"What right do I have to do this?" she asked. "To throw myself back into their lives after they grew up? They did that without me." Summer lowered her head to the ground again. "They didn't ask for me to come back here. They don't need me here."

"..."

Vernal felt like this was the saddest thing she had ever heard anyone say. And it became clear that Summer was thinking with her heart rather than her head, so she tried to be the voice of reason again.

"Hold on, Summer," she said. "You don't know that. You've been gone for years, you don't know what's going on in their lives." Vernal pointed to the girls again. "How do you know they're not thinking about you now? If their mom is proud of them for killing a Grimm like that?"

Summer followed Vernal's finger to see her daughters once more. They had arrived at their cottage now, where they were playing with Zwei in the backyard. The smiles on their faces were beautiful, and they spoke volumes to Summer.

They also helped her make up her mind.

"You're right, Vernal," she said. "I have been gone for years. But that didn't stop them from growing up. That didn't stop them from moving on... and moving forward. Without me."

"..."

Summer took one last look at her daughters, to se that they had remained just as happy as they were a few seconds ago. "Ruby... Yang... Tai. I'll never forget any of them." A tear came down Summer's eye as she made her decision. "But they forgot me a long, long, time ago."

"..."

---

When sunset approached the outskirts of Anima, Eren's friends kept their promise to meet back by the sign post they split up at. Emerald and Mercury had just reunited with Ren and Nora. Once they reunited, the friends recounted their progress.

"So, yeah... the Hearth wasn't that tough," said Emerald.

"Neither was the Hana Guild," Nora agreed. "But there was a lot of them."

"Same with the Hearth," Mercury agreed. "Em and I managed to pick off the ones that tried to run, but some of them managed to escape."

"I was able to use my Titan to detect where the survivors of the Hana Guild were going," said Ren. "Their leader escaped too. His name's Vermillion Raddock, and he has an Aura and Semblance."

"He's crazy," said Nora. "He had hostages from other villages he tried to use against us. But after Ren turned into a Titan, he gave up and ran."

"What a douche," said Mercury. "But Emerald managed to get the leader of the Hearth."

"Yeah, thanks to my Titan," said Emerald. "After he froze in place, the villagers took him back to... Well, let's just say they'll teach him a lesson."

Everyone laughed as they prided themselves in their day's work. "I think the Hana Guild might be our biggest focus for tomorrow," said Ren. "I couldn't catch up to them, but I tracked their direction. It shouldn't be too hard to pick up again with my Titan."

"Sounds good," said Mercury. "We should probably wait for Eren and Cinder to come back, though. They might need some help with the Wave."

"Nah," Nora replied after a laugh. "I'm sure they're alright. They're probably gonna come back and tell us all about the butts they kicked!"

Ren was inclined to agree with Nora, but something odd he saw made him reconsider the idea. "Is that them?" he asked as he pointed down a path.

Everyone turned to where Ren was pointing, and they could see four people walking towards them. Sure enough, it was Eren and Cinder. Everyone would normally be happy to see them, but it was strange to see them with Winter and Ymir.

That, and they were apparently coming from Kuchinashi.

"That's weird," said Emerald. "I thought they went to Maykr."

"Did they meet up with Winter coming back?" Mercury asked. "Maybe the paths meet up or something?"

"I don't think so," said Ren. He looked to the sign post where the other villages were listed. "Maykr doesn't look anywhere near Kuchinashi."

"Let's see what's going on," Nora suggested as she moved closer to the path that led to Kuchinashi. "Hey, guys! How'd it go?"

Eren was close to Nora when she asked this question, so he could report the status of his mission with ease. "Not so good, Nora," he said as he moved towards the sign. "Come on, we'll tell you about it."

Everyone met by the post again, where everyone decided to focus on the situation Eren and Cinder found themselves in. "Are you two okay?" Emerald asked.

"What happened?" Mercury asked.

"We had them," Eren replied. "We were this close to finishing off Team SMMK."

"But one of them must have had a teleportation Semblance or something," Cinder continued. "One minute we were fighting the Wave, and the next-"

"They fell right on top of me," said Ymir, who rubbed her head for emphasis. "Idiots."

"Wait, so they cheated?" Nora assumed after she heard the story. "Jerks."

"We underestimated them," said Eren. "It won't happen again."

"Nah, bro," said Mercury. "Nora's right. You had them on the ropes and they just flung you away? That's a cheap shot if I've ever heard one."

"Yeah, well, not everyone plays fair," said Cinder. "We'll be ready next time. And probably use our Titans more."

"Cinder's right," Eren included. "We'll have to be faster next time. But what I can't understand is why they took us to Kuchinashi of all places."

"I think I know."

Everyone turned to Winter, who had been patiently waiting for a chance to talk. Eren and Cinder recalled how Winter said she found something in Kuchinashi, and they agreed to wait until they regrouped until Winter could share it.

Now that everyone had been reunited, this was the perfect chance for Winter to share her results.

"You were right, Eren," Winter began. "When Ymir and I got to Kuchinashi, we saw that the town was at peace. When I asked about problems with crime, they said those problems were over."

Everyone remembered the rumor of Kuchinashi being free of crime, and they took this news well. "So there was a problem," said Ren. "But it's over now."

"Yes," Winter confirmed. "I met with the Mayor, who led me to a large group of Huntsmen and Huntresses that are occupying the village."

"Wait, Huntsmen and Huntresses are there?" Cinder asked. "Why?"

"Because they were sent there in the first place. Recently, a group called Team SAFR was assigned by Leonardo Lionheart to Kuchinashi. Before they arrived, the village was an ideal location for thieves, assassins, and gangs. That and a place called the Wind Path."

Everyone could see where this was going. "Did the Huntsmen help?" Emerald asked.

"Yes, they did. A battle between Team SAFR and a gang leader, and the arrival of more Huntsmen, caused Kuchinashi to become crime free. And it still is."

"..."

Mixed feelings were spread all across the group of teenagers. They were glad to see that the rumor of Kuchinashi being freed was true, but the method of doing so had everyone skeptical. Recent events with Huntsmen and Huntresses, especially the one shared with Eren and Cinder, made them all reluctant to put their trust in a force that had let them down before.

However, the results of calling Huntsmen and Huntresses couldn't be ignored. Clearly, there were people who did the job asked of them. And the Huntsmen and Huntresses who came to Kuroyuri during the Wyvern attack may have asked for a lot in return, but they killed the Grimm. It was just hard to tell the difference between the good Huntsmen from the bad ones.

But it seemed that if they wanted to help the outskirts, Eren and his friends had little choice but to repeat the actions carried out in Kuchinashi. They would have to enlist the proper help for each village.

"So... what do we do?" Mercury asked.

"I... don't think we have a choice," said Eren. "The outskirts are big. And there's only a few of us."

"We need bigger numbers," Cinder said reluctantly. "Maybe, if we play our cards right... we can ask the Huntsmen and Huntresses at Kuchinashi to help us."

"..."

Cinder felt like a fool when she said this, but it was true. Her distrust of Huntsmen and Huntresses had been proven to be false, and everyone was going to hear about this. But if it meant helping her home, Cinder knew she had no choice.

"I wouldn't advise that, Cinder."

Everyone turned back to Winter once more, who seemed just as serious as she was a moment ago. And based on what she said, Winter didn't think that Cinder had been a fool this whole time.

"Wait, what?" Nora asked.

"But... you said the Huntsmen and Huntresses stopped the gang at Kuchinashi," said Ren.

"I did," said Winter. "But in doing so, I discovered they made a terrible mistake."

"I think the term 'dumbasses' is the best way to describe them," said Ymir. "They're good fighters, but they're total dumbasses."

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

"Everyone I spoke to told me that about their problems with crime," Winter replied. "When I pressed on for details, I learned just how bad those problems were."

"Meaning?" Cinder asked.

"There was more than one gang causing trouble in Kuchinashi." Winter turned to her partner slowly. "Show them the map, Ymir."

Ymir reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper. "I swiped this from the place the Huntsmen were using as a base," said Ymir. "When I showed it to Winter, we took off."

"Took off?" Eren asked. "Why?"

Ymir moved the paper closer to Eren. "Because they're dumbasses."

Winter rolled her eyes at the remark and explained further. "The Huntsmen helped Kuchinashi," she repeated. "But we believe they made the current problem in the outskirts worse."

"..."

Everyone was taken aback by this claim, especially Cinder. She had her fill of bad Huntsmen for the day, but she didn't take the news of Huntsmen causing problems very well. So she took a look at the paper Eren took from Ymir, and saw that it was a map of

And one of those images was very familiar.

"Wait a minute," she said as she pointed to the map. "That's the symbol of the Wave!"

"And that's the Hana Guild!" said Nora, who looked at another image. Ren looked as well, and he confirmed that the second image was the symbol the Hana Guild used.

Emerald pointed to another image. "Isn't that the Hearth right there?" she asked.

Eren not only recognized the symbol of the Wave as well, but he saw what Ymir and Winter were talking about. "It's all of them," he said. "The Wave, the Hana Guild, the Hearth... they all came from Kuchinashi." He then looked up to Winter. "They were driven out when the Huntsmen came, weren't they?"

"Exactly," said Winter. "But rather than arresting them-"

"They just let them run!" Cinder yelled in anger. "They let the gangs spread all across the outskirts!"

Eren was just as angry as Cinder, and so were the rest of their friends. Ren was angry as well, but he was able to think rationally about this. "Why?" he asked Winter. "Why would they do that?"

"My best guess?" Winter asked. "They treated the gangs like Grimm. Stopping however many they could and letting the others flee. It's a classic strategy taught at all academies."

"But that doesn't solve the problem!" Emerald protested. "They just moved it!"

"Strategy my ass!" Mercury yelled. "These guys are lazy as fuck!"

"And they're still out there!" Nora said. "They're still free! How are we supposed to stop them?!"

Eren was able to let go of his anger when he realized that Nora was right. They managed to hurt each gang, but they hadn't been stopped just yet. The Titans may have put the fear of God into them, but Eren's battle with Team SMMK taught him that Titans and Grimm wouldn't be enough. If he didn't think of something to stop them once and for all, today would have been a repetition of the same mistake.

Winter and Ymir's revelation told Eren that Huntsmen and Huntresses wouldn't be a suitable solution. They were quite capable of fighting, but finishing the job was a different matter entirely. Instead, Eren knew that a different fighting force was necessary. A constantly present factor that could protect the continent of Anima at all times.

Eren had thought of the idea long ago... but now he knew that Mistral needed a military.

As a soldier, Eren knew the benefits of a military. He knew a team dedicated to the defense of a homeland was totally necessary against any threat. The war between the Titans and Marley had taught him that, and so did Atlas. The world's only standing military was powerful, and the outskirts of Anima needed that power to defend themselves from Grimm and people alike.

However, Eren couldn't make an army overnight. It took months for Floch Forster to create the Yeagerists, and Anima was much larger than Paradis. And the problem with each gang needed to be fixed right now.

So if Eren couldn't create an army... he had little choice but to use the next best thing.

"I think I have an idea."

---

*VROOM*

*VROOM*

The morning sounds of tranquility and nature were disrupted by the noises of engines and wheels. Two Atlesian transports, which had been previously stolen, were driving across parts of Mistral's outskirts while on the hunt. They had been on the move since yesterday evening, but their travels seemed like they were close to an end.

After their close call near Maykr, Team SMMK and the Wave reluctantly abandoned their plans in the village of blacksmiths and moved to a different village. Nobody knew where they would go at first, but then they heard local news about an airship coming to another village. Unlike most airships, which carried passengers, this airship had items such as food, medical supplies, and a lot of Dust.

Everything the Wave could use.

"There it is," said one of the drivers, who pointed towards the sky. Sure enough, there was a supply ship moving close to the ground.

"Perfect," said Sil, who was looking out the window of the truck. He then turned away from the window and towards him teammates. They had all healed from yesterday's battle, and now they were waiting for orders. "Here's the plan. Once that airship touches down in the village, Khaki will send the four of us inside. We show our licenses to the pilot, and tell them their supplies will help us fight Grimm or whatever. We'll take everything right under their noses."

This plan was very different from asserting authority in numbers or directly attacking the village. However, the decrease in numbers showed the need for subtlety. Careful planning and patience was needed to get the Wave back on its feet, and that was what Team SMMK planned to do.

"We might need to pop in with Khaki's help, boss," said Mina. She was the one who heard about the airship, and she knew where it was going. "Kuroyuri isn't like the other villages."

"Yeah," said Marton. "It's got two walls, both lined up with guards. Security's gonna be tight."

"That's right," said Khaki. "We can teleport past the front gate and go straight to the airship. If we play our cards right, we can get what we need without anyone figuring out we're not locals."

"Fine," Sil agreed. "Remember, we're just going in and out. No weapons, no grunts. We get what we need and leave."

"..."

Nobody was really used to performing small operations such as this. Both Team SMMK and the Wave believed they were meant for bigger things, that they could do much more than what they were doing now. But given the severity of their situation, they all agreed that subtlety was the best course of action. Their reduced number left them more vulnerable to defeat, so fighting had to be avoided unless it was necessary.

Today, all they needed were a few supplies... and a lot of luck.

"Uh, boss," the driver said to Sil. "You'd better look at this."

Sil moved back to the driver's seat and looked out the window. "What is it?" he asked.

"You see Kuroyuri right there?" The driver pointed towards a village in the distance, which was easy to notice. "Look where the airship is going."

Sil turned back towards the airship, which was moving lower and lower towards the ground. However, it wasn't landing in the village; it was landing out in the open, right on the dirt road.

"Doesn't look like Kuroyuri had a landing pad," said the driver. "This might be easier than we thought."

"..."

What the driver said was true. Not every village in Mistral had official landing pads, like one would see in Atlas or the capitals of each Kingdom. To accommodate for this, it was rather common for an airship to land in a field relatively close to the village.

Some supply ships had Huntsmen and Huntresses on them in case of Grimm, but it was easy to determine if this airship had any. The closer they were to a village, the more likely a Huntsman or Huntress was on board. And judging where the airship was currently landing, at a distance not too far or close to Kuroyuri, Sil was able to determine there were no Huntsmen or Huntresses on board.

And so did his team.

"Look at that," said Marton. "All those supplies just waiting for us to grab them."

"Forget the supplies," said Khaki. "We could take the airship for ourselves."

"And if there aren't any Huntsmen on board..." Mina said as she lifted her axe. "We can take the pilot down easy."

"..."

The more Sil heard, the more his greed and ambition took over. His anger about yesterday and his need to get back on track led him to make what seemed like an easy decision.

"Get us closer," he said to the driver. "And faster."

*VROOM*

*VROOM*

Team SMMK's car and the car behind it began to move closer and faster to the landing airship. At first, they had kept their distance. But now, the Wave had managed to catch up to the airship and arrive just as it landed and turned off its engines.

"It's almost too bad there aren't any Huntsmen on board," said Marton. "I've been itching for a rematch with those SAFR losers."

"Yeah," said Sil. "Almost."

After they armed themselves, Team SMMK exited their vehicle and moved towards the unsuspecting airship. They couldn't see anybody from Kuroyuri coming to rendezvous with the airship, so they moved even faster to seize upon the opportunity.

The door to the airship began to open, and Sil imagined what would happen next. He expected the pilot and crew to emerge, and see that they were outnumbered and held at gunpoint. Then, Team SMMK would take the airship and make a clean getaway with the two cars.

Just as Sil believed, people began to emerge from the airship. However, they didn't appear to be a point or a crew. They didn't appear to be Huntsmen or Huntresses either. And yet, what emerged from the airship was something that nobody had expected to see.

It was the Hunt Inquisitorius. With the Mistral Police Force.

"FREEZE!"

---

And just as quickly as it began, it was all over.

Team SMMK and the Wave didn't know what hit them. They had no idea that the airship was a trap, that Kuroyuri was the village their enemies were from, and finally, they didn't know that the Mistral Police Force had finally stepped up.

And it was all thanks to Eren and Cinder.

Last night, Eren told his friends that they needed reinforcements to help them. He knew that calling Huntsmen posed a risk of the same mistakes being made, but he had an idea who he could call.

He said that they might be able to use the police.

On the way back to Kuroyuri, Eren told his friends about the Military Police Brigade on Paradis. How they were a branch of the military like the Survey Corps. They had been a corrupt force for years, but the corruption ceased after Eren helped Historia claim the throne. Then, the Military Police took their job of protecting the people of each wall more seriously. Even before the fall of Rod Reiss, the Military Police were known to go out beyond the capital and perform whatever task was assigned to them.

For better or worse.

Eren knew that he couldn't create a military in the outskirts, but he knew that the police of Mistral had resources like the Military Police Brigade did. The only difference was that the police of Mistral never ventured beyond the capital. They never got called out to assist the villages or arrest any known criminals, like they normally would in the capital.

But nobody had ever stopped to ask why that was.

Cinder recalled in her speech how the outskirts needed less corruption and more protection. That the gap between them and the capital needed to be closed. She could see how sending Huntsmen to Kuchinashi was part of that idea, but it had led to serval mistakes. Reinforcements were needed, and it was time for the police to expand.

Eren and his friends had brought this idea to the Council, to Councilwoman Redwood. After delivering the evidence of the gangs' presence and the aftermath of Kuchinashi, Eren and his friends proposed a plan to spread news about a supply airship that would actually be transporting the Hunt Inquisitorius and the police.

Cinder was able to convince Redwood that the resources of the capital were needed to stop criminals such as the Wave. Councilwoman Redwood knew it would be a drastic step, but after presenting the evidence to her other Council members, they agreed that the resources of the capital were needed for the villages.

So, after a lengthy discussion with the commissioner of the police, a select force of volunteers were sent to Kuroyuri first. Rather than send them all over the outskirts, the Council decided to experiment with the idea Eren and Cinder presented. If they were successful in capturing the Wave, with minimal to no casualties, the Council and the commissioner would agree to more resources being sent across the outskirts.

And the mission was quite a success.

Team SMMK and the Wave never expected the police to finally leave the outskirts and help the Hunt Inquisitorius. However, that didn't mean they didn't put up a fight. Gunfire and combat was traded on both sides, and a skirmish by the airship had erupted.

The police could handle the Wave, so it was up to the Hunt Inquisitorius to stop Team SMMK. Emerald Mercury decided to help the police, and they did this by stopping both Atlesian transports from leaving. While he knew the criminals inside couldn't be allowed to get away, Mercury was mostly hoping to keep at least one of the vehicles.

He knew it would be perfect for a new Dark Wing.

While the gang was taken care of, everyone else took on Team SMMK. Marton once again used his Semblance to nullify Dust, but that didn't stop Nora from pummeling him with her hammer. Mina was able to use her webs to trap the police, but Ren was able to duck and weave past each web to meet the woman head on. And once Nora was done with Marton, she assisted Ren in taking down the Faunus.

Khaki was prepared to escape, but Cinder cut her right hand just in time before she could teleport. Khaki's ability relied on this hand, so the pain and distraction prevented her escape. And just like yesterday, Cinder was able to defeat her.

When he saw everything unfolding around him, Sil used his Semblance once more to cover the area in shadow. But rather than try to fight, Sil ran while the police and the Hunt Inquisitorius were blinded. He knew he would be abandoning his team, but he didn't care. He did everything in his power to try and escape, which revealed the man's true cowardice.

And thanks to Eren, Sil didn't get very far.

When it was over and done with, everyone could see that the Council's experiment was a success. Not only was this incident perhaps the greatest arrest the Mistral Police Force had ever made, but the casualties inflicted were very minimal. Nobody had died in the skirmish, but there were some wounds that were serious. Fortunately, Kuroyuri's hospital had everything the wounded men and women needed to recover.

The Council and the commissioner were very pleased with the result, and could see how the police were definitely needed in the outskirts. Just as Cinder hoped and wished for, the bridge between the capital and the outskirts was starting to close.

Not only were the Hana Guild and the Hearth next on their list, but the police said that they would be willing to set up regular airship patrols to each village. Like the patrols they took in the capital, they would make their presence known and keep an eye out for trouble.

One condition they had, however, was that these patrols would need to be with a Huntsman or Huntress. The outskirts were still dangerous, and known to be the home of Grimm as well as possible criminals. They were open to working with the Hunt Inquisitorius once again, but they believed a Huntsman or Huntress would be just as necessary.

And so, after the large arrest of the Wave, plans were made to handle the Hana Guild and the Hearth. The plan would be executed in time, so Cinder took an opportunity to relax in her room. She would normally unwind by listening to music or making music herself, but Cinder had a lot on her mind right now. So instead, she decided to do something else.

When she wasn't with her friends or making music, Cinder would make journal recordings on her Scroll. These recordings were mostly ideas and discussions about the day's activities, which helped her as she grew up. The recordings were sparse and few, given that Cinder only recorded herself on occasion.

But today was definitely an occasion to do a recorded journal. And that was exactly what Cinder did.

"Dear Diary," Cinder began as she looked at the Scroll's camera. "Today was a pretty big win. Team SMMK and the Wave are down, and the police are helping us stop the Hana Guild and the Hearth. I know it's pretty early, but I think it's safe to say that whatever power vacuum the Branwen Tribe left is officially gone. And with Winter and Ymir helping in lower Mistral, it'll be hard for anyone in the capital to pick up where they left off. So yeah, a big win."

"..."

Cinder had been smiling as she made her journal entry, but a frown had come into its place as Cinder became more critical. "But... I'm starting to have mixed feelings about all this."

"..."

"All of this started at Kuchinashi. When those big gangs got kicked out of the village, they just looked for more places to rob and terrorize. And it's because of a stupid mistake Huntsmen from Mistral made."

"..."

"I know I can go on about this totally incompetent move, like I did with the Council. But I'm just not feeling it right now. I think... I think it's because of what happened in Kuchinashi."

"..."

Cinder let out a sigh as she continued. "The Huntsmen are at the village because they got sent there. I don't know all the details, but something big was going on there. And Huntsmen like Team SAFR were sent to handle it. I know they just let the gangs run but... it's crazy that they did it. That they actually did their job."

"..."

"All this time, I've been pushing for the outskirts, villages like Kuroyuri, to get the same treatment as upper Mistral. To be better protected, to feel more important, and to stop letting Huntsmen and Huntresses walk all over us. I've been doing that for a while... and it's actually happening."

"..."

"More than that, it actually happened before I made my speech in Mistral. Lionheart was the one who sent Team SAFR in the first place, and Kuchinashi got the protection they needed."

"..."

"I know we finished where they left off, but... I just can't help but feel... feel..." Cinder sighed once again. "I don't have the right words, but I can't help but wonder if I'm actually doing the right thing."

"..."

"I can't deny that Huntsmen and Huntresses helped Kuchinashi. That there are people who are actually trying to do the job. The police that helped us even said that they could always call a Huntsman or Huntress while they're out on patrol here. Even they feel Huntsmen can do their job. I mean, with how many are always in the capital, who can blame them?"

"..."

Cinder suddenly found the right words to describe how she was feeling. "I can't help but feel that... I don't know... like I'm in the wrong here. Like I'm asking for too much."

"..."

"I think I felt this way even before the gangs came along. When Watts told me how Atlas screwed him over, I related to that. And when I heard Hazel's story, I related to that too. If I'm trying to do something good, then why am I relating to bad people?"

"..."

"Darkness... Darkness once said that I'm not trying to make things better. He thinks I hate things the way they are. And right now... I think he was right. If I'm fighting against the Huntsmen system, a place where some people take the job seriously, then what kind of person does that make me?"

"..."

The reflection and introspection had revealed a lot about Cinder. What happened in Kuchinashi and with Darkness had resulted in a crisis of faith for her, one that made her wonder if she was fighting for the right cause. Or if she was the same kind of monster Darkness was.

Cidner hoped this journal could help her resolve these issues, so she kept moving forward.

"I... I haven't really told anyone this," she confessed. "Not even Eren. It's not that I don't think he'll understand, it's just... I have a bad feeling he'll start thinking differently of me. That everyone will. That I'm just like Darkness. That they should fight against me rather than with me."

"..."

The last sentence was something Cinder feared greatly, ever since Darkness accused her of being no better than him. While it shook her to her core, the idea also helped Cinder put something into perspective.

"But... if that's true... why are they still fighting with me?" Cinder asked. "Why is Eren still fighting with me?"

"..."

"Everything he did to the Wave never changed. Before and after today, he thought of them as an enemy. I mean, they attacked him and Ms. Yeager. How could he not think of them as an enemy?"

"..."

"Maybe... that's what matters to him. Eren always took things at face value, he always let his actions speak louder than his words. That text he sent me that one time was sweet, but he always spoke through his actions."

"..."

Cinder began to smile again as she let her thoughts become more clear. "And these actions, even after Darkness was gone... they've done nothing but help me. Help everyone around him."

"..."

"He never turned against me, he never called me out for anything. He had every chance to do so... but he's still fighting with me. Fighting for me."

"..."

"He's doing this because... because that's what he does. He just keeps moving forward until his enemies are gone." Cinder stood up and continued to talk. "And that's what I have to do too."

"..."

"Corruption, crime, villages in danger... those are my enemies. And I can't do nothing about them. After all, Eren's set the best example he could."

"..."

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

---

Author's notes: hey everyone, hope you're doing good. For those of you wondering, the names of the gangs and village here came from RWBY: The Grimm Campaign. You can read more about it on the RWBY wiki, but everything you need to know about the gangs and Kuchinashi were all covered here. Furthermore, we want to give as shoutout to Atreides1225 for the idea with Cinder's brooch. We made a chapter for Beyond the Path with it, and now we included it in the main story. Hope you like it!

Also, you should expect this arc to end soon (about three chapters left). As you may have noticed, the second arc of this story mainly covers the work Eren and his friends take on immediately after Salem's defeat. Mainly, the work Cinder hopes to achieve for her home. The next arc, however, will chart into some familiar territory known to us RWBY fans. Just wanted to clear that up, for anyone who was wondering what direction AT and I will be taking A New Path towards.

And speaking of RWBY fans, I bet you're all happy to hear that RWBY's new home is VIZ Media. They've done some work with RWBY manga before, they may do it again soon. AT and I haven't heard any plans for V10 or anything like that, but rest assured we will continue our story regardless of RWBY's future.

Lastly, I'm sorry this chapter came late. We were going to upload it earlier, but then the FFN site crashed. I actually use the FFN app, but I know a lot of users use the website. So if the site crashes again, I'd recommend downloading the app. Also, don't forget we also post on AO3.

That's all AT and I have for now. We hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave a comment before you go.