Creation began on 06-26-24
Creation ended on 07-05-24
Attack on Titan
The Dark Titan: Change is Present
Eren was simply a young man for whom the way of the world was not to his liking if it didn't go his way, but as he walked down the street a few days later, after the whole of Trost District learned about the incident involving Kaede Sogen being an unnecessary mishap due to several members of the nobility wanting to see if the girl would try to escape, endangering innocent lives in the process, only to discover that she refused to risk the lives of anyone to save her own, and were finally convinced that she was not a threat to any of the people behind Wall Sina, their primary concern, the young man was disgusted with how little blame was directed towards the Sogen girl for merely existing with such power. It was like, everything that the girl found a way to become involved in, she took apart and reworked and got something out of it that benefited her in some way or another, and he hated her more for it. The government was letting her go, the Survey Corps had her as an ally, and now, based solely on what was in the news, the royal family had requested her aid and now she was affiliated with the most powerful family within the Walls.
I don't get it! He wonders as he looks down at a stack of broken bricks. I worked my butt off to try and join the Survey Corps, failing at the most important part of the requirements to enlist in the Cadet Corps, and she gets to be a part of the Survey Corps without having to do anything special! She was a Titan the whole time, and she gets to be seen as a hero to the people when she's nothing more than a monster like the other Titans beyond the Walls! Why can't the people see that?! Why can't they see that she is not to be admired or respected, but despised and executed before she becomes even more of a monster?! Why?!
-x-
Every once in a while, Kaede would see her. She would see Ymir Fritz, standing in front of her, looking at her with rage comparable to that of other people she didn't know personally, full of contempt towards her, and all she'd do is feel pity towards her for doing what she had to do. And while she confided in her parents and friends about this, only Frieda understood the drawbacks of what Kaede did to free her from the vow that renounced the Founding Titan's ability to get involved in warfare. It was a small miracle that the gray-haired girl didn't let this new dynamic drive her mad, seeing a girl that nobody else could see.
"Kaede?" She turns to see Krista, or rather, Historia, going by her real name now, dressed in her civilian clothes, looking at her with Ymir. "How are you feeling right now?"
Trying to keep from screaming and lashing out at people for something I chose to do that I'm trying to keep from driving me crazy, she thinks as she smiles. "Taking it all one day at a time."
Looking away from the young woman that was a member of the royal family on her father's side, Kaede returns her gaze to the farmlands in front of her…and the angry Ymir Fritz.
"You still see her?" Historia asks Kaede. "Ymir Fritz, I mean. You're seeing her right now?"
"Yes. Right there (Kaede points to where she sees her). She never says anything, but her expression is always the same, locked in anger for what I did."
"But…you helped free Frieda from being unable to make better choices that could help the people. How could she be angry with you over something as good as this?"
"Those with the power of the Founding Titan possess the power to know everything, past and future, within the eternity of the present. Unlike the Attack Titan possessed by Mr. Shadis, who can only see events yet to transpire from the viewpoint of those yet to possess it or from himself beyond tomorrow, Frieda, and those like her, can see and know everything, no matter what, and it includes knowledge of people's fates, including her own. Apparently, my existence is a random shot in the darkness…and my involvement in things changed the future; Frieda could make small changes because her life didn't end five years ago, something that shouldn't have happened…but happened because Eren Yeager's father, Dr. Yeager, who possessed the Attack Titan then, didn't show up to kill her or the rest of the Reiss family like the future had preordained. Ymir Fritz believes in everything she saw following an order that couldn't be deviated…and is upset with me because I don't fit into what she saw…at all."
"But…you helped saved my sister…which I'm forever grateful to you for doing…even when none of us knew then what we know now. We know more now than we ever could've before, and it's all because of you. Even if Mrs. Fritz hates you for existing, I'm glad that you exist, Kaede. I'm glad…that you're the Dark Titan that people see as an ally and not as an enemy. Thank you."
Kaede smiles at Historia as she leans on the fencing that overlooks the farmlands. Even when the original order of how the future was supposed to go was no longer valid in any sense, Kaede's view of the future had to be as she herself preferred over what some other person she either never saw or even spoke to had decreed that she might've been against from the very start. The future had to be something she wanted, not something someone else wanted because it revolved around something she might've been uninterested in being a part of.
I hope you suffer! She hears Ymir Fritz's words of malice in her head, and while all the original Founding Titan holder could do to Kaede was express her contempt towards her for putting her in a dark place inside her own mind, Kaede sighs with little hope that she would change her tune towards her in the days to come. I hope you suffer immensely for your wretched existence!
-x-
No matter how much Rod Reiss disliked this all, he had no choice but to accept it. The same went for the rest of the family and Historia's mother, Alma. The truth could no longer be kept from the people of Paradis and the world needed to know that change was upon them all.
The Survey Corps and Kaede Sogen would have the resources necessary to rebuild Shiganshina District once the issue regarding Marley's current holder of the Beast Titan and its forces were addressed, and Historia was to be accepted into the Reiss family.
"Just because she has a right to the throne, it doesn't necessarily mean that she wants it," Frieda explained to her parents and siblings. "In the previous future I saw, while she did become the queen after me, her reign had troubles because of other people's intentions. This way, she won't be exploited and can live a life of her own choosing."
And the future she once saw still had some sway in the form of the animosity held against Paradis from Marley and the allies it possessed because of the centuries of bloodshed instigated by the First King using the Titans to build his empire of tyranny. Once that had been resolved, they could progress into peace treaties and the like.
"Are you confident that Ms. Sogen will prevail over this Beast Titan?" Frieda hears Erwin ask her, regarding the matter that had the Survey Corps preparing to return to Shiganshina.
"I saw her do it," Frieda tells him. "And I saw the Beast Titan fall to her might. She's more powerful and more capable than you think."
"It's not her abilities that have me concerned about this operation," he states. "It's her tolerance towards violence. I understand that she's not a fan of conflict and would rather not cause people harm at all, but can she handle herself if this Beast Titan refuses to reconsider a nonviolent recourse? Based on what we learned from Bertolt Hoover, the current Beast Titan is considered to be a threat when it throws objects at its targets."
Frieda sighs and tells Erwin that while this was true, he should have faith in Kaede's judgment regarding the Beast Titan, that while she might've been sensitive to factors regarding life and death and the possibility of taking a life instead of saving one, the one and only Dark Titan would swallow her morality when push came to shove and someone that refused to relent was going to cross the line with her. If Frieda could take away the power of the Beast Titan, she would've, but it wasn't something she could do with any of the Titans affiliated with the Nine Titans. At least not yet. But she promised him that the Titans still between Walls Rose and Maria were now a thing of the past, enabling for a safe travel on horseback.
"But tell me," Erwin wants to know at least, "will Ms. Sogen be alright?"
"She will be," Frieda answers him.
-x-
"Are you sure you don't want me to simply change and carry you all over to Shiganshina?" Kaede asks Levi and Hange, two days later, once all preparations were made to proceed to Wall Maria.
"Against the Beast Titan, you'll need to be at your best," Hange replies on the reason why they were taking the standard procession instead of the Dark Titan. "Even if this enemy doesn't see us coming, they won't have the advantage that you have by being a Titan for longer than a few hours or so. While the fight might not even take so long, we can't underestimate who we'll be up against, so every second will count."
Kaede understood this to be true, since they were informed of the Beast Titan from Bertolt, and she knew about it from the knowledge she witnessed from her encounter with Ymir Fritz. But what bothers her about dealing with the Beast Titan is that she wasn't sure what to expect from a Titan that changed its form from one person inheriting it to the next, and always some sort of animal that was more dangerous than any that they read about in old books. Sometimes, the Beast Titan was something like a bird of prey, other times it was something like a wolf, but the current incarnation of the Titan was something like a human, only with longer arms and a savage face. Not even Bertolt's description of it did him any favors besides keeping himself alive.
"Nervous?" Connie asks Kaede as they were in the wagon about to be pulled by two horses.
"No," she responds, "just worried about how this will transpire."
"I'm not worried about anything. We got you and Mr. Shadis."
Kaede was then reminded that Keith Shadis was accompanying them to Shiganshina where the Beast Titan was waiting for them.
"Hold on," went Jean as he curious about something. "He said he received the Titan he has from someone that once lived here, but how many times has he used it ever since?"
"Only four times," Armin answers him.
"That's not a lot of practice."
"Not everyone that ever had the power of the Titans used it during the course of their thirteen years of possessing something that was akin to a blessing and a curse, Mr. Stein," Kaede states; she was probably among the few exceptions they knew of because she has been using her Titan power since coming out as the Dark Titan, but even that was rare because of the control she demonstrated once learning that those that possessed the power and used it for the first time had no control in the beginning, acting more on a fight-or-flight instinct.
"And not every generation of a particular Titan was ever suited for conflict."
Kaede didn't question him over this fact, but she didn't want everything she did to help the Survey Corps or the people of this tiny island, which, up until now, has been their entire world cut off from the world beyond their sheltered existence, to revolve around violence. While she might've demonstrated self-defense as a Titan, she wasn't comfortable with it like she was with building the makeshift barriers to replace the destroyed gates of Shiganshina and Trost. It reminded her of something her father once asked about what she wanted to use her hands for, either for positive creation or negative destruction. In the end, she told him she wanted to create rather than destroy.
"Stay positive, Kaede," went Sasha to her. "We're out of the state of zero and minus. All we need to do is rebuild Shiganshina after dealing with the Beast Titan, and you'll be the biggest help on that project."
She smiles kindly, reminded that some of them had seen her building methods and knew she was capable of creation more than she was capable of breaking things. Soon after, the wagon was moving along the route they were taking, and she looked up at the clear sky above, seeing a flock of birds flying in the direction they were going.
-x-
Eren read the newspaper like everyone else in town has…and couldn't believe half of what was printed down. For over a century, they were led to believe that they were all that remained of the human race, that Titans ruled the world, but as it turns out, this was all a lie, and the people that propagated the lie were members of the nobility that did so because of one man's self-hatred towards his own people that never asked to do what they did to the rest of the world long ago, but they were going to change everything over time with the people's patience.
"This is a surprise," he hears his mother say as she read the paper today, seeing the same facts as he did. "But it's a good thing. Patience pays off to those that wait."
"Except the nobles lied about it all," he tells her. "They lied to the rest of us and should be punished for doing so."
"They're already paying for their deception, Eren."
"Not to me, they aren't."
"Eren…this isn't about you. It's about everyone."
But all Eren could see in the news was that the nobles were sugarcoating their guilt with false promises of change, giving the Survey Corps more resources to help get Shiganshina ready for reconstruction…and how it appears that Kaede Sogen was now in the good graces of the royal family, which made the gray-haired girl the envy of the people because of her Titan power. Glaring at the girl's name printed in the paper, he quietly fumed over how life seemed to reward the Sogen girl immensely…while he was chastised for even the most minor of offenses.
"…Honestly, Kaede's an angel…"
"…Miss Sogen is a sweetheart…"
"…She's any mother's dream come true…"
"…I wish I had a daughter like her, even with the gray hair…"
Ever since he could be bothered with remembering, Eren has heard practically nothing but how much some of the people that used to live in Shiganshina love and respect Kaede. And now, even when she was revealed to be a Titan Shifter that lives among them within the Walls, they still give her the benefit of the doubt and see her as a godsend, not as a monster. And he hated how much people were deluding themselves over this, simply because this girl was favored for her looks and behavior. Oh, how he hates Kaede for everything…and just wants her to admit that she's a monster.
"I'm heading out," he tells his mother as he gets up and leaves out the kitchen.
Carla watches as her son leaves the room, but she has a twinge of concern on her face as she looks down at the paper. Despite it only being a few days since the incident in Trost that led to a few injuries and Kaede being kidnapped and later found and returned to her parents, she worries that her son was letting his resentment towards the girl drive him down a very unpleasant path from which there was no turning back. But he knew better than to go anywhere near the Sogens; she had requested a restraining order that barred him from going within a hundred yards from the family's home and had to stress that he stay away from Kaede, otherwise there would be repercussions he couldn't walk away from.
"Grisha, where are you when I need you?" She questions.
-x-
The night was quiet. Almost disturbingly so, but Kaede was able to sleep, despite the rugged terrain the wagons were being pulled over. It would be morning by the time they reached Shiganshina and begin the difficulty of the Beast Titan of Marley. She would need to be rested as best as she could before the would-be fight began.
"It's hard to believe what she's capable of from looking at her face," says Shadis as he looks at the sleeping girl.
"You'd think she wouldn't have to worry about things," went Armin, subtly agreeing with him about her. "She believes in the wisdom of those that came before her, not wanting to cause a stir because she might do something wrong."
"But sooner or later, someone is going to do something wrong, and they'll either turn to their elders for help or reject whatever advice they try to give them."
Armin sighs and expresses, "I don't believe Ms. Sogen will reject any advice that an older person will give her if she trusts them enough with whatever situation she's in."
"And Eren Yeager would reject such advice because he has difficulty trusting others that know better than he does?"
Armin nods in the positive.
"Just tell me one thing," he says to Shadis. "If it came down to it, you would put your faith in Kaede, wouldn't you?"
"If I had a choice, and I strive to make sure that I do, no matter what other people think, I would put my faith in Ms. Sogen. Why? Because I choose to."
"Despite Eren disliking Kaede, I haven't found any reason excusable to do the same. Even after finding out that she can become a Titan, I don't look at her with fear or hatred. I just see her as…the same girl that had been disrespected by Eren and nearly ended him for something he started, just to make her do something to make him get out of her way. But I worry sometimes that, despite it now being the present and many of us have moved past that day, Eren hasn't moved past it…or hasn't attempted to move past it…or anything related to Kaede. I keep fearing the worst."
"You fear the worst possibly happening while I pray that I never see the worst beyond today."
"And if they were to ever know the truth?"
Armin was referring to Eren and Carla ever learning that Grisha was dead, that he was once from Marley, that he once possessed the Attack Titan…and that he gave it to Shadis instead of Eren…simply because he made a different choice that undid the future he once saw very little of.
"Carla, I believe, could handle it and move past it," Shadis states, "but Eren…would probably want me dead."
"Has anyone ever told you two," they hear Kaede's voice as the girl opens her eyes, "that it's nearly impossible to sleep when people keep talking? I'm sure that your conversation is meaningful and everything, but it doesn't really help the ones that need sleep. And this is only my opinion, but, yeah, he'd most likely want you dead if he found out his father was dead and he held you responsible…but only if he found out, which won't be from me, because it's not for me to say anything about it."
"You…heard all of that?" Armin asks her, and she sits up and nods her head.
"Ymir Fritz had shown me many things that could've been, but are not and won't be," she informs, "including a future in which he possessed both the Attack and Founding Titans. I call it a miracle of deviance that he doesn't possess either because his father made a different choice this time around. I call it a miracle of deviance that you, Mr. Shadis, haven't done anything to endanger the lives of others because of a pursuit towards freedom, which is an ideal that isn't clear enough to be understood or embraced. And I'm still grateful that you vouched for my life at my tribunal that day. All I want after all is said and done…is to live a peaceful and simple life."
"Not all seek to control or destroy…just as not all wish to be free," Shadis says. "I mean, we want to be free…but not always in the way others believe we do. I don't embrace any form of freedom I don't really believe in. While I do believe in order, I will not challenge authority if I believe in it…and I'm the first person in a long line of people to have possessed the Attack Titan…but working against the drive for freedom in favor of peace. Peace clashes with the belief of freedom…just as freedom clashes with the belief of peace."
"If they clash against one another," Kaede questions, "then how can anyone have both of them? That sounds impossible."
"The Attack Titan only fights for freedom. For the sake of freedom, it fights against the world, against authority, against friend and foe. For freedom, it will even wage war and genocide to possess it."
Kaede saw this fitting into the reason why someone like Eren shouldn't ever have such power, as he would've been the most dangerous person in existence, desiring freedom at all costs, and willing to kill for it…only to realize that he will never be free in the way that he wants to be free. The nightmarish depiction of what she saw of him as a Titan scaring her to her bones. While she didn't have an axe to grind against Eren, she wanted nothing to do with him for the rest of her life. All that she longed for were for the days ahead of them all to be peaceful…and full of hope.
"Fighting for peace instead of freedom?" She suggests.
"For some, peace is freedom," Shadis claims, "and as long as we don't have to fight over things or people, I can fight for that."
She smiles.
-x-
Zip! Several Survey Corps members propelled up to the top of the wall as they reached Shiganshina District, surveying the terrain beyond the district.
"What do you think, Commander Smith?" Hange asks as she examines the debris for anything out of the ordinary.
"Someone was definitely here before we arrived," Erwin states, picking up a battered cup. "There was fluid in this cup."
As the ones atop the wall were on the lookout for anyone that didn't belong, the ones below by the breach and sealant were evaluating the stability of said sealant with Kaede nearby in case she was needed.
"What do you think?" Connie asks as Jean looks at the sealant Kaede made before they had left.
"It doesn't look like anyone messed with it," he tells them, feeling with his hands and seeing that it was still sturdy. "Do you see anything wrong with it, Kaede?"
Three people wearing cloaks, the same as the rest of the corps members, came by and walked beside the sealant's trees and stones that made it up, and one of them turned to face Jean.
"It's intact," she says, keeping her gray hair strands out of sight.
Bang! The sound of a flare gun being fired caught their attention, and they all looked up, seeing a black smoke signal.
"Oh, shoot," Kaede expresses as they moved away from the sealant and got behind the breach.
But Kaede had to wait for her cue; the signal flare she was waiting for had to be a red one. When the Beast Titan was identified as having made its appearance, she would transform and make their intentions known. But if the Beast Titan refused to be accepting, she would have to hope that there was a deity willing to forgive her next transgression.
That's only if talking fails, she thinks as they move away from the breach.
-x-
The sight of these flashing lights and the emerging Titans that appeared outside Wall Maria made Erwin wonder how pitiless this servant of Marley was for exploiting his power in such a cruel manner. He must've counted at least thirty Titans of the thirteen-fourteen-meter variety, with another twenty Titans below ten meters. But no trace of the Beast Titan yet.
Flash! Another burst of light from afar was seen…and Erwin and Levi could see a creature that looked like a giant man covered in hair, with long arms and a beard.
"Warchief Zeke Yeager's Beast Titan resembles a monkey of sorts with a beard," Bertolt had informed them about the description of the current Beast Titan. "When he starts to hurl projectiles at you, take cover and hope you survive."
"Incoming!" Levi yells as the corps members atop the wall jump off behind it, seeing the Titan pull back its right arm and hurl something forward.
The wall was struck with incredible force from whatever was thrown, but the soldiers were able to avoid being pummeled.
"Quick! Shoot the flare!" Erwin yells, and a soldier raises up a flare gun, firing the required flare signal in the air.
Black smoke could be seen by all within the ruins of the district, and Kaede saw her cue to get involved in the fight.
"Are you ready for this?" Shadis asks her.
"No," she answers, "but there's no other way to get our words across without someone else telling this guy that we can resolve this without further violence, is there?"
"Not at this point, there isn't."
Kaede runs out into the open of the district and picks up a charred piece of metal, and then scrapes her left arm with it, drawing blood. She grins and bares her teeth as she can feel the buildup of heat and energy emanating from within her bones, but she has to wait until something different happens.
Blast! An explosion occurs a considerable distance from where she stood and she turns to see a large Titan that was muscular, fifteen meters, and had a face that resembled Keith Shadis', only exhibiting an expression of grief all the time.
This was the Attack Titan of Keith Shadis, the Titan that, according to Frieda, was similar to Kaede's own Dark Titan, being that it was simply not meant to be…but was here and changing things for the people of Paradis. It came over to Kaede and lowered its left hand to her. She hops onto the hand and is raised into the air.
"Yo, Kaede!" She hears Jean yell to her. "You got this! You beat Hoover's ass, and he was humongous! You're the biggest deal!"
"You're unstoppable!" She hears Sasha add in. "Show off!"
She smiles, despite being momentarily pained by holding her transformation at bay. These people she barely knew, barely spoke with and, only at first, had very little reason to trust in her…were here to support her against the Beast Titan and its forces. They believed in her, and that belief was what gave her additional conviction to do what she needed to do in order to end this. As she feels her spine wanting to burst from her back, she looks up at Keith's Titan face.
"Do it," she tells him. "Do it!"
Keith pulls back his arm…and hurls Kaede into the air.
"Aaaahh!" She yells as she looks down at the world below her feet, seeing the land beyond Wall Maria. You were right, Mother. It really is beautiful.
Boom! Her body became enveloped in heat and light as her Dark Titan generated its bones and flesh, its long hair spread out like a cape, tied around her limbs.
She could see the Beast Titan and the horde of Titans around it…and had to wonder if this Zeke Yeager fellow ever thought to consider if he had brought enough people that he enabled Marley to enslave further with him.
"You will find a way to win, Kaede," Historia had told her before she left with the Survey Corps, Ymir, who was revealed to be the Jaw Titan, another of the Nine Titans, staying behind with her as her bodyguard. "You possess a power that not many people think of having, and that separates you from the people that want to hurt us. Good luck out there."
Aim, then dive! Kaede thought as she took aim at the Beast Titan. He really is a monster from the way his Titan looks.
Then, she dove down towards the enemy. The Beast Titan picked up another rock and fractured it into pieces, which it then hurls into the air at the Dark Titan, but she wasn't afraid of being pummeled with stones. Not when they barely fazed her.
-x-
An Edge
"Are you sure about this?" Kaede had asked Frieda shortly after the revelation that Historia was her sister, looking at a syringe filled with a clear fluid. "I mean, I don't believe that I'm worthy of such a power."
"As someone that set me free from being unable to change my fate and the fate of others around me," Frieda responded as she held the syringe up, "I believe you deserve to have every advantage possible against future threats. We already know the Dark Titan is nimble and fast enough to dodge most attacks, and your skin is tough enough to withstand minor attacks, but you lack additional durability. That's why you should possess the power to harden your Titan skin."
"Harden my Titan skin?"
"Out of the Nine Titans, only three possess the ability to strengthen their flesh from the start. The Armored Titan, the Jaw Titan, and the War Hammer Titan, but to varying degrees. The Armored Titan automatically hardens its skin to protect itself against external damage. The Jaw Titan naturally has hardened teeth and arms that can tear through most substances, including the hardened skin of other Titans. But the War Hammer Titan takes it all to a higher level, able to create constructs out of its own flesh, including its namesake weapon of choice. My ancestor, Karl Fritz, used the Founding Titan to turn his people into Colossal Titans to create the Walls out of hardening their own flesh over a century ago, a feat that nobody to this day has surpassed. I don't know what hardening capabilities a Titan like yours will possess, but since you're similar to other members of the Nine Titans, you'll likely possess hardening abilities on par with the Armored and War Hammer Titans. Just use your imagination. Whatever you can think of is what your Titan's skin will create for you."
Kaede, despite her initial concern about this, let Frieda inject her with the fluid that had once come from a Subject of Ymir that possessed the War Hammer Titan of the past, hopefully granting her the power to harden her skin. As fearful as she had been about this, she was more afraid of failing to return the people to Shiganshina District after it was rebuilt than likely not possessing an edge against her foes in the future. And while her parents were still fearful of her getting hurt, it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't be hurt and die since it was uncertain what became of her body within the Dark Titan, as it wasn't in the nape at all.
-x-
The Beast Titan was awestruck by this Dark Titan, as it was exactly as Reiner and Annie had described it. Excluding its height, since it was in the air, making it difficult to determine its exact size until it touched the ground. But the rocks it threw at it didn't stop it in the slightest as it continued to build speed in its descent towards it and its forces.
I gotta harden, the person inside it realized at the last moment, trying to harden the Beast Titan's body. You will not stop me!
SLICE! The Dark Titan made contact with the Beast Titan and its Titan horde of slaves…and cut right through their bodies like a knife through butter, slamming into the ground.
It quickly got back up and turned around to assess the damage it caused, seeing each Titan either cut in half at the waist or decapitated and wasting away to the bones. But the Beast Titan, minus its arms and legs, had fallen to the ground and was slowly regenerating its missing portions.
"So long as a Titan is regenerating its missing appendages needed to continue acting out, it's not a threat if it can't move," Levi had told her once. "If you can't kill a Titan, at least disable it for easy confinement. Or better yet, if you can't risk capturing it, take advantage of the time it's using to regenerate and put it down for good."
So long as the nape is intact, this guy is alive, Kaede thinks as she walks over and extends her Titan's left hand, but if his body is maimed before or after being removed from the nape, he won't be able to transform again until after his body has recovered due to already transforming.
She pulls the head of the Beast Titan her way, just as its right hand was regenerating its fingers.
Slice! Her hair strands form a curved blade that she used to cut off the limb, hindering the Beast Titan and forcing to continue regenerating.
"Wait!" It spoke in a male voice. "Show mercy! I know who you are! Have mercy!"
Unfortunately, Kaede knew who he was, as well, and wasn't going to risk him taking any lives.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Yeager," she utters his name, "but my mercy is reserved for those that don't have blood on their hands and hatred in their souls."
Grip! She grabs the Beast Titan's head and starts to pull at it, getting some resistance from the muscles and bones that had been hardened.
Tear! With push coming to shove, Kaede rips the head off, all save for the jaw, and throws it at three nine-meter Titans that were already running towards her.
Looking down at the remnants of the exposed nape, Kaede sees the man within the damaged body and wills strands of her hair to reach down at him.
"If you move," she warns him, "I will take you further down and make sure you never get up again, Mr. Yeager. I urge you to surrender now…or you will have chosen your fate."
The man, a gruff and blunt, bespectacled person with blond hair and a beard, bare-chested and wearing pants and boots, looks up at the Dark Titan and couldn't believe that this being was really eighteen meters. Excluding the Colossal Titan, the Beast Titan was a force to be reckoned with, but now he saw how this Titan, unaffiliated with the Nine Titans, was in a class by itself.
"Don't make me kill you," Kaede tells him.
-x-
"…You know, I was surprised that you came over here to talk after everything that has happened in the last few weeks, Mrs. Yeager," Christine says to Carla as she sits in her living room with tea on the table. "After Kaede made an unintentional fuss with the nobility, I suspected that your son was going to raise Hell over it all."
"Yes, well," went Carla, "Eren has been stubborn towards your daughter for a long time. It's like…he blames her for everything that has happened, even though she's not directly responsible for everything. Yes, she intentionally demolished our home in Shiganshina, but I found it in my heart to forgive her for doing so. And it was only a house. It was already damaged when the wall was breached, and it can always be rebuilt. Mmm… What kind of tea is this?"
"Chamomile."
"I always thought you were a jasmine flavor."
"Not really. Jasmine, chamomile, ginger, ginseng. I try not to be a creature of habit when it comes to certain things, and tea is among them."
"So…are you okay with this all? Your daughter has…become quite popular with the people."
"Not exactly by choice, but Kaede's…she's her father's daughter. Nothing has changed her ambition to lead a simple and happy life of her choosing. And…she doesn't let her newfound status make her feel entitled to things she may not even want. She does her best to keep from having to cross the line between being a good person and a soulless fiend. But it doesn't change the fact that she's aware that some people don't believe the way she does, preferring to resolve issues with violence over talking."
"Yeah, your daughter's a positive person, not a negative one."
"I know this is probably a conflict of interest, but is your son ever likely to cease his fruitless vendetta against Kaede? There's nothing to gain from going after her. I mean…it's just feeding his own conscious dislike of her. Persisting in it will only cause more pain."
"As much as I hope that he will eventually let go, I have my doubts that he will do so any time soon. I just hope he will stay away from your daughter; after she brought him home in a headlock, I knew his harassment of her was going too far. It's why I got the restraining order against him. Unless he's actively seeking time in prison, he will stay away."
-x-
Zeke Yeager was a man without any measure of honor or willingness to accept mercy at the cost of defeat. The second he raised his voice to whatever Titans he still had under his control that were still active, that was when Kaede knew he was hopeless as long as he still had breath in his lungs…and silenced him…just long enough for Levi and Hange to come collect him. But Kaede was still a young woman for whom murder held no place in her conscience; however, she was content with minor maiming, since this was a man that brought his downfall upon himself. Using her hair strands, she severed his limbs, hindering him. With his remaining Titan horde dismembered and unable to move, the battle between Marley and Paradis had ceased in the favor of the latter over the former.
"Graaaaurgh!" Zeke grunts as he was gagged while Hange examined his glasses after Kaede tied the dismembered Titan Shifter so that he couldn't regenerate his missing limbs. "Gaaaurgh!"
"It's your own fault," the Dark Titan tells Zeke. "I gave you the option of surrendering peacefully, something you didn't even bother trying to say to any of us. You chose to sic your makeshift soldiers on me. You've exhausted your mercy from me."
What in the bloody Hell is this girl? Zeke wonders as the Titan carries the three back to the wall.
"You must be Zeke Yeager," went Erwin to the maimed Titan Shifter after being brought through the breach and into Shiganshina. "Welcome to Paradis. I see you've met the Dark Titan, who's larger than your Beast Titan is by a meter. So now, the question is…what do you want…and why are you doing this in order to get it?"
Of course, Zeke was impaired so he couldn't talk. But even though it was a formality of sorts, they didn't need to hear anything from Zeke; Frieda had confided in them everything she knew once she was released from the vow renouncing war and the removal of Ymir Fritz from the primary paths that connected all of them, and they learned what he was capable of…and knew that he couldn't be trusted. After learning what he was capable of…and how much he despised his own people to the point of wanting to end their existence within a generation or two, there was nothing he could promise them in exchange for some cooperation. If they were to ensure a change, they would have to do it on their terms, without a middleman they knew couldn't be trusted to any degree because they were self-loathing.
"The power of the Rumbling should only exist as a method of absolute last resort when protecting Paradis," Frieda had suggested when they were discussing the future of the island against other countries that may not tolerate their existence. "But deciding who has the last say in when and how it should be used…isn't up to any of us that believe in violence as the only recourse. Therefore, the power of the Rumbling has to be reserved for its use by someone that will know best than the rest of us."
"And who will be the deciding factor in when and how the Rumbling will be used?" Hange had asked her.
"One…that doesn't even want it."
"One that doesn't even want it?" Erwin questioned. "But that could be anyone."
"No," Levi had realized. "Not anyone. We already know who, but are you sure, Ms. Reiss?"
"In the future we were initially heading towards, the Rumbling was implemented and over half the global population was lost. This way, we're not going to cause the bloodshed of innocent lives that have nothing to do with our problems."
In the end, Erwin was among those that was hoping that whoever possessed the power to unleash the Rumbling was one that demonstrated the heart to know right from wrong when the time to came to exploit it. But until such a time came, they were in the clear with the threat they could represent to the world because they wanted to return to the world beyond them, not ruin it.
"What should we do about his remaining forces?" Levi asks Erwin, looking over at the makeshift sealant where what remains of Zeke's aberrant Titans were likely regenerating and roaming around. "There's probably still about ten or twelve of them still up and about."
"Leave them be for now," he answers, looking at Zeke. "We have who we were here to get."
Looking around, Zeke could see that the entire district was completely decimated. No doubt this was the work of the Colossal Titan.
"Yeah, take a good look," he hears the Dark Titan say to him. "This is part of the reason we don't like those that misuse the power of the Titans. In the beginning, the power was feared and exploited, but it was revealed that the power had its uses when it came to creation, building bridges across mountainous terrain, turning wastelands into gardens. But what do you think happens to that benevolence when the people that use the power to do the very opposite of creation? Where's the benevolence of the Colossal Titan? What good can you get from the Beast Titan? Can the War Hammer Titan be used for anything besides warfare? I understand that it's two sides of the same coin, representing order and chaos, creation and destruction, but what good are the Titans when all they're used for is destruction? You might think that you're doing good…but all you're really doing is creating more suffering with your exploitation of such power. How pathetic is that?"
Zeke didn't know where this girl got off with the high and mighty speech, but they were all of them the scum of the Earth and needed to be dealt with. So long as they existed, the fear of the Titans would never cease. But there was something about the way her Titan's eyes seemed to peer into his own eyes. It was as though she were looking into his very soul, almost creeping him out due to her being an unusual Titan Shifter. An aberrant Titan if not a member of the Nine Titans in any sense.
"Such a Titan of this sort would be invaluable if it was under our control," he was reminded of what the military thought of the Dark Titan after learning of it. "Bring it back if possible."
But there was no way Zeke could bring this Titan back to Marley, even if he wasn't ordered to. He viewed this Titan as a threat in every sense of the word, to Marley, the military and anyone else it couldn't be manipulated to aid. And it wouldn't be a surprise if he admitted that he was afraid of it now. A Titan that couldn't be controlled was a Titan wasted of its potential.
To be continued…
A/N: The goal to get out of states zero and minus continues due to new factors being in the way of the final conclusion. But things are looking up in other ways; Frieda is an ally, free to make her own decisions, the Survey Corps have knowledge they wouldn't have access to, and the power of the Rumbling has become resolved in a way that works for the time being. What do you think will happen next?