First, they flew over an army of Wall Titans, trying their best not to look down, not to think about the countless people they killed, and many more they still will.
Then, they were out of sight, and Pieck saw a devastated wasteland drowning in blood. She could still hear their steps in the distance. It took a long time for them to finally dissipate and leave nothing but a grave, looming silence. It was a long way to Paradis; Pieck didn't expect Falco to be able to make it without taking any breaks on their way, though it was better for them not to linger . So many distinct countries, cultures, and lush lands have become a monotone ruin, centuries of history erased in a few days. Pieck was left to wonder just how different it would've turned out if the Warriors had never set foot on Paradis and never unleashed the monster that was Eren Yeager.
"Pieck…" Oliver reached out to his daughter, who watched the sky in silence, still unwilling to speak and admit to her shameful failure, even if she knew it was inevitable. "What happened on Paradis? Why did those devils…Why did they do this?! Where are the others?"
"Where is Reiner? You…You still haven't told me." Karina added. Gabi sat in silence and looked down; a part of Pieck selfishly hoped that the girl would bear the burn of telling Karina of her son's death, but it was unfair to Gabi.
"I-it's a long story…" Pieck finally forced herself to talk. There was nothing to hide at this point. She recounted everything as well as she could remember it. The battle on Paradis, Zeke's arrival, Porco's sacrifice, and Falco's Titan, the Rumbling…How Eren became the devil, they feared their whole life. How Pieck and her allies joined forces with the strongest soldiers of Paradis who wanted to stop the world's destruction, how they chased and fought Eren, and just how close Reiner was to his mother. But in the end, Pieck has to tell the bitter truth about what happened to him.
The only sound that broke the wasteland's silence was that of a mother's scream. She wept, clinging on to Gabi, shaking and wailing in despair, only occasionally forcing herself to speak a few words.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, Reiner, I'm sorry!"
Pieck couldn't force herself to watch , not when she was so close to saving him. Today, families have been destroyed. Gabi lost her parents and cousin, Katina lost her son and brother, Falco lost both of his parents, and he couldn't contain occasional wails within himself. And what about her? She ended up luckier than them.
"Pieck, listen…" Oliver says beside her. "It's not your fault; you always do your best."
"I know, it's…" Pieck stuttered. "Let's get to safety first and then talk about it, alright?" There was no way for them to stop Eren Yeager, not when the power of four titans coursed through him. He would complete the rumbling and destroy every single nation outside of Paradis.
"Of course, but…Is there any place left that's safe for us?"
No, there was not. Only those where they had a slightly higher chance of survival.
Eventually, the group made it to Paradis. Falco landed amidst the woodland, somewhere where the Yeagerists would be unlikely to find them, at least not immediately. Seeing the island that still had some nature preserved, even if some of it was trampled by Titans, was a stark contrast to how the rest of the world was. For the first time, this place truly felt like Paradise. Once they touched the ground, Falco finally allowed himself to separate from his titanic carcass and relax. The boy breathed heavily as he fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I…I can't carry on. I need a break."
"It's alright, you've done more than enough," Pieck reassured him before looking over her group. All of them were tier, their eyes still full of tears. Falco couldn't walk at all and had to lean on Oliver, while Gabi remained close to Karina. Pieck had to carry them deeper into the forest and find a suitable place for rest . She bit her hand and transformed into the Cart Titan, welcoming the other four on her back. "Come on, I'll find a place we can spend the night at."
Pieck and her companions made their way through the surprisingly silent woodland. They were outside the Kingdom territory, yet Pieck was still expecting something more. The echoes of gunshots, explosions, and trampling that permeated this place only a few days ago still pierced her ears, yet it seemed like this place had been serene for decades, even with all those traces of destruction. All survivors must have retreated within the walled territory. The walls were no more, but most of the Paradis settlements remained in that area.
"Is this the devil's isle?" Karina asked in disbelief as she looked around it.
"It doesn't look like I expected," Oliver added. "It's so…Normal, so quiet. Relaxing, even."
"Doesn't matter." Karina shook her head. "It's not the island that's vile; it's the people that live here; we are all alone among devils now…" She looked down in shame, allowing Gabi to speak up.
"They aren't devils…Well, not all of them are." The girl explained. "If we find someone like Kaya, they'll be able to help us."
"Do you even hear what you're saying?" Karina had her eyes wide open. "You can't be defending them! Those 'people', they…You know what they did, Gabi, you…"
"Only Eren did that. Some others were ready to risk their lives to stop him!"
"You told me what his followers tried to do to them! The moment someone betrays their vile ways, they come after them!"
"There…There must be someone who'll understand." Gabi said with doubt, prompting Oliver to talk.
"To be fair, that's a good point. Eren killed those who fought against him, so…Who is ruling this island now? Do they support him?"
"Yeah…" Falco showed his voice. "Without Hanji and her squad there's no one to resist the Yeagerists. We're all alone here, no one will risk their lives to help us even if they'd want to! We might be going straight into a trap!" His voice grew louder and more fearful, Pieck felt it was the time to respond.
"Don't worry , I'll be carefu l." Pieck reassured him. They don't have any titans here, we have two quickest ones, and yours can fly, too. We'll only need a few moments to escape."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because now is the worst time for doubts. Come on, it shouldn't be too long before…Aargh!"
Suddenly, Pieck felt a piercing pain in her heart that swiftly spread across her entire body before dissipating without a trace.
"Ow!" She heard Falco's pained voice; he must have felt it too , but not anyone else.
"What…Is something wrong?" Oliver said with concern, but Pieck felt the ability to speak gradually leaving her .
The feeling that came afterward was strangely satisfying. As if the chains that clung to her soul for years disappeared in a matter of seconds. There were images flashing before Pieck's eyes. First, it was a lone Colossal Titan standing alone against the approaching hordes. It tried to resist and fight back, yet inevitably fell before the onslaught, its flesh tramped and broken by those monsters. Then, there was a flash of a familiar woman with short dark hair, Mikasa…In tears and bringing a blade towards her veins. Finally, she saw Eren in his human form holding the hand of a small girl with white hair, both somber and emotionless, as they looked upon the trail they had left.
And then, Pieck's Titan turned to dust. Slowly but surely, it deteriorated, first cutting off her connection to the carcass and then slowly forcing it to dissipate.
"What's going on?" Gabi said with fear as Pieck heard her jump off from the dissipating Titan.
"Pieck!" Oliver rushed towards her as his daughter completely separated from the Titan, who had already become a pile of ash by this point . He held the woman close and helped her get up. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine, just…Saw some things and."
"Wait, Pieck, your marks!" Oliver spoke up.
"What about them?"
"They're gone completely."
Pieck looked around, trying to gather her thoughts. Everyone was confused, yet only Falco was focused on her. Pieck could see in his eyes that he knew something.
"Did you…See the Rumbling? And Eren? And Mikasa?"
"More or less…Did you feel anything?"
"Yeah, it's like a part of me was just gone in an instant ." Now that Falco mentioned it, Pieck realized she felt the same way , too . More than a day had passed since they escaped; maybe Eren already finished the rumbling. And now that he had, and if he truly established contact with the founder Ymir, there was one logical step he could take. Pieck bit her hand, but there was no reaction. Her body didn't begin transforming or regenerating, nothing. Falco did the same and to no avail.
"That…Didn't look like a normal transformation." Gabi said as she looked at the ash, stating what was on Pieck's mind.
"We can't transform anymore. It just felt like my shell died. I lost any sense of control…I don't feel any of its power." Pieck explained, prompting her father to respond.
"Could it be because of that monster, Eren?"
"Probably, I'm not sure what he did, but I wouldn't be surprised if he could take our powers away with Ymir's help…"
"So we don't even have titans now?" Karina said with shock. " We're on their island without any weapons, any titans, we don't have anything at all! What are we going to do when they find us?" Her voice was full of panic, unsurprising considering all she went through.
"Mrs Braun, please…" She couldn't be too commanding or forceful; this would only make Karina panic even more, but it was necessary to calm her down.
"We have nothing to defend ourselves with! Do you have any idea how we can survive?!" Her hands shook as she looked at Pieck with pleading eyes.
"Perhap s." Pieck said calmly. " I've been here twice before , I know those surroundings, but I need you to trust me again, I'm afraid." Pieck explained . "We have no choice but to blend in with them somehow. I imagine Paradis is in a disarray after the battle that happened, not to mention the crumbling walls and marching titans. A lot of homes probably got destroyed and many people are running to safer places… We could blend in."
"Won't they recognize us?" Falco wondered.
"Dad and Mrs. Braun are safe , I doubt they'll suspect anything of children, and me…I'll have to stay careful and try to hide my face. I know the villages around here , all we have to do is to find which one was especially maimed and then pose as refugees who ran deeper towards the capital. This is our only real chance to blend in and gain some of their trust for now ."
"But what then?" Oliver wondered. "We can't just stay here; they'll figure out the truth sooner or later."
"I know…But we don't have much of a choice. Let's focus on getting food and finding somewhere to sleep; then, we can discuss the rest."
Even simply delaying the inevitable felt relieving in Pieck's eyes.