AoT Changes - Chapter Nineteen: "Two Thousand Years Apart"

- To you, in two thousand years. -

Early March - Year 858 - Mitras, the Royal Palace

Queen Historia took her heavily jewellery encrusted gold crown from its purplish velvet encasement and placed it over her head. She had her royal robes on: a beautiful light-golden gown and her bright blue royal sash. Historia was ready to open Parliament for that year. The Queen bent down and kissed each of the twins on the top of their heads and winked at them afterwards; Eren extended his arm and offered her his hand. Historia took his hand to hold, and with her husband's help she walked out of their private quarters as the toddlers watched mesmerised. Ezra and Ymir thought their mother looked like an angel, all shiny and glistening. The small twins ran after them and watched from up the stairs as their parents left the Palace.

-.-

The berries

The two three-year-olds later went to the gardens to play in their castle full of toys. It was a bright late-afternoon in the early days of spring, the gardens were cold but the many flowers were starting to bloom. Ezra always wore long sleeves regardless, and while Ymir would occasionally wear short sleeves in her spring and summer dresses, they would be fitted with matching gloves. And there was a very good reason for such specific attire. The twins were too young to care or understand, they just wanted to play.

They played in their well-fitted castle: a wooden structure made similar to older eldian fortresses, complete with a slide and two 'watchtowers'. The area was surrounded by sand, for the young toddlers' protection. And Ezra and Ymir loved to play in that sand, they enjoyed drawing figures and making small sculptures; the twins entertained each other fairly easily and their governess would often allow them some freedom in the castle. After all, they were both such well-behaved children.

The small boy ran over to the side, he was hungry so he brought over the small plate of berries that had been left there just for them. Ezra brought it over to offer them to his twin as well. The boy had his mouth and cheeks all red and purple from the berries as he munched on them joyously; he extended his hand, offering the berries to Ymir as she played with a couple of small dolls inside a small sand house she had built. She put the dolls down, the three-year-old decided to remove her gloves.

Ymir was still quite small but the girl had enough understanding to conclude that those berries would stain her as well, as she saw her brother's hands and mouth completely red and purple with the berries' juice. So the princess delicately took off her pretty gloves and stood up from the sand with much grace. But as Ymir was standing up she stepped and slipped on her own long dress and was about to fall down again; so Ezra naturally let go of the plate of berries as he reflectively reached to grab his sister's hand - to stop her from falling down.

He reached with his left hand - holding Ymir's right hand. And the two three-year-olds looked down with pure curiosity as beyond Ezra staining his sister's hand and dress with all the juice from those berries, something else happened. There was this very dark-purple energy forming around their hands as their skins touched. It was something evil, but also very very powerful and both the twins could feel it. The devilish energy surrounded their hands and arms and their eyes started to become completely dark.

That was precisely the reason as to why they always wore long sleeves and gloves. The twins themselves had no idea, but their mother knew very well since the day they were born: they shouldn't touch.

They had been born with that evilness. A strange energy Historia had no idea where had come from. But she herself could feel it before their birth, the mother became very relieved after she delivered, as that evil eeriness left her. But she knew it remained in her children and there was nothing she could do about that.

The twins looked down at their hands and up at each other again, the eeriness was quite thrilling. They smiled.

"Children!" Ezra and Ymir heard their governess shout from up the steps. So they abruptly let go of each other's hands.

"Come on, back inside, it's getting late," the old woman called them, which took the small toddlers away from that gaze. The boy rapidly went in the direction of the garden gates, Ezra was a little more obedient while Ymir was slow to answer.

The girl reached down for her gloves and looked at the dropped plate of berries, it had broken with the fall and neither of them had noticed. The small girl looked at that broken plate contemplative for a moment. Ymir stood up and put on her gloves again, and she also ran back inside the Palace.

.-.

Chapter Nineteen: "Two Thousand Years Apart"

The Tree

Part Three: In Between

≃2000 years ago

[ The birth of Rose ]

The Tower - Fritz Castle

Az was happy and relieved when removing the newborn's umbilical cord; to see that the girl, like her sister before her, also couldn't regenerate.

"It's like a miracle! They are both normal!" he told the mother from the other side of the room, Az was overjoyed. "We don't deserve this blessing," he added.

The soldier was standing over the crib, watching over his small rose. The crib and the whole room were encrusted in pure crystal that the Original Titan had produced while giving birth. A few days had passed, but those crystals were only slowly crumbling and gradually turning into stardust; just as it had been with the first child's birth. The crystals made the whole place look magical, Maria looked around the room mesmerised, she couldn't get tired of it. The toddler felt like she was in a fairytale: a land from her own sweet dreams and deep imagination.

She was sitting on the Queen's bed, beside her mother as her father took the small baby Rose from the crib and brought her over towards them.

Ymir didn't look as happy as Azymondeus was, but she tried to mask it. She had made a deal with the King, long ago. Ymir had promised Fritz she would produce children just like her, to fight for his army and empire. In exchange for her firstborn son ascending the throne, in Torin's place and over all other sons Fritz had. Which of course Fritz would never follow through. He just wanted an excuse to motivate her to produce as many little monsters as she could.

The old malevolent King had that naive girl all wrapped up around his little finger. He had total control over her, it had been like that since she had been thirteen. But Ymir could never notice. She trusted that man like a father, and served him like a father: the father she no longer had, the father she lost because of him. If only Ymir could see it.

"We need to wait until they turn thirteen to be sure," Ymir commented, still hopeful. She expected the girls to be Titans as well, she had promised that to Fritz.

Az walked towards the Queen's bed, and sat in front of Ymir with the baby in his arms. The toddler came closer, curiously, to see the tiny baby.

"This is your sister," he told Maria with a sweet voice.

"Do you think the next one will be a boy?" Ymir asked him, trying to sound careless. "If the next is a boy, I'll name him after my father," she added with a happy smile.

"The next one?" Az asked with eyebrows raised, as Maria reached out and hugged him.

He looked down to the tiny baby in his arms and the tiny toddler around his ribs. "I think I like girls more than boys, they're much cuter. And sweeter," He told the mother with a big smile as he caressed Maria's golden hair locks.

"I can tell that," Ymir noted with a small chuckle.

"My lovely angels," he added, kissing the top of Maria's head and then Rose's tiny forehead. He then gave the newborn for Ymir to hold. "And isn't two more than enough..?" he quietly questioned, under his breath.

"I thought we had decided to leave that to fate, after that horrible discussion," Ymir firmly replied with the tiny newborn in her arms.

The mother was referring to their argument after she told him she was expecting their first child; for their fight and disagreement over that conception had been great. And after all of it they'd eventually had a conciliation and had reached the agreement of leaving any future conception to fate. Not to any odd contraption or lack thereof, or to the decision of only one party without the knowledge of the other, like that first time.

That was the reason the parents were rejoicing much more with this little one. They were both very happy with the results of said agreement. Maria came out of deception while Rose came out of surprise and joy, like the roses he would always surprise her with.

But like those roses which looked magical while appearing out of nowhere with Az's powers. Ymir too hoped these girls would be just a little more magical as well, regardless she was still overjoyed to be a mother.

"And you want fate to give us a boy?" Az asked, a little mistrustfully. "Why? So he can be King of Eldia?" he questioned. Azymondeus could read through her.

"I'm the Queen," Ymir told him very regally. "It's only natural-" She continued pompously but Azzy talked over her.

"And he would be ninth in line," he argued, "after all the King's legitimate sons. Not to mention he wouldn't be his child. Unless you want to tell me something," Az added, coldly.

She couldn't really tell if he was joking or genuinely asking her to confirm if the children were his. That sort of thing is difficult to read from Ackermanns, dry humour is their speciality. His face looked stoic so Ymir decided to just move on. She thought that if he weren't joking then this comment had genuinely been very disrespectful to her.

The young mother looked around her otherworldly crystal room with much joy. "But wouldn't it be wonderful?!" She considered. "To start this lineage with my own blood! To give birth and then be born into it?! From a Fritz child to The Mother of all Fritzs. What if that is my fate?" Ymir wondered with her tiny baby in her arms.

Azzy scratched his head and sighed, a little disappointed. "You just had a baby, so I'll give you a pass," he commented under his breath. Ymir sounded delusional.

"The King of Eldia," she said, smiling.

"Your brother is the King of Eldia where I come from. Or he was about to be, before I left," Azzy started to argue while crossing his arms. "Not that there would be much for him to govern since the world was destroyed. But I'm sure he tried his best," Azzy added, a little condescendingly.

"Destroyed?" Ymir questioned with worry.

And Azzy scratched his head again. "I don't even know how I can know that, but it comes to me in my dreams. Perhaps from some sort of time variation, one where I stayed back in Hizuru," the time traveller tried to theorise.

That wasn't the case however, Azymondeus was simply seeing glimpses of his own future. Drifting around his subconscious and eventually emerging into his dreams. The time traveller had no idea he would one day see that destroyed world with his own eyes. And that King Ezra had been the cause of it. Well, in truth, his father had been.

"And how was the world destroyed?" Ymir questioned him, worried and curious.

"It's not just about Titans anymore," Az explained, trying to remember what he had learned from that future world, growing up in Hizuru. "Humans have all kinds of weapons now, so much power and not a single speck of intelligence. What's the point? To kill one another until there's nothing, no one left?" he questioned.

Az leaned over closer to her. "In the end I'm glad I'm back here, all the way back here. And I got to meet you," he told her with a sincere and charming smile.

"Well, properly meet you-" he rephrased it, turning and smiling charmingly at Maria as well and the small girl smiled back at her father. Az first comically covered the toddler's eyes with his hand and then leaned in for a kiss. And Ymir kissed him back passionately, for that small moment. They pulled away and he uncovered the tiny girl's eyes, Maria thought it was some sort of a game and she laughed joyously.

"And if weren't for it, we wouldn't have had these beautiful girls," he said, while caressing Rose's head as she slept peacefully in Ymir's arms. And then caressing Maria's hair as well, pulling her golden locks back behind her ear.

He smiled at the three of them, the three loves of his life so far. Ymir didn't smile back at him. She was very reflective, Az could tell her mind was elsewhere.

"You should be glad fate gave us girls, and you should hope for another one. If you gave birth to a boy, he wouldn't become king, and Torin would most certainly kill him," Az argued coldly and with reason. He then took her hand up and gave it a kiss, to appease her.

"Sometimes I wish I could speak to him," Ymir quietly commented, still contemplative.

"Torin?" Az questioned with visible confusion.

"No. Ezra," Ymir swiftly corrected him, with visible disgust. She looked to the side again, looking around her room full of crystals. The mother looked down at Rose. "Can you imagine being born together, being so completely connected and then so completely apart?" She questioned. "Two thousand years apart," Ymir added with anguish. "I just wish we could talk. Was the world really destroyed? And did he survive it?" she asked Az, anxiously.

"I don't really know," Az confessed. "This could all be just nightmares," he tried to explain, perhaps to ease her mind.

"Nightmares?" Ymir asked, tilting her head.

Az shrugged. "Time always messes too much with my head, I can't tell memories from nightmares sometimes," he explained.

Ymir let out a small sigh. "I just wish he is happy, wherever he is," she hoped.

-.-

- Year 873 - Paradise Shores

The prince rode fast along the shores of Paradise Island. Ezra was having much fun with his closest friend: his cousin Sonnenblume.

"And I win again," Sonnenblume exclaimed as Diamond came to a halt, very near the rocky waves.

"You know I'm letting you win, right?" Ezra argued as he stopped with his horse near her. The young man had a large smile.

"I know, but that's a credit to your horse, not to you," she argued and reached to caress the prince's horse. "Right, Flicker?" Blue asked the race horse with a loving voice. "Diamond is tired," she added while leaning back again and caressing her own horse's mane.

Ezra became contemplative for a moment, it seemed he had completely stopped paying attention to her. He was also very nervous.

She looked towards the waves again, mesmerised at the rising tides. "I can never get tired of that view," Blue let out, about the ocean.

"Will you marry me?" Ezra abruptly asked. And she rapidly turned her head with shock.

She looked down, fixing up her horse's leashes for a moment, and then looked up to him again. "I was gonna suggest best of three," Blue joked.

There was silence for a couple of minutes, as the two of them looked all around the scenery except to each other.

"You certainly know how to make things awkward," Blue broke the silence with a small, sincere smile.

And Ezra finally smiled back at her, still nervous, "best of three it is," he responded and started galloping fast once again.

Sonnenblume went after them with her horse, eventually catching up to the Prince and Flicker. Ezra was a bit regretful, he had been thinking of different ways to ask her that for many weeks now. It eventually just came out and he could see now that she wasn't prepared for that life-changing question.

"I'll think about it," Blue responded as she finally caught up with his horse. And the prince gently and nervously nodded back at her.

'That's better than nothing,' he thought.

They had both already stopped and so they looked back at their trail. "You won," she noted.

"Race you back to the harbour!" Blue proposed, already starting to gallop very fast, getting a head start. And the prince quickly followed her with his horse.

-.-

Sonnenblume had been living in Paradise for a couple of years now. She was now of age, which meant she was now fully responsible for her own self. That didn't really matter however, as since she had been sixteen her mother had forfeited her care. Although she had sent many letters, Mikasa never responded to a single one. The mother was very upset with her daughter for leaving her like that. She hadn't forgiven Sonnenblume for running away, so she only responded with silence.

The girl had first lived in the Lighthouse, only for a few months. She eventually went to visit her Uncle and Aunt in Mitras, and there she stayed: in the Palace. Sonnenblume was upset with the amount of returned letters. The young lady missed her mother a lot. Sunny really wanted to hear her opinions, especially now, after that proposal. The one thing she wasn't aware was that Mikasa was being kept well informed about all of Sonnenblume's affairs. The mother received weekly reports, for she would call her brother constantly to know how her baby girl was doing.

-.-

Sonnen had formed a great bond with her uncle in those last couple of years, especially since he was helping her to decode that small and ancient notebook she had found in her father's office.

"You know, your grandmother made the best butter cookies," Eren noted to his niece during their customary afternoon tea; as he helped her decode Armin's old notes. The uncle munched on the palace cookies looking quite disappointed at them. "These are very stale in comparison," he added while cleaning his hands.

"You haven't told me that before," Sonnen replied as she looked up from all that research, she smiled.

Eren drank a little more of his tea. "Well, it's just hard not to think of her," he explained, "you two look so much alike!"

"That you had told me before," Sonnen replied with a small chuckle.

He leaned back on his chair while reminiscing. "That was one of the benefits of going to Armin's house, my mother barely allowed me to have sweets. Mrs. Arlert always made pies and cookies, all sorts! And she would let us have as much as we'd like," he told his niece with a nice smile and much nostalgia. And Sonnenblume smiled back at him.

The young lady went back to her research. "Any luck this week?" Her uncle questioned, curiously looking over the papers. Eren held up some of her notes to analyse.

Sunny sighed and stretched herself. "I think this language might have a vowel-consonant system after all," she started to theorise.

"I thought you had given up on that," Eren replied, putting some of the papers down again and reaching out for others. Looking at Armin's handwriting on some of those notes over the table gave him that eerie feeling once again; it was a mixture of grief, happiness and despair.

"Well maybe I was wrong before," Sunny started to explain. "Or maybe I am wrong now, and am about to waste several months once again," she conceded.

Sonnenblume had copied over the contents of the ancient book and had stored the original somewhere safe, so the original relic wouldn't decay even more. And she had also compiled together all of Armin's old notes about it. Those notes dated from the year 854, almost twenty years before. A time before the girl was even born.

"I think I finally made out some of the letters," she continued while tilting her head. Sonnen gave the copied book and some of her new notes to her uncle as she drank some of her tea. "Again, if my theory is right, then hopefully every alternate functions as a vowel," she explained, without much certainty. "What do you think?" Sunny asked.

Eren held up the small copy, analysing it. "This all seems so odd," he let out, "it's nothing like eldian characters. And you know I can't really help you with that part." Eren put the small book down again. "But I can give you some insight about your father and these endless notes he left, that I can do," he proposed with a smile.

Sonnenblume smiled back at him, thinking of the good memories she had of her father. The girl looked a little sad for a moment.

Eren looked at her softly. "You know he didn't write this book. He was just obsessed with it, clearly," he added, checking Armin's endless notes.

"Still, it intrigues me too," Sunny replied, justifying her own research.

"Maybe we could take your copy to the School, or to Mr. Patrick," her uncle proposed. Mr. Patrick was Ezra's private Languages and History tutor. "He loves archaeology," Eren added.

Sonnenblume thought about it, looking at all of hers and her father's research. "Or maybe I could show it to specialists in Hizuru, I'm sure there are quite a few archaeologists there," the young lady counterproposed.

Eren became confused. "Why Hizuru? This is clearly an Eldian relic," he argued.

Sunny leaned back on her chair, and decided to be more truthful. "I think I should return to Hizuru, it's been long enough," she explained.

"What happened?" her uncle promptly asked. Eren was suspicious that his son had done something wrong.

Sonnenblume only gave out a small shrug and looked down.

"Well, your aunt will be very upset. She loves having another woman around, she has always been so tired of Ezra and me," Eren playfully argued. "You're like a breath of fresh air to her," he added, "to all of us."

Sunny raised her eyebrows. "She has been incredibly nice to me," she conceded, "strangely," Sunny added.

"Well, she doesn't know you kiss her son on the lips," Eren promptly replied.

Sonnenblume opened her eyes very wide, the girl became red in the face. "He told you that?!" she questioned with much alarm.

Eren cleverly leaned over. "You just did," the uncle replied. He'd had his suspicions.

The girl started to look down again, very embarrassed.

"He asked me to marry him," Sonnen told her uncle very quietly.

And Eren soon understood why his niece had proposed going back to Hizuru earlier.

"That's good," the uncle replied firmly, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms. "That's the natural progression. He's doing the right thing. It shows he's not just playing with you, which is great. He's behaving like a real man," Eren proudly pointed forward. "That's what I taught him." the father told her, looking very proud.

'You already had two children by the time you got married, but sure,' Sunny thought, but said nothing.

"What did you reply?" Eren asked, curiously. Already cogitating that the girl had already broken his son's heart and he'd been none the wiser.

"I haven't, yet," Sonnenblume said.

"Then what are you going to reply?" Eren promptly asked. "I mean, if you have already decided," the uncle added.

Sonnenblume only raised her eyebrows and gave out a small shrug again.

Eren looked over to the plate of stale cookies once again.

"You know, I admired your grandparents a lot," he started to confess. "I loved being at their house, do you wanna know why?" Eren asked.

"Why?" Sunny asked back.

Eren leaned on his chair again. He looked up for a moment as those childhood memories came back to the front of his mind. "Your grandparents were so… light," the uncle struggled to find his words.

"Light?" Sunny questioned, confused.

"They were pure and very sweet," Eren explained further. "It was like they shared the same brain, a very smart and wacky and creative brain I might add," he continued with a smile. "It wasn't just because they were fun, they were… light and truthful. That's probably what I'm trying to say," Eren realised and proceeded. "They clearly knew each other very well, they were always truthful and honest. Even as a kid I could tell that."

The man sighed. "Now, my parents, they certainly weren't like that. There was always this heavier feeling in my house. They were never on the same page, on the same level. And now I know why: my father lied about so many things, about his powers, about where he came from. Even the few truths that he managed to tell my mother were only half-truths," Eren let out a deeper breath, upset. "Now that I have his memories it breaks my heart because deep down I feel like she knew. And now that I am an adult I can see how bad all that is and how they could have done so much better. We would've been happier without all those lies…" Eren trailed off, looking like a small, lost boy once again.

"Uncle Eren, why are you telling me all this?" Sunny softly asked, very confused. She tilted her head.

His expression changed. Eren looked at her more serious, and told her very firmly. "Because there's one thing I noticed about you that you certainly didn't get from your grandmother, or your grandfather. It's the one characteristic that makes you resemble your father the most: you lie very easily."

-.-

"So are you saying you can control me?!" Ezra asked, bewildered.

"I didn't say that," Sonnenblume firmly replied.

Sonnenblume took her uncle's advice to heart. She understood that if she were to even consider the prince's proposal, then he should know everything about her. It wouldn't be wise to start a marriage with lies. After a few days of considering, she decided to share with him her deepest secret.

"You said you can put things in people's minds," the prince maintained, pointing at both of their heads. "And make them do what you want," he whispered, perplexed.

They were arguing on a quiet corner of the palace, away from view. A small open corridor on the side of the building that looked over at the garden down below.

"Not to everyone, just to eldians," Sonnen defended herself. "And I can't make them do what I want, I can suggest things with illusions-"

Ezra cut her off, angrily. "Have you used it on me?" he questioned.

"How can you even ask that?!" Sonnenblume questioned back, indignantly.

"You didn't answer," he gravely argued.

"No, I have not," she firmly replied, looking him in the eyes.

"Well, you can just be lying," Ezra argued, still very angry.

"Well, you choose to believe what you want," Sonnenblume argued back.

"Really? Can I really choose or will you just control me?" Ezra questioned her very defiantly.

"That's exactly what I have been terrified of all my life," she let out, revealing her fear of others' probable reactions to her abilities.

"What? Because you could predict I would have this reaction? I think anyone would have this reaction," he argued.

"Exactly," Sonnen confirmed, her face starting to tear up.

There was a moment of silence.

"Why haven't you told me this before? For as long as we've known each other we shared everything. I thought I knew you so well and now I feel like I actually never knew you," Ezra told her, quite upset. "It feels like it was just a game to you."

Sonnen took a deep breath and softly began to open up. "All my life I never told this to anyone. You are the first person I'm telling it too-"

"Is that supposed to make me feel special?" Ezra asked her, sarcastically.

"What?" Sonnen asked, she shook her head upsettingly. "I should just leave," she said and turned to walk away.

"Wait," the prince asked, holding her arm and she turned back. "Have you used it on me before?" he gravely asked again.

"I already said no. No, I haven't and I have no intention to," she told him firmly. "I don't even think I can. And am unwilling to even try."

"Have you used it on someone in this island?" he asked.

Sonnen didn't reply, she looked to the side.

And Ezra thought about it. "The gas," he said. "There was never any gas, was there? When we met," he realised. "You told me you used gas to knock my soldiers out but you didn't, did you? You just used your powers on them."

"Yes, yes I did," she confirmed, firmly looking into his eyes. Sonnen was starting to feel vexed, she let go of his grip.

"So, who else besides my entire Special Forces?" he said ironically, "who in this island has been tricked by you?" the prince firmly questioned.

"I've travelled on these streets on my own for months. I may have used it a few times when I first arrived here," she confessed.

"May?" he questioned.

"But I haven't used my powers in almost two years, just so you know," she added.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Ezra questioned.

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you," Sonnen maintained.

He walked closer. "My people are off limits. You don't get to control them to do your bidding," the prince told her very firmly.

"For the last time: I can't control people's decisions, just their emotions," Sonnenblume firmly said.

"Unless of course their decisions are heavily tied to their emotions," Ezra expertly argued. "Am I even in love with you? Or are you making me think that?" he questioned.

"Are you really asking me this?!" she questioned back, baffled.

"It's not an unfair question, or a misguided conclusion. Love is an emotion, Sonnenblume," Ezra firmly maintained his argument.

"If you are incapable of discerning your true emotions from illusions then you're right, I shouldn't be around you or your people," she argued back. "I-I shouldn't be here," Sonnen realised, her eyes full of tears.

Ezra looked at her, still very confused, he couldn't tell if she was really crying or if it was just an act. Sonnenblume held back her tears and looked away, she walked a couple of steps back, putting a distance between them.

He proceeded more softly. "When we met, you told me your true intention was to kill me. How can I know you didn't just change your mind and decided to stay by my side to 'keep me in check'?" he questioned.

Sonnen turned and looked back towards him. "You are completely right," she revealed. "That was one possibility in my head, I stayed to make sure you wouldn't just decide to scream out of nowhere and send this world to oblivion with all those Wall Titans outside," Sonnen made her case. "But there was a more emotional reason for me to stay, you asked me to trust you and I did. I wanted to feel hopeful for once."

She sighed, and proceeded sincerely, "and for as long as I've known you I can tell that you are truthful in your mission, I can tell you're a good person."

The prince looked away, still feeling very confused and conflicted, and Sonnenblume continued.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about my-" she rephrased it, "about these cursed powers before. But I didn't for two reasons: first, as I said, is the reason I never told anyone before, because I knew exactly the reaction you would have. Second is because I didn't know you well enough," she made her case. "So doesn't the fact that I'm telling you now show that I finally am sure that I know and trust you enough to share this with you?" Sonnen questioned.

He kept silent.

Ezra just looked to the side.

"Do you really think I would kill you?" she asked more softly.

"I should hope not," he let out.

"But do you think I'm capable of it?" she asked.

Ezra looked at her and then looked to the side again, unsure of what to respond, he remained silent. The prince looked forward, towards the woods and the city on the horizon. He walked closer and braced down the marble sill. Ezra looked down to the garden and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I genuinely don't know what to think," he was sincere with her.

She walked closer and also braced herself in the marble sill. They both admired the garden down below and the calm winds shaking the flowers and the foliage.

"Do you think I asked for this? Because I didn't. I didn't ask to be born cursed," Sonnenblume told him sincerely.

"Me neither," Ezra replied with a small, sad chuckle. He looked forward, staring at the calm garden.

"So?" she asked, looking for his eyes.

He looked back towards her. "I'm sorry, I know I'm overreacting," he apologised. Ezra knew very well what was like to be born with a curse one didn't ask for.

"No, you're not," Blue came closer and bumped him shoulder to shoulder. "I knew you would freak out a little bit, that's the reason I avoided telling this for as much as I could. But then you asked me to marry you and I- well I couldn't avoid it any longer," she explained.

Ezra curiously turned towards her. "So is that a yes then?" he asked.

"Only if you trust me," she replied with a small, shy chuckle. "Do you trust me?" Blue asked.

"Do you trust me?" he asked back with raised eyebrows.

They both finally smiled at each other.

-.-

"Sir, your sister," the butler told Yeager, while gently offering him the telephone handset.

Eren shook his head, raising his hand and putting it back down again: rejecting the handset. "Tell her I'm not home," he said.

The butler was about to speak when he turned to his master once again. "She said she can hear your voice, Sir," the old man explained and Eren reluctantly walked towards the table and picked up the handset from the butler's hand. "Thank you," he quietly dismissed the old man.

"I'm not talking to you," Eren abruptly said over the telephone, raising his eyebrows. The thirty-eight-year-old sounded like a teenager for a moment.

"Hello to you too," Mikasa replied. "Why did you pick up the telephone then?" she challenged her brother.

"Well, we can talk about anything else, except Sonnenblume," he proposed. "Who is the reason you called, so I gather you have nothing else to talk to me then," Eren explained.

"What, why?" Mikasa questioned, confused and worried. "Why can't you talk about Sonnen? Did something happen to her?"

"Only she finally told me you never replied to her letters," Eren replied with a hint of anger, "all this time," he added.

"She needs to learn," Mikasa told him somberly.

"And what exactly are you teaching her by ignoring her and calling me instead?" Eren questioned.

Mikasa leaned back on her armchair and sighed. "She knows where I live, she knows where her home is," the mother said bluntly. "If she wants to talk to me she can just come back home," Mikasa explained her reasoning.

Eren smiled for a moment and forced himself not to chuckle or his sister would hear him on the end of the line. "Well, something tells me she's about to change houses," he replied, a little cryptically.

"What?" Mikasa asked. "Do you think she'll run away again?"

Eren raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you ask her?" Her brother questioned and Mikasa became silent on the other side of the line.

He sighed, "next time she calls, just talk to her," Eren advised softly. "Stop ignoring her, you already took your stubbornness too far."

"I'm not stubborn," his sister promptly replied. The thirty-eight-year-old sounded like a teenager for a moment.

And Eren sighed again. "Your tone in that statement just helps prove my point," he replied, smiling again. "I'm going to hang up now," Eren warned, "take care," he added, putting the handset down.

"Eren-" Mikasa was about to say when she heard the disconnecting static. She took the handset down from her ear and just looked at it, "he really hung up," she complained, baffled.

-.-

- Year 854 - The Lands beyond the Wall Maria Region

[October 30]

Ymir flew high and higher up in the air. She hovered over her precious Island. The Fritz Queen had decided to attack her enemy, she wanted to show off what this new version of her Titan could do. For those thirteen years she had spent as a Titan, back two thousand years before, Ymir had never transformed like that: into a Titan with wings. Her height was the same as before: three hundred metres; and her body heat burned everything she touched: also just as before. But now she had a well-formed face and a feathered-crystal-coat all over her body, including her new majestic wings: she was an angel.

It had only been a few hours since she had transformed out of that tree-portal. Ymir had come out from below a small tree, right outside of the city of Shiganshina. Her rebirth was so severe that it completely shook the world above it as she came out. Those tremors initially caused most of the Wall encasing Shiganshina and the regions near to crumble down, revealing the Pure Colossal Titans inside of Wall Maria. Ymir had quickly noticed she couldn't control them, at least not on her own, which completely enraged the Queen. But Ymir soon realised she just had to wait. 'We haven't been born yet, it seems,' she thought.

Now she was floating above her island and had decided to play a little while she waited for all the Walls to hatch and for her little Titans to come out into the sunlight. Ymir started to fly in the direction of the great continent, she was determined to wreak some havoc on her old enemy's land. That was when she saw the airships lining up on the horizon, travelling over the ocean. The marlean operation was in stand by, not exactly approaching Paradise Island just yet. 'What are you doing?' she thought.

Pieck could also see the fleet in the distance. The Phoenix Titan was flying much closer down to earth, but high enough to see the airships in the horizon. She was glad to see that the plan was being followed through. And she was also glad that this sudden Marlean appearance took away the goddess' attention towards her. Ymir had spotted the small Titan but quickly forgot all about it as she saw the threat coming towards her island. Pieck couldn't help but be terrified, she had expected this Flying Titan to be big, but the goddess was much bigger than she could have ever imagined and she instantly realised that it would take a lot to kill that monster. 'Let's hope you are enough to take this thing down, boys,' Pieck thought.

The goddess was staring at those hundreds of airships in the distance, confused and uncertain of the threat or if she should really fear it. Ymir came from a world where humans couldn't fly. She couldn't really comprehend the concept of it; for two thousand years before, the maximum effort marleans could put against her empire were fast horses or bigger beasts. 'And bombs,' she realised. Ymir remembered the closest they ever got to killing her: when they brought gunpowder to their battle and blew her off from her nape.

The Fritz Queen reflectively held her Titan's nape, but soon realised. 'I'm not really there,' she thought as she held up her hands in that cursed dimension. Ymir looked around the glowing roots attached to her spine and all of her muscles, she smiled. The witch was controlling the giant Titan from a completely different dimension: there was nothing in that nape. 'You can't really kill me, dear,' she thought, gloating. 'None of you can,' she maintained.

That was when she heard that strange motor noise. Ymir had no idea what it was. She looked up. The future squadron was in formation and flying down fast towards her.

"Let's blast this demon out of the sky, boys," Agent O-7 told the others over the radio. "Go for the eyes and the wings first," he ordered.

The pilots fired up their iceburst cannons, shooting a very bright blue energy ray over the giant Titan from all angles. The Original Titan screamed very loudly, the monstrous noise was unbearable. Even with their soundproof vessels and their earmuffs the pilots could still hear it, and it shook their crafts severely.

"Let's pull back, boys," O-3 advised over the radio. So the pilots pulled back and rose up in the sky again, back in formation.

Ymir was vexed, those ray blasts had enraged her greatly. So the witch charged ahead. She flew fast, in the direction of the great continent as her eyes and the holes in her wings slowly healed. Ymir started to heat her body up. 'I'm going to burn down this entire planet,' she thought, very angrily.

"The Titan just flew over us," one of the marlean officials noted over the radio. From the cabin of the lead airship, on the ocean front.

"Danso, don't let her reach the continent," Az gravely warned over the radio. "I won't have her killing more people," he added in frustration.

"Roger that," O-7 replied.

"Uhh… Did Az just say 'her'?" O-8 asked over the radio, confused.

"Tristan hasn't seen a woman's body before, 'tis confirmed, gentleman," O-2 joked back and the other pilots laughed.

"I meant that thing is not a woman," O-8 defended himself.

"Well it certainly looks like one," O-3 replied, maintaining the joke.

"Enough," Az complained. "Rick, has the angle calculation worked?" he asked.

"It has," O-3 replied. "Otherwise most of us would have dropped out of the sky by now," he pointed out.

Azymondeus had advised the squadron about the possible reflectiveness of the Titan's body and wings, if she was indeed coated in pure Titan Crystal. So they made calculations to make sure the pilots wouldn't blast themselves or each other out of the sky once their iceburst rays reached and were reflected by the crystal in the Titan's body.

"And if my theory is correct, if we blast her long enough in one spot it will either melt down or explode the crystal and then burn up her titan flesh below it," Richmond expertly theorised.

"Good," Az replied over the radio.

"Just reach the monster before she reaches the continent and blast her out of the sky," old Onyankopon ordered. "We still have millions of Colossal Titans to deal with," he reminded the squadron and turned the communication off.

Azzy looked at his hand, trying to activate his powers, "I wish I could be out there, jumping so much these past few days took all my energy," he let out with frustration.

"I'm sure you'll recharge soon enough," old Onyan replied, looking back at him from the controls.

"It's good that I won't need it for my mission," Az quietly added while scratching his head.

And Onyankopon turned towards him. "It's funny how you were right about it being coated in crystal, and how you think the Titan is a woman," the old man pointed out.

"I've seen it before," Az argued, walking closer towards him. "That's the whole reason I went back to the future to bring you guys back here with me," he explained in a whisper.

The old man stood up from his Captain seat with the help of his cane, looking at Az very sternly. "Walk with me," Onyankopon proposed.

They both walked together through the airship's deck and entered a small, quiet office on the back of the giant aircraft. Onyankopon closed the door. "What exactly is your mission?" the old man questioned.

"That is classified," Az replied. "You know where we're going, that's more than enough," he added.

Onyan held his cane up and pointed at the calendar on the wall. "Tomorrow is the day the Queen gives birth, and we are due to reach those farmlands right on the break of dawn. What are you planning?" he gravely asked again.

Az looked to the side, he did not respond.

"Well, I know what you are planning," old Onyan continued, "that part is clear enough. I just want for you to confirm me if you truly believe this is morally right," he requested.

"There's no 'morally right'," Az threw back at him. "That thing you've been fighting for years, the creature that has destroyed the entire planet? Well, it is about to be born-"

Onyankopon interrupted him. "And you are going to kill it before it happens," the old man calmly concluded.

"I promised I would give you a better future," Az let out. "Don't you want to see your wife again?"

"Don't play with me, boy," Onyankopon told him very angrily while hitting his cane on the floor with much force.

"All I'm doing is what is necessary," Az gravely argued, staring him down.

"Killing an unborn child?" Onyankopon questioned.

"Well let's wait until she's born then," Az swiftly replied.

"She?" Onyankopon asked in a smaller tone, confused.

Az looked towards the bright skies through the large windows of the dirigible. "Let's hope her birth weakens the Titan," he theorised with his hands on his hips. "Crossing one's timestream is never good. That's why I'm keeping you as far as possible from your younger self," he further explained.

"Why would the baby's birth make the Titan weaker?" old Onyan questioned in confusion.

"Who do you think is out there? Who do you think we are fighting?" Az asked back, pointing out to the large windows.

"The King," old Onyan promptly replied. And Az only stared at him with raised eyebrows.

The old man looked even more confused. "The- the girl disappeared when she was a child," he tried to argue. "It- it couldn't be her, she's dead."

"Do you think that's dead?!" Az asked, pointing towards the windows again. He turned and looked at the bright skies once more. "I hope the birth weakens her, because if it strengthens her… Well, then we are all dead," he quietly added.

"So what? Do you intend to eliminate them both?" Onyankopon questioned - about Queen Historia's twins.

"Well, their power is only at all that potential when they are together," Azymondeus explained. "The timeline you come from was their lovely family reunion."

He walked closer to the old man and looked him in the eyes. "We don't necessarily need to kill them both," Az started to propose.

"Which one would you choose?" he questioned Onyankopon.

-.-

Ymir was flying fast towards the great continent, she quickly arrived - reaching the marlean shores. The gigantic flying monster was a terrifying sight. She leisurely took a dive and angled herself to the right, she then reached down with one hand, gently touching the surface of the fields and buildings: setting everything on fire with just a slight touch. The Fritz Queen flew around spreading fire to many cities in the main continent, she was having quite a lot of fun. When the future squadron finally reached her.

There were ten airplanes, all extremely well equipped. Those pilots had come from the year 899, from a now forgotten timeline. Their mission was to make sure their terrible version of history would never repeat itself. All those pilots were very aware of their imminent deaths. They knew they didn't belong to that world and that as soon as the future was finally changed they would cease to exist completely. This was the fight of their lives: the hope that they were creating a better reality for the version of themselves in this timeline, knowing full well that none of them had even been born yet.

Their iceburst cannons had been a gift from Queen Historia, who led the main resistance: Paradise Island. Those crystals could produce almost endless amounts of energy when used properly, they served as fuel for the aircrafts and as their main weapons system. The secrets of the iceburst stone and its energy were shared by the Queen Mother; after she grew out of her grief and despair and decided to take action. She commended the best aircrafts and the best pilots as an effort to kill her own son and finally end all that atrocity. Historia had the deepest regrets about their young world-ending plans after all that Titan power had torn her family apart. As her husband killed her niece and her son killed her husband: his own father.

Paradise was the only place the Fritz King had decided to spare, and where now most of the world's population lived. But even there the population was decreasing rapidly and the communication with the smaller, spread out islands was becoming more and more difficult over time. After the death of the Queen Mother, whatever civility that had been left was completely gone. The few humans left in that wretched world had given completely into despair and madness. They had lost all hope.

Those pilots left that world knowing there was nothing to go back to and more importantly: knowing that they needed to succeed in this mission. They had spent years trying to fight and take down the Founder and all its Colossal minions and were never successful in it. But now they had the opportunity to fight only half of it - before it could be fully formed.

The squadron blasted the Flying Titan with all the power of their iceburst cannons, getting closer and closer; while simultaneously doing their best to direct the giant creature away from the continent and back towards the ocean. Ymir swung her hands and quickly crushed the O-5 and O-2 crafts, as they were closer to her face - blasting her eyes. That was the first fatal hit for the pilots, so they decided to stand back.

The Titan then flew upwards, growling extremely loudly. Ymir couldn't see anything and she flew with difficulty - as they had made holes in her wings once again. She started to feel cold and her body was freezing up on those higher altitudes. So she flew back down again, using her hearing to identify where those motors were and trying to avoid them. The pilots acted more carefully now, still attacking her eyes and wings from a greater distance and also attacking her nape and heart. But it was to no avail. Danso became dispirited once he saw there was nothing in that burnt out nape. 'How are we supposed to kill that thing?' he thought in deep surprise and concern.

They lost three more crafts on this second attack. O-1, O-4 and O-9 all plummeted to their deaths into the ocean. The pilots still had iceburst energy to last for days so they kept blasting her until many parts of the Titan's body were in flames, including some of her wings. But Ymir kept charging ahead. She was angry but also terrified, she was starting to believe they could actually kill her. She kept flying until they reached Paradise once again.

Ymir flew east and the squadron continued to charge after her. They did not lose her trail and were preparing to fire once again. The giant monster stopped once again and hovered, she reached out and killed two more: the O-8 and O-10 crafts were destroyed. And she charged ahead. With her Titan in flames, Ymir was feeling dizzy and cold in her cursed dimension. Shivering, she couldn't take it anymore. She fell over the sand, unconscious. And her Titan also slowly dropped towards the earth: Ymir reached down the fields on the East side of the Maria Region. The giant Titan crawled in much pain, while setting fire all around her. She crawled into a ball and covered herself with her two giant wings: completely shielding herself from the outside world.

The strong cold winds of Paradise eventually put out all the fire around it and the monster just stayed there, very still: crawled into a ball of crystal feathers. The survivors: O-6, O-7 and O-3 finally touched down, coming closer to analyse that Titan feather ball; they knew the monster couldn't be dead, could it?

-.-

[Still] Year 854 - October 30, Paradise Harbour

The night had fallen and Floch was standing there, with arms crossed. There was pure silence all around them. The soldiers could only hear the howling of the strong winds swirling around them and the sound of the calm ocean waves. Floch turned his back to the waves and looked towards the island, he squinted, trying to focus on the horizon and to hear the stomps. The man was confused, this hadn't been the plan.

They all knew that most of the Wall Titans had been released from Wall Maria, and expected to be the same to Wall Rose and Wall Sina. Their original plan was to secure the airship so they could then follow the procession and eventually rescue Eren Yeager at the very end of the Rumbling and come back victoriously to Paradise.

So far they couldn't see any Wall Titans approaching the harbour and proceeding to walk beyond the shores of the Island. No, for what they could tell, the Titans were stuck somewhere after the Maria Region. The fields beyond the now fallen Wall Maria were great. After all the Walls were just a small piece of land at the very centre of the Island. But that wasn't enough of an excuse for those giant monsters not having arrived at the harbour at that point.

Many hours had passed since the first earthquake and the crumbling of the Walls, night had already arrived. If their command was to walk the Earth, all in unison, following the Founding; then they should have left the Island hours before. Unless they weren't being controlled at all.

Floch was reluctantly arriving at that conclusion and fearing greatly that those monsters were stomping their precious Island instead. He didn't want to think about it, and he hoped he was wrong.

Hange was looking at him from afar, hidden in the darkness of the night. She had borrowed Shadis' optical instrument and was analysing the situation. She could see the crystal lights shining strongly in one of the higher floors of the Army's research building. They concluded that there was where the Scientists, Engineers and Lady Azumabito were being held.

"Is there a count for the amount of civilians?" Shadis questioned.

"The harbour was clearly evacuated, there are no vendors, nor fishermen, not even the scattered residents of the area," Hange noted, for all the buildings were clearly empty. There wasn't a soul around, except for the Yeagerist soldiers standing around the harbour. "But I expect that the Hizurians are on the top of that building. The Yeagerists wouldn't just let them evacuate with the Eldians. Especially knowing they can use those civilians as bait," the Commander expertly explained.

"What? Do you think they expect us to come after the air machine?" Levi asked, doubtingly.

"And the already usable, although much slower, airship," Hange confirmed.

"We need those engineers alive, only they can make sure that air machine will fly," Onyankopon pointed out, nervously.

Hange put the optical instrument down and started checking her weapons. "We'll split into two groups," she told the cadets, "half of you will come with me, to rescue the scientists in that building. Shadis, do you want to take the ones outside?" She asked her friend and fellow veteran.

"It will be my pleasure," he replied with a smile. And the two of them started to separate and organise the two teams.

"Be careful with Floch," Yelena advised the Commandant.

"And you will stay behind with Onyankopon," Hange turned and told her.

"Why? I have military training. I can take those puny soldiers fairly easily," Yelena argued with arms crossed.

Hange walked closer to her. "Which side are you on?" The Commander questioned with much authority.

"My side," Yelena replied with certainty.

"You will be staying here with Onyankopon," Hange maintained, she did not trust Yelena. She then turned to the Captain. "Levi, you get to babysit them," Hange added.

"Come again?" Levi asked indignantly as Hange, Shadis and the cadets had all turned to check the weapons, preparing for the operation. "I can fight," the Captain firmly argued, with arms crossed.

"Save your strength," the Commander justified with a nice smile, she tapped him on the shoulder twice, affectionately. Levi was having none of it, but he obliged and stayed behind with the two foreign spies.

This would be a stealth operation. For Shadis' team it would be a little easier, for they could count the soldiers standing around the harbour. And the Commandant expertly coordinated his team to take them out one by one. While Hange's team had to make it to that building extremely stealthily to only find out what they had to deal with once they had gotten inside. None of them were wearing ODM gear apart from Hange and Shadis - and Levi who had stayed behind, so they had to make sure the whole mission would be ground based.

Levi was watching it all from afar. The Captain was worried, for he knew of Hange's and Shadis' abilities. But he also knew those cadets were extremely inexperienced. They could be quickly outnumbered. Hange was counting on surprising the enemy and not allowing them time to respond. Stealth was key.

Yelena let out a small chuckle while reaching out for a tiny gun she had hidden under her shirt. The noise she made quickly brought the Ackermann's attention towards her. Levi swiftly jumped to take her down, as Yelena pointed her tiny gun at him. Onyankopon only stepped aside with arms raised, afraid one of them would fire.

The Ackermann brought her down and was focusing on immobilising her without making any noise. As he reached for the gun she was holding, Yelena took the opportunity to take his flare - that was secured around his hips. The spy raised her left arm high and shot the flare up in the air as Levi had finally taken the gun from her right hand.

"That was exactly what I wanted," Yelena told him with a smile. She had used her tiny gun as a distraction so she could steal the Captain's flare to alert the others.

The three of them looked up to the dark skies as the red flare rose up in the air. The loud noise had been enough to alert the Yeagerists that someone was approaching.

Levi had Yelena pinned to the ground. The man looked down at her with pure fire in his eyes. He raised the gun and shot her.

Onyankopon was speechless and paralysed. He looked down towards that scuffle to see that the Captain had only shot her in the shoulder. Levi took the flare back and stood up with the gun pointed at her.

"Aren't you gonna finish me off?" Yelena teased him.

Levi looked at the gun. "I need these bullets," he replied. The Captain then turned to Onyankopon, "let her bleed out," he advised in anger and then left. Levi ran towards the conflict, hoping he could repair some of the damage.

"Why would you do this?!" Onyankopon turned towards her, questioning Yelena with much fury.

"I wouldn't just let them ruin everything. My country was obliterated and so was yours," Yelena argued. She held her shoulder in much pain, the wound was bleeding profusely. "Why are you taking their side? Now Marley will finally be destroyed, don't you want to see that?" she questioned Onyankopon.

The wise young man looked at her with sadness, Onyankopon sighed. "We don't get to decide who lives or dies, Yelena. The Captain knows this, that's why he only shot you in the shoulder." he argued, then leaned next to her, to help clean her wound.

-.-

Hange's team had already secured the door of the building, by quietly taking down the two guards on that entrance. When the flare was shot, they were already making their way up the stairs.

Shadis' team was hiding around the harbour and the warning of the flare removed their chance of making a quiet entrance. All the Yeagerist soldiers startled with the shot noise in the distance, they looked up towards that red flare in the dark sky and drew out their weapons. They were starting to move away from their positions to search the area when Commandant Shadis signalled for the cadets to attack.

Some of the Yeagerist soldiers decided to check the Research Facility; they walked in as Hange's team was stuck on the second floor. "Spread around," Hange told the few cadets with her. Take an advantage point and shoot to immobilise them," she gave out the orders. "No killing," she added sternly.

Hange herself kept going up the stairs with three soldiers behind her. While the others stayed hidden in the second and third floors. She arrived at the sixth floor and reached the room where the Hizurians were tied up, some of the men had been shot or injured.

"What happened here?" Hange asked as she looked around. She walked in with one of the cadets to untie them and care for their wounds, while the two other soldiers stood guard on the door.

All the cadets were very nervous, hidden all over that building. They had taken advantageous positions and were waiting for the Yeagerist soldiers to be in range. The Yeagerist were slowly making their way around the building, thoroughly searching every corner of the first floor, to then go up the second. All of this as they all could hear the noise of many bullets being shot outside, as the Yeagerist out there were already fighting off Shadis' team in a complicated shootout.

Hange untied Lady Azumabito. "Are you alright?" The Commander asked the older lady as she seemed fatigued and out of sorts.

"Don't worry about it," Kiyomi told her with a small smile. The old woman rubbed her red wrists, massaging them and trying to relieve the pain from being tied so tight and for so long. "This will be over soon," Kiyomi declared. "They won't win. I took care of it. We have company arriving," the old woman told the Commander and Hange understood: more marlean forces were coming to the Island.

'Well, one problem at a time,' Hange thought. She then startled and turned as she heard shots much closer to then, on the lower floors of that facility. Most of the cadets were on top of the stairs of the third floor firing down at the Yeagerists, who were down on the second floor firing up.

The shooting had now broken out inside of the building and down on the deck. The two teams on one side, and the Yeagerists on the other had all taken cover and were shooting at each other. The situation was confusing at best, terrifying at worst. Most of the cadets had never trained for such an occasion, and let's not forget they were almost all cadets on both sides.

Most of the shots were missed and although they had much ammunition on both sides, it was all running out in less than half an hour. There were a few wounded and some casualties on both sides. One of the Yeagerists decided to play more sadistically. He swiftly grabbed one of the cadets and flew out of the building with his ODM gear, dropping the cadet to his death and then just flying away; sheltering himself from all the bullets. Hange was terrified as she watched that killing from a higher floor, her eyes followed down as she witnessed that boy hit the deck with much force. The Commander would never forget that sight.

Some of the other Yeagerists liked the idea and decided to fly around with their ODM gear as well, which made them harder and more unpredictable targets. Shadis put his handgun to the side and decided to take down their leader with his bare hands.

A couple of Yeagerists flying with their ODM gears were suddenly shot down, by shots from an unknown angle. The Ackermann had arrived and had positioned himself on a roof. Levi was using his one good hand and shooting those traitors from the top of an empty building next door. He fired a couple more shots, all of them expertly aimed. Levi took down four Yeagerists, including the sadistic one who had dropped that cadet down from such a height.

It took a few minutes but one of the Yeagerists finally spotted the Captain and fired at him with a rifle. The bullet shattered around his sides, and Levi slowly dropped down, gasping for air.

Down below Commandant Shadis had decided to walk over and confront Floch. The veteran soldier expected that the others wouldn't shoot at him if he came too close to their leader, or at least he hoped so. He had also noted that most of them were running out of bullets on both sides. And the main reason why he had walked over was because he could notice that some of the Yeagerists were already drawing out their swords; and the Commandant did not want this battle to turn into a bloodbath.

"Hey!" Shadis shouted as he quickly walked over and swiftly held down the barrel of Floch's rifle. "It's time we all stop this," the Commandant sternly advised while staring Floch in the eyes. "Put that down, son," he added with fatherly authority.

But Floch held his rifle firmly and pointed at the old man's stomach. "I can just kill you," he threatened.

"I'm unarmed," Shadis told him. "Are you going to shoot an unarmed man?" he questioned.

They both fought over the rifle, scuffling for a brief moment until Floch fired as they both were holding the weapon. And Shadis swiftly positioned the barrel up and the shot was fired up in the air.

That drew the attention of all the young soldiers, from both sides. They looked over towards them, waiting to see what would happen. Shadis took the rifle out of Floch's hands and threw it in the water.

"Look at what you're doing!" Floch shouted with much authority. He walked a couple of steps back and opened his arms wide, showing the Commandant the blooded scenery. "Shooting and killing your own soldiers! We were all supposed to be on the same side!" Floch shouted again, maintaining his argument.

Shadis looked at him very firmly. "I'm counting all my shots," the veteran declared. "I haven't killed anyone, I'd rather die with only Titans on my record," he relayed with proper authority.

"Now your band," the man continued while shaking his head, "you're killing your own fellow cadets without mercy," Shadis noted, quite upset. "And that was not what I taught you. Any of you!" He shouted for all those who were paying attention. Shadis then looked towards Floch again, "you better surrender, son," he said.

"What? Do you think you can take me, old man?" Floch questioned with a laugh. "Wasn't that beating enough?" he added, sadistically.

The Yeagerist walked over with his fist closing down into a punch and the Commandant held his hand and made him lose balance. But Floch regained his footing again and they were then interlocked into a scuffle, both trying to take the other down. When Floch swiftly noted that the man had lied. He looked down to see a small handgun hidden under Shadis' jacket. So the younger man quickly grabbed the handgun and pointed it upwards, directly at Shadis' heart. Floch smiled. "You shouldn't have lied to me, old man," he whispered to Shadis while looking him in the eye.

Floch was about to fire, when they could hear stomps: a Colossal Titan was slowly walking their way. Well, not 'a' but 'the' Colossal Titan. Shadis took the opportunity - as Floch turned his attention to the noise - and tried to take back the gun. Floch then turned to face him again and fired. And in that scuffle the Yeagerist shot himself instead. The small handgun fell to the floor, Floch was in shock. The young soldier looked down with pain and confusion, he then started to sloppily walk backwards. Floch eventually fell from the deck and hit the water, and disappeared into the waves.

Commandant Shadis looked down from the deck, upset. He then reached down and grabbed back his handgun from the deck floor, and then turned towards the noise: the stomps were getting louder. All the Yeagerists and the other cadets were scared and in shock with Floch's death. They all turned to see the dark silhouette of the Colossal Titan forming in the distance.

The Phoenix Titan came gliding in. She flew downwards close to the buildings and gently moved down her left wing, letting the soldiers jump out. Reiner, Jean, Connie and Mikasa all jumped into the Army Research Facility with their ODM gears. The Phoenix flew a little further ahead and let Falco out on the open deck. The small boy leapt down biting his hand and transformed again into the Jaw Titan, right in the middle of all the Yeagerists.

Shadis and some of the cadets ran out of the way and watched as the recently transformed Jaw Titan tore apart everything on its sight.

-.-

The expert Survey Corps soldiers quickly immobilised and defused the situation inside and around the Army building. They aptly flew with their ODM gears and shot down any threat. Reiner was still getting used to the upgraded suit and its hand based gear system; but he was getting the hang of it and he was starting to enjoy himself in this role once again. He followed Jean and Connie as they all flew again into the army building - as the threat outside had already been completely dealt with - while Mikasa stayed outside.

She stood watch on the building in front of the Research Facility. Firmly secured with her ODM gear, she leaned on one of the walls. Mikasa was concentrated, watching over to make sure the enemy soldiers wouldn't try to attack the building once again. When a small drop of blood fell over her right cheek. Mikasa reached to dry from her face what she initially had thought to be water, and was startled to see that the liquid now in her face and hand was actually red.

Mikasa looked up to see a thin stream of blood dropping down from the building's ledge. She immediately jumped up with her ODM gear and went to investigate on that building's roof.

"I thought there was someone breathing near me," Levi commented with difficulty while holding his blooded stomach.

His cousin was paralysed, Mikasa didn't expect to find Levi like that, the Captain was covered in blood.

Levi looked at her up and down, feeling very confused. "Nevermind, I think I'm just seeing things," he let out, since Mikasa was wearing a crystal armour and that was something his mind just couldn't process properly at that moment.

Mikasa walked forward and kneeled in front of him. She started to check around his wounds, trying to understand the level of the damage.

"Your fingers," she noted as she took his hand away from in front of the wound. Mikasa lifted up his hand to analyse how two of his fingers were missing.

She quickly concluded that he had reflexively tried to stop the bullet with his hand. And is not like she could tell that his hand had already healed and closed off, for it was all bloodied - from the bullet wound on his side.

He chuckled, "that's actually an older wound," Levi explained. The man was feeling delirious.

Mikasa stood up again and looked towards the facility. She knew they had to quickly and carefully reach the third floor, which was where she knew the medical sector was. So she calculated their short route with care. Mikasa also looked towards the deck, she knew most of the Yeagerists were concentrated on dealing with the Jaw and the Phoenix Titans at that moment. So that was one less thing to worry about.

She kneeled down again, "I'm going to carry you," Mikasa softly explained. Levi looked confused and low on consciousness. So she carried him and flew into the next building with much care.

The Captain was in much pain and had lost a lot of blood, and he was still feeling delirious as Mikasa helped him sit on a chair at the medical ward. "Can you hold yourself up?" she softly asked.

Levi leaned back on the chair. "Why do you look like that?" he questioned her.

"It's just Titan Crystal," she explained as she used some bandages to clean his wound, Levi was covered in blood.

"What?" He asked, still extremely confused by Mikasa's appearance.

"Armin made it for me, I think," She tried to explain as she looked for more bandages on the shelves. She took the moment to take out her helmet and some of the armour around her arms and chest. The whole crystal piece seemed to have been perfectly made to fit her.

"It looks very odd," Levi continued, talking with difficulty from that chair.

"Stop talking," Mikasa sternly advised. She could tell it was only making his situation worse. "We need to stitch you up," she told him.

Levi looked at her dispirited. "Come on, brat, you can't stitch this up," he told her with a laugh, and he laughed out blood. Levi's laugh was interrupted by a coughing fit, he reached up his hand to his mouth to then see all that blood left on his closed fist.

"It's ok," he told her more softly. "We all have to go sometime."

"No. I'm not letting you die," Mikasa sternly responded as she looked around the shelves, desperately trying to find something useful.

Levi shook his head at her desperation, he had already come to terms with it and wanted her to do the same. Levi had lost all hope. "I already lost too much blood, there's nothing you can do," he told Mikasa.

'Blood,' Mikasa thought. This option had been on the back of her mind from the moment she saw Levi in that dire condition, but she hadn't been sure if it would be a good idea.

She looked behind the glass of one of the shelves to see the syringes. She opened the glass door and took out a kit with much care.

"What are you planning to do with that?" Levi questioned her with concern, he wasn't a big fan of needles.

Mikasa put the kit over the table in front of him and then started to look for cotton and alcohol.

"Do you remember that blood experiment we made with Azzy?" she asked him.

"With Azzy?" her cousin asked back.

"No, not with Azzy. When I was pregnant with him," she further explained.

Levi let out a small blooded chuckle. "That was a small cut, Mikasa," he argued.

"So? It healed. Instantly," she argued back. "We have the same blood."

"We don't have the same same blood," Levi argued.

"It's clearly close enough," Mikasa maintained as she prepared the kit, she sat down in front of him.

"What is your point?" he questioned.

"For starters I'm pregnant again and I can regenerate again," his cousin explained while strapping tight the tourniquet around her own arm.

"Urgh," Levi let out. "Honestly, how can you two have time for that in the middle of this chaos?" he questioned.

"It's not like it happened yesterday, I'm two months pregnant," Mikasa replied, defending herself and her husband. She took out the needle and started to draw out her own blood.

"Still, you should put more focus and energy into your work and in also raising that little brat, not into bringing another littler brat into the world," Levi complained.

Mikasa finished drawing her own blood. She held the large syringe up, showing it to him. "This little one is about to save your life, so stop complaining," she told him firmly. "Also stop calling Azzy a brat, it's enough that you call me that," Mikasa complained while preparing Levi's arm.

"I call anyone who bites me a brat," her cousin let out.

"He was six months old. He was just testing his new teeth on ya," Mikasa joked back while preparing the syringe to inject him. "How can you still be bitter about that?" she questioned.

"Well, I'm dying. Am I not allowed to be resentful?" Levi questioned back while wiping some of the blood from his face with clean bandages. He looked at what Mikasa was doing. "This looks disgusting," he added.

"I changed the needle," Mikasa argued back while swabbing his arm with alcohol.

"And you are not dying," she added. "This will work. It has to," Mikasa firmly told to Levi and to herself. She desperately needed it to work, she didn't want for Levi to die. She needed to save him.

As she was about to insert the needle Levi reflectively pulled back his arm. Mikasa looked at him with frustration, she held up the syringe again. "This needs to be quick, my blood is already starting to evaporate," she noted to him.

"How can you be sure? It- It might not work," he let out, conflicted and afraid.

"Well if it doesn't, won't you just die anyway?" Mikasa argued and Levi looked down, considering it all. He then extended his arm so she could make the transfusion.

"It burns," he let out as the pain coming into his arm became much stronger than the bullet wound.

"Just hold on," Mikasa replied as she held his arm down to finish the transfusion.

Levi could feel that burning heat quickly spread around his entire body, it was as if he was being burned from the inside out.

Mikasa finished the transfusion and looked at him with a smile. "So?" she asked.

Levi was paralysed. He looked absolutely lost for that one second. That was when he abruptly dropped to the floor, convulsing erratically. Mikasa had no idea what to do, that extreme reaction was far beyond what she had expected. She just rapidly stood up from her chair and stared at the grotesque scene. The man was steaming and agonising in much pain, his veins and arteries were burning up as that strange, titanic blood entered every cell of his body. He was finally in plain consciousness as that otherworldly energy had reached his brain. He opened both his eyes to witness as his two lost fingers grew back again. Levi could not believe it: he had completely regenerated.

The Captain sat upright again, with some difficulty. Levi held his head in pure confusion. Mikasa kneeled down in front of him, she examined his side to see it completely healed, and then his hands and his eyes. She held up his chin and smiled at him, and then hugged him very tight. Levi was still processing it all, he raised up his hand again and analysed his now healed fingers with a mixture of confusion and fascination. "It worked!" his cousin noted in pure happiness, still hugging him very tight. Levi finally hugged her back, staggered.

-.-

It was still pure chaos on the outside deck. The Yeagerists had enraged the Jaw Titan even further. The small boy had been clearly confused from the moment of his transformation but it was now getting worse and worse. He jumped up and attacked the Phoenix, gnawing all over her head and chest. The two Titans fell down in a scuffle and Pieck found herself in a dilemma. She could set her Titan's body ablaze but the heat of the Phoenix was too strong and she didn't have full control of it yet, she could end up killing Falco in the process. So her only defence in that moment were her claws. But the Jaw was clearly more apt at that style of fighting and it seemed like it really was aiming to bite the Phoenix Titan's nape.

The Soldiers just watched it all apprehensive and confused, while hanging from the side of the Army building with their ODM gears. When the Colossal Titan finally arrived and assessed that entire situation. He gently picked up the Jaw and made it drop the Phoenix Titan out from its grasp. The Jaw Titan kept feistily swinging around and trying to attack the Colossal Titan's hand, to the point of even biting him like a small, ravenous dog. The Phoenix Titan fell down and the three soldiers quickly came closer to help Pieck out of the Titan, she looked dizzy and drained. Jean held her in his arms and she fell unconscious.

The Colossal Titan held up the Jaw and looked at it sternly. Falco was not calming down, it looked like he had completely lost control of the Titan. So the Colossal Titan froze him, encasing the Jaw in light Titan Crystal. Enough to restrain him, but leaving the nape open so the others could remove the boy out of there.

ϟ "Get him out," ϟ the Colossal Titan told the others while putting the restrained Jaw Titan down again.

Connie jumped into action and cut the boy out of there.

"He's unconscious too," Connie noted to Reiner, who now stood closer to them. Reiner looked towards Falco and then back towards Pieck again. "What is happening here?" the Warrior questioned.

Armin looked down at his Titan's hand, analysing it. He had noticed how his crystal abilities had become much stronger in this latest transformation. Much stronger than they ever were in any training he had had prior to now. In those past four years he never felt so connected to those otherworldly powers. 'This feels so different,' he thought.

He looked up to see those small figures: Commander Hange and Commandant Shadis were approaching him with their ODM gears.

"You are truly a sight for sore eyes," Hange told him with a smile as she landed on his shoulder.

She looked down to see Armin coming out from the Titan's nape, to talk to them.

"You don't look so good," Shadis noted of Armin's appearance as he approached with Hange.

Armin looked drained and leaner. It seemed like his flesh was being slowly eaten and integrated into his Titan's fibres.

"I'm fine," the young Officer replied. "What is the plan?" He turned to ask Hange.

"We are still working on that," she replied with her hands on her hips and looking up at the dark sky. "I don't suppose you know what became of Eren," she gently asked.

"Not a clue," Armin replied. 'But I can find out,' he thought.

"Well, we now have everything here," Shadis noted while looking to the horizon and to the harbour down below from the Colossal Titan's height. "We have ammunition, transportation and soldiers. So what is the next step, Commander?" he asked Hange.

Hange was still considering a few things. She gave Shadis a quick look and then turned to Armin. "There is one thing that needs to be investigated further before we can proceed. And you, well, your Titan might be the best one for the job," she told him with a clever smile.

"What needs to be investigated?" Armin asked.

Hange and Shadis looked at each other again, and he realised what she was talking about. It was about a concern he had brought up to her earlier.

So the Commandant turned to Arlert and started to explain. "There's an immense hole somewhere near Shiganshina," Shadis said.

"A hole?" Armin asked, confused.

"I'm surprised you haven't seen it, but then again, I supposed I wouldn't have seen it either if I hadn't taken a sharp turn west to meet with Hange," Shadis continued.

Hange leaned closer towards Armin. "We believe it is where the creature rose from," she theorised.

"From inside the earth?" Armin asked, intrigued. At that point he hadn't considered the flying goddess to have come out from inside the island's depths, as he had only seen the thing flying in the sky.

"Yes," Shadis confirmed and Armin turned towards him. "I only approached the edges of it," the old man proceeded. "It looks tremendous… and very odd."

"It must have caused irreparable damage to our grounds, and it certainly explains the earthquakes," Armin noted.

"Yes, but we have bigger concerns about it," Hange relayed.

"What are your concerns?" Armin asked and Hange looked towards Shadis.

The Commandant scratched his head. "The whole thing looks… strange to say the least," he tried to explain.

"What do you mean by strange?" Armin turned to question him.

"You need to see it for yourself. I'm not big on science but I know that's not what the insides of the earth are supposed to look like," Shadis explained further. "I mean it's all supposed to be dirt and rocks, right?" he questioned.

"Well, what could you describe it as?" Armin asked, curiously.

"Another world," Shadis replied and continued. "It's this odd matter, structures that don't seem to belong to this Earth. And it's all glowing and vibrant, as I said before, certainly not dirt," he explained.

"Are you up for it?" Hange asked Armin with some excitement, "taking a look and giving us a full report?" She proposed. "With your size you can go there and come back in a couple of hours."

"And about that," Shadis added, "this hole is absolutely gigantic. I couldn't even fathom when I approached the edges of it," he told Armin. "Even you will feel small in comparison."

"And you can give us a better scope of the whole thing," Hange pointed out.

"How will I find it? Should I just keep going west?" Armin asked.

"It's pretty big, and very close to Shiganshina," Shadis explained, as he looked up to the dark sky. "And now, with the darkness of the night… well, something tells me it will be glowing."

"If he is right you will be able to spot it from the distance," Hange added.

"Ok," Armin nodded. "I'll assess the situation to see what we are truly dealing with here. And I'll bring back my report," he obliged to the Commander.

"Good, once you're back we can plan out next move," Hange replied and her and Shadis climbed up to the Colossal Titan's shoulder once again; while Armin went back inside his Titan.

Shadis swiftly climbed down to a nearby building while Hange turned back for a moment. "Armin, be careful," she gravely warned and the Colossal Titan nodded.

She then leapt down after Shadis, swiftly flying with her ODM gear. They both watched as the Colossal Titan turned and left, walking back towards Shiganshina. The two veterans then turned to concentrate on the situation on the deck down below.

Shadis climbed down towards the deck. "Reiner, what are you doing here?" the old Commandant harshly asked his old pupil.

The Warrior turned to him in surprise. That was a voice Reiner hadn't heard in a long time, and it still terrified his old teenage soul and memories. He was lost for words in that brief moment as the Commandant came walking closer towards him.

"Helping," Jean interjected from afar, as he attended to the ones who were unconscious.

"Is he really?" Hange approached, doubtingly.

"We all are," Reiner confirmed, pointing at the two other Shifters who were unconscious on the ground. "And where is Armin going?" he asked back to the Commander, concerned.

Hange ignored his question and walked in closer, sternly staring him down. "Why?" she challenged him.

"Because I don't want the world to be destroyed," Reiner replied.

"Where is Armin going?" Connie interjected, but was ignored as well.

The Commander tilted her head. "And what will you do when all this is over?" she questioned. "Because I don't suppose your Army will take you back." Hange added in a menacing tone.

"Well," Reiner scratched his head and let out a small, nervous chuckle. "You better spare a bed for me in your barracks then, I don't mind staying here," he shyly proposed.

Shadis let out a quick and loud laugh. "Then you better hope that whatever is inside that odd cave is not as dangerous as we fear. Otherwise there won't be any barracks- not even an Island for you - or any of us - to sleep tomorrow," the old man informed the group with some alarm.

"What odd cave?" Reiner asked his old Commandant.

-.-

- Year 854 - October 30, The Dungeon - Underneath the Reiss Cave

Eren was in complete darkness. The dungeon was cold and time seemed lost to him. He was all on his own and his mind began to drift. He opened his eyes again to see that starry sky and the sand dunes, Eren immediately knew: he was in that cursed dimension.

"It was about time." He heard that familiar voice and turned to look. Eren was in shock, he saw his mother standing there, she looked annoyed at him. The woman walked forward.

"After all these years and you only come to see me now?" Carla confronted him and Eren dropped to the floor, lost for words.

"I- I had no idea I could," he tried to explain, sounding like a small, lost boy. "I had no idea you would be here," he justified.

"Of course I'm here," Carla threw back at him. "Always wondering why my only son hasn't visited me until now," she complained.

"Forgive me, Mother," Eren pleaded, rushing towards her. He looked like a small boy again. "I'm here now," he said, hugging her very tight.

"What are you doing?" Carla confronted the boy, angry. "Why don't you stand up and fight?"

"Fight?" Eren asked, confused. The small boy looked away. "I can't, I'm trapped down here," he justified in a small voice, ashamed.

"I didn't raise a weakling," the mother countered. "So stand up and fight."

Carla held his chin up and looked into his eyes. "Has my death meant nothing to you?" she questioned.

Eren was lost for words, this behaviour wasn't what he expected of his mother. He felt confused and lost as he tried to recall his true memories of her.

The woman continued. "The ones who killed me are invading this island right now, Eren. They will destroy it. Paradise is in flames as we speak."

"I'm trapped, there's nothing I can do from here, I-I can't stop this on my own," the small boy protested.

"Would you let them kill me again?" she questioned. "Again?" The small boy quietly asked. "Eren, you can't let them kill me," she reached and hugged him. "Not now that I am here with you again."

Carla then looked into his eyes once again, as Eren returned into his young adult self.

"Eren, you are a grown man now," she continued, gravely. "And you know the truth. You know what Eldians truly are. It's our blood that runs through their veins, it's your blood that makes them what they are," Carla reminded him sternly. "Your blood. They are your children. The entire eldian race, they are my children."

The woman then stood up angrily, looking at the stars as Eren remained kneeling, brokenly. "And I will not stand by as you cower yourself. You are not weak, Eren," Carla proceeded. "Those horrible monsters - those humans out there, they need to die. You know that is the only way. Only once they are all finally dead will my children be safe." The woman walked closer towards him. "Only then Paradise will finally have peace." she maintained.

Eren looked up at her, finally determined. "I will kill them all," he obliged.

And Carla smiled.

-.-

≃2000 years ago

[ The year of the Titan's death ]

"I can't believe you're beating me at Tafl," Az let out the small complaint under his breath, and Maria looked up at him with a small smile, but also a little confused.

"Oh, I thought you were letting me win," the seven-year-old replied.

They were in the open area near Fritz Castle. The Army was regrouping which meant the area was full of tents, as the entire battalion was camping in those open fields. Az had taken the time in that bright afternoon to play with his precious firstborn. He had taught her that board game only weeks before, and since he had returned from this latest campaign it seemed that the girl had become a master at this game.

She braced herself down over the wooden table and looked up at him with her giant, bright green eyes. Maria smiled, she loved her father a lot.

"No I wasn't," Az reluctantly told the small girl as he held up all the small pieces and started to set the table once again. "Let's go again," he proposed and the girl prepared herself, very excitedly. The young girl was clearly very smart.

"You know, I've missed you a lot," Az told the girl as he was setting up the board. "How has everything been in these past few weeks?" the father asked.

"More of the same, the ladies take care of us," Maria replied as she moved the first piece. "But we missed you and mum too, we missed you everyday."

Az let out a small chuckle. "You're getting old enough to take care of your sisters on your own, you're so clever, little one," he praised the girl as he moved his pieces as well.

Maria looked up at him more seriously. "When are we leaving?" she questioned her father. Maria had hung on to that promise since she had been very small. And as she grew older she was starting to understand her parents better; and to realise how her father's promise might never be delivered.

The soldier scratched his head and looked around the battalion's tents. "Not just yet," he told the girl. "Just hang on a little longer."

The girl also gently looked to the side, as the villagers and soldiers were passing by, coming in and out of the castle. The eldians would always look at her and her sisters with disdain in their eyes. Rose and Sina were playing nearby with a couple of younger ladies who served as their nannies. The two smaller girls were too young to see it, let alone understand it, but Maria was already old and clever enough. She looked down dispirited, that place frightened her, she just hoped that one day they would finally get away.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Azymondeus softly asked as he watched the girl's semblance change, the girl was a little more saddened. "Don't you want to play anymore?"

"They call me a monster," Maria relayed very quietly, under her breath.

"Who called you that?" Az asked more angrily. The father looked around the area, searching for culprits.

"They all do," Maria explained. The girls' nickname had caught on from the moment they had been born. "They say we are monsters, just like Mother," she further explained.

Az put his hands down over the table and looked at her very seriously. "Listen to me when I tell you: we are going to get out of this place," he affirmed. Az then looked around the village once again.

"I already told your mother hundreds of times. This is no place for you to grow up," he told Maria. "My girls shouldn't be here, all these battles and war… this violence. It's no place for a kid, you three deserve a quieter and peaceful existence. Maybe in a sweet and greeny meadow somewhere…" he trailed off. 'Or near the ocean,' the thought came to Az's mind.

"But you like the fighting, and mum likes to be queen, so maybe that's the reason you never left," Maria argued back. The child was honest, she was young, but wise. "Maybe that's the reason you two will never leave," she reiterated suggestively.

Az reached for her small hand and held it tight. "We are going to leave," he softly affirmed once again. The father then looked down to the board. "You are pretty good at this," he let out, quite proudly - changing the subject back to their simpler game.

Maria smiled and went back to moving the pieces. "I'd learned before you taught me," the small girl started to explain and Az looked up at her confused.

"I learned watching you and mum play. I like to see you two having fun together, it's the only time mum seems happy," Maria let out, looking down firmly to the board as she moved her pieces. "Truly happy…" she reiterated, trailing off with some sadness again.

"I love your mother and the three of you very much, you know that, right?" the father softly asked.

Maria looked up at him. "Do you think she loves you the same?" the small girl asked back, quite purely.

"Don't be disrespectful to your mother." the father swiftly reprimanded her.

The small girl only shrugged and continued to play. "I'm not," she quietly replied. Maria's question had been genuine.

"Or to me," Az maintained, seriously.

The girl lifted her head from the board and looked into his eyes. "We're never leaving, are we?" Maria bluntly asked.

"Hey!" Ludvík called out for his best soldier and Az waved back. The General was calling the whole war council for a customary meeting.

Az turned to Maria once again. "Hold the pieces in place," he told the girl as he caressed her golden hair. "I know you can memorise it," he added with a smile while standing up.

"When are you coming back to play?" Maria naively asked, eager to spend more time with her father.

"Soon," Azymondeus replied with his charming smile and left for the meeting.

And Maria did save the pieces in place. But what she didn't know was that this had been the very last time they would ever play Tafl together. The girl kept the board set in her room for the next few months, until the dreadful day of all of their deaths.

-.-

"What are those sections here and there?" Az asked, pointing at the highlighted regions on their leather map.

The map had been expertly crafted and laid over a wooden table at the centre of that large tent. Most of the higher rankings were there for that meeting.

"Not entirely sure," Ludvík replied. "Some smaller villages, we'll take over that region in the next campaign," he further explained.

"Why?" Az asked back with some confusion.

"Ah, yes," Ymir interjected, leaning over closer to that part of the map. "The region closest to shore, we will probably reach it before Fall," the Queen added, she couldn't hide her excitement over that conquest.

"Not just villages," Ralph reminded the General. "The spies said there are two bigger kingdoms in that area. We ought to be careful."

"Come on, it will be easy," Axl countered. "It's probably just a bunch of farmers and fishermen," he shrugged.

Az still looked confused as he watched that back and forth. He reiterated his argument. "Why would we attack that region? They're not our enemies, we don't even know-"

Ymir shrugged. "It will be fun," she interrupted with a cheeky smile.

Az just ignored her comment and proceeded. "I just think-"

King Fritz stood up and immediately cut him short. "You don't get a say in this," the old man was stern in the admonishment. Fritz started to walk forward, closer to the table. "Also, why are you here? Aren't you the small princesses' guard?" The old King questioned him and Az looked down.

"I called him," Ludvík explained.

And Fritz turned his attention to the General. "We are not going to stop. We are not going to slow down. This entire map will eventually be the Eldian Empire," the old man declared while pointing at the map on the table, he continued. "And I won't have any of your men contradict me in that," he firmly told Ludvík.

The King looked around the room with much authority, still walking towards Az. "The next one who says any word against our expansion will have their tongue cut," he threatened the whole council. Fritz finally stopped right in front of his best soldier. "Like a slave," he added, looking Azymondeus in the eyes, with pure disdain.

The meeting proceeded and Azymondeus remained silent and with arms crossed throughout the whole discussion. Which upset Ludvík, as he had called his best soldier exactly because he was terrifically good at planning their attacks, their campaigns in general. The General looked over towards Az multiple times during the procedures and it was clear that he wasn't going to help this time.

Azymondeus' eyes were firmly concentrated on the Queen, he would just stare at her in pure admonishment throughout that whole meeting. Ymir seemed very joyous as she laughed and joked with the Princes and the Ackermanns as they all planned this next campaign. She was there front and centre, almost leaning over the table, full of joy and excitement as they planned their attacks.

Axl and Torin had taken over most of the planning as it had been happening more in those past few years. As Fritz was getting old and uninterested in war itself, the old King'd just rather sit and wait for the others to bring him his victory. He just sat on the wooden throne watching the procedures, quite drunk and not really paying attention, with a couple of whores sitting on his lap.

Those were his 'favourite girls' for the week and they would feed him and give him wine to drink and would laugh with the old man; while also playing a few indecent games with their hands under his garments. All which should make his adult children uncomfortable and embarrassed, but they would just ignore the old man. The boys would occasionally look at Elke hoping she would put a stop to it, as she had been the one to usually do it. But at this point she didn't really care anymore, so the Fritz children just proceeded with the meeting.

Ymir didn't seem to care either. Although her husband on paper, the young Queen instead seemed to be truly in love with that map and the little wooden figures on top of it. She was almost seated at the corner of that table, paying attention to all the planning, absolutely consumed by the pleasures of war. That once slave girl had now been on this path for over a decade and she didn't imagine living her life any other way.

The meeting ended and the group disbanded, all going their own ways and carrying for their own affairs. But Ymir stayed there, she was still leaning over the table, playing with the little wooden soldiers and gazing at that map very fondly.

Az walked into the large tent again, ready to confront her now that they were alone. "It will be fun?" he asked in anger.

"What?" Ymir asked back, looking up at him. His question had broken her concentration. Ymir was lost in her own world before he walked in.

He continued in anger. "That's what you said, after I argued that attacking other kingdoms unnecessarily was a bad idea."

"You heard the boys," Ymir replied nonchalantly. She then leaned completely over the map, in a similar way her Titan would always lean over the battlefield. She looked up at him and continued. "We are not raiding the region, we'll just annex it-"

"Because that's usually how it goes," He interrupted her ironically, Az crossed his arms.

Ymir looked down and turned her concentration to the small figures once more. She started to play with one of the toy soldiers and Az abruptly took it from her hand.

"Do you even remember our pact? All those years ago?" He gravely argued with the small toy on his hand now. "Eldia still has slaves, it still raids other kingdoms, it still murders children! None of this was supposed to happen."

Ymir straightened herself up but remained sitting over the table, on top of the map. She looked at him more seriously, shaking her head. "Azzy, we can't change these people. I think that has been pretty clear for years now," she argued back.

He let go of the small toy, throwing it over the map and started to pace around the tent.

Az stopped. "Why are you so obsessed with this one?" He asked her.

"Obsessed?" Ymir asked back.

"Come on, you're never very interested in these things. But now it seems you're getting a taste for these conquests," he pointed out.

"It's not that. I'm just excited we are getting closer to the shoreline," she explained showing it on the map with a smile.

"The shoreline?" Az asked, unimpressed.

"A small boy once told me that, as a princess, I should have a palace there," Ymir started to explain very playfully. "Near the ocean… maybe even more than one," she added, shrugging. "Maybe I should build one now…"

"Do you remember that?" He asked her, dumbfounded.

"Of course I do." She replied with a smile. Ymir leaned herself against the table with both hands on her chin. "It was the first time we met, how could I forget?" She noted his confused and shocked expression. "It seems you have forgotten," Ymir realised.

"Not entirely but I haven't thought about it in a long time," Az tried to explain. "We were very little."

"Well I have it," Ymir disclosed, as her eyes longed over that map. "I still think about it from time to time… It's my dream to meet the ocean," she expressed with happiness and nostalgia in her voice. "That young boy once promised me he would take me there… it's sad that he forgot." Ymir added more softly.

Azzy walked closer and braced himself down over the map, analysing it. "There are so many errors here. Unless of course tectonic plates will move significantly in less than two thousand years," the clever man noted, jokingly.

"Then fix it," Ymir proposed.

"I can't do that, I'm not messing with their knowledge in this Time," Az argued back. "Regardless, they got the distance right. We are at the heart of the great continent, the ocean is very far in either direction," he explained. "It would take three to four months just to reach those unknown kingdoms and if we pass them just fine. No wars. At least two more months to reach the ocean," Az looked up at her. "And that's the shortest path," he added.

"I'm still building my beach palace once we get there," the Queen replied while raising her eyebrows, still sitting over that map. Ymir suddenly became more playful. "Can't we just go there?" she asked. "Quickly. Just the two of us," she proposed.

Az scratched his head, looking at the map. He looked up at her again. "I can't trust my powers," he started to explain. "You know I can never reach somewhere I've never physically been before. The only shorelines I've ever been to were in Hizuru and Paradise. We could end up stranded somewhere very far-"

"Would that be too bad?" Ymir interrupted him very suggestively, leaning closer to him over that table. "Just you and me stranded on an island somewhere..?" she maintained, sensually looking at him.

"The girls?" Az asked her in pure annoyance. "I swear sometimes you act like they don't exist," the father complained. "I wouldn't dream of risking leaving them alone for months or years in this wretched place! What if we never found a way back? Are you crazy?" he confronted her in anger.

Ymir rolled her eyes and finally came down from the table. She slightly walked away from him, crossing her arms. She defended her proposal. "I meant if that ever happened you could always bring us back before we left, or right after we left. So time wouldn't pass for them, isn't that how it all works?"

"I just told you I can't rely on my powers like that," he argued back, still vexed with her. "Weren't you listening?"

'Useless,' Ymir thought.

They looked away from each other and both fell silent for a moment. Ymir still had her arms crossed in a defensive manner.

"I should just go looking for that tree," Az let out. Finding that portal again had been his main side-mission for all those years. Az was convinced that it was Ymir's way back into their own Time.

"What for? Even if you find it I'm not going," Ymir hissed back at him, she was suddenly very angry. The young woman then walked even further away from him; Ymir stood closer to the wooden thrones, still looking very defensive.

He began to argue. "Don't you want to go home? If there's a chance-"

And she interrupted him. "You just said yourself! The girls. Are you mad? I'm not leaving them here," Ymir maintained with crossed arms.

Az looked thoughtful for a quick moment. "I see no reason they wouldn't be able to pass through," he cogitated. "It should work for the four of you-"

Ymir cut him off again. "But you can't," she reminded him.

They both knew that portal never allowed him to pass through.

Azzy scratched his head. "I'll figure something," he replied, uncertain.

Ymir shook her head quite firmly. "I'm not leaving you here," she told him with a hint of despair in her voice. "How could we live our lives knowing you had to stay behind?"

'You will most certainly die in that place.'

Az remembered his sister's words. He knew very well there was no hope of him escaping his fate.

"Don't you want to give the girls a better future?" Az questioned her more softly. "They deserve to live, to grow up in their own Time. And so do you," he argued.

Ymir remained with arms crossed, still defensive. "There's no guarantee it would even work. Even if we found the tree and passed through, we could end up in a completely different Time." She argued back. "I'm not going."

'What else do you want for me?' Az thought, upset.

"Ymir, that's the only way," he argued.

The woman seemed annoyed and upset. "No, I'm tired of it," she mumbled. Ymir looked up at him and spoke more loudly. "I don't care for it."

"What?" Az asked, feeling confused.

"I don't care for this stupid plan." She told him firmly. "That portal hasn't appeared again in years! I probably destroyed that entire tree when I transformed," Ymir argued. "And even if it appears again, I'm not leaving you here," she maintained.

Azymondeus looked down and away from her. Thoughtful and upset.

Ymir started to walk closer to him again. With arms crossed, she shook her head. "Why can't you face it? We are stuck here." She just wanted him to accept it.

"No. We will find a way out. I will find a way out," he maintained.

"How?" Ymir spat out, she had finally become vexed. "With your powers? You can't even trust yourself to get things right!" She turned her head away. "You are useless…" she trailed off under her breath.

Az looked at her extremely upset. "I'm sure you don't mean that."

"What if I do?" Ymir challenged him, quite mad. "You caused all this! You brought me here."

Azymondeus walked closer to her, staring her down in anger. "You were the one who fell through the portal," he told her gravely. "I warned you to stop but you wouldn't listen. BOTH TIMES. I yelled to you in complete despair. I yelled at the top of my lungs! And you still wouldn't listen!"

"I don't remember any of that," she replied defensively.

"So you don't remember about that crystal place?" He interrogated cynically, walking even closer. "And the tree? Or the hunters and the dogs? The arrows? You don't remember falling?"

"All I remember is falling." She threw back at him. "I remember I fell and drowned. I cried for help, I cried for you and you weren't there to catch me," Ymir told him in pain.

"You let me drown." She reminded him again.

Ymir looked down. "You let me die," she added under her breath.

The man felt completely overwhelmed by guilt in that moment. Azymondeus slowly walked backwards, away from her presence. He left the tent without saying a word. Ashamed.

Ymir eventually decided to follow him to apologise for her outburst. But as soon as she left the tent and walked into that crowd she lost him out of her sight. She looked all over that camp and the village. Ymir looked for him in her tower and in the rest of the castle. The only information the Queen eventually received was from some soldiers who claimed to have seen him walking aimlessly into the forest. Azymondeus was nowhere to be found.

-.-

Days passed and the army began to move. The entire battalion had left the centre regions of the Eldian Kingdom and was now marching towards their next campaign. The Queen was camping on her customary lavish white tent. It was the largest tent of their camp, and certainly the most comfortable. Ymir was brushing her long hair and admiring herself in the mirror, still very worried about her old friend's whereabouts. She was sitting in front of her vanity, Ymir looked at her reflection, upset. She missed her lover immensely.

Suddenly she saw his reflection, entering the tent. Ymir first thought it was a ghost, she swiftly turned herself to look. Azymondeus just looked tired as he walked in.

"It's been four days." Ymir complained as the man entered her large tent. He had finally returned. "Where were you?" the Queen asked, annoyed and perplexed.

"Oh, it's been a little longer than that," Az replied to her angrily - not with her, but with himself. He slowly walked and finally lunged into the large, comfortable bed.

"How long?" Ymir asked, still from her vanity.

"About two, maybe three months, I think," Az replied, staring at the pretty sheets that made the tent's ceiling.

"What? Where the hell were you?" Ymir asked him in anger.

"All over," he replied, standing up slightly. "Trying to go further, into new territory. And you are right, I am useless." Az let out, quite upset.

"Don't say that," Ymir told him softly.

"I am," Az maintained. "I couldn't get you to the ocean then and I can't get you now. It's frustrating, and tiring," the man let out. "I only wish I could take us away from here, from all of this! But I can't go further enough, let alone carry others with me, it's worthless!" Azzy sat on the bed, looking very beaten. "Besides, after a while I started to miss the girls and you…" he added.

Ymir stood up and walked towards him. "I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it," she apologised and embraced him, motherly.

"But you were right." Az countered.

"No. Hear me when I tell you, because I need you to know this," Ymir held his face with both hands and stared at him intensely. "I need to be sure you do know and will never forget it: I don't blame you. I don't blame you for anything."

"But I am to blame, I caused all this," the broken man maintained, looking down. "I destroyed your life."

Ymir looked at him very lovingly, she gently raised his chin up. "You make me happy. You love me, I know that," she told him with a large smile, "and that is all I need. I love you and I don't care about anything else. We are happy as we are. Aren't we?"

Az finally smiled back at her. "We are stuck together," he replied.

"So let's stick together." Ymir proposed. She leaned in closer and they kissed.

Ymir then played with his hair, fixing it a little. "I know it's difficult for you to get used to the idea," she proceeded. "You lived much longer in the future. So I understand how hard it must be for you to accept that you might never go back there," Ymir told him softly. "But you also need to understand how I barely know that future. I long for it in my dreams sometimes… But I'm not connected to that world. This world is all I truly know, I was a child when I arrived here."

"It's not that," Az replied, countering. "I get that we are stuck here, but being stuck here…" the man trailed off for a moment. "It means we can never live full lives. Not only us, but the girls," he began to explain. "Ymir, do you understand that they can never have children? You gave yourself that luxury-" Az stopped and rephrased himself. "We gave ourselves that luxury. But they can never do the same."

Ymir lunged further into the bed, a little away from him. "Not according to your rules," she countered, complaining. Ymir crossed her arms.

"They're not my rules," Az argued back, turning towards her. "We don't belong here. Ymir, we can't leave descendants in this point in time-"

"I belong here," she interrupted, annoyed.

"You were not born here," he maintained, patiently.

"Well, does that really matter?" Ymir questioned, partially laying on the bed while holding the side of her head, she looked at him with annoyance.

"Yes. Of course it matters. It's bad enough the amount of chaos we are already bringing to this Time," Az argued, still patiently, but slightly annoyed at Ymir's insistence. "We can't leave descendants here." he told her firmly.

"So what? Do you expect me to send the girls to a monastery? What do you want me to do?" She complained, slightly raising herself up again.

"Well," Az moved forward, sitting on the bed closer to her. He raised his eyebrows. "The probability of them being Titans just like you is the biggest one," he argued. "They clearly didn't inherit my powers, might as well have inherited yours."

And Ymir raised her eyebrows, she looked at him up and down with disdain and annoyance. "Are you suggesting they won't have any suitors because of that?" She questioned.

"Exactly," he replied with a small smile. "You barely managed to snatch the old booby to yourself, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't even count."

"Don't play with me, Ackermann," Ymir advised him sternly, but with a small smile. She looked to the side, more saddened. "Well, I do hope they have my power…" Ymir trailed off.

"It wouldn't be so bad if they are just normal humans," Az considered for a moment.

Ymir turned to him abruptly and in spite. "Of course it would. Az, we are both immortal, haven't you considered that?"

The man only scratched his head, uncomfortably. "You know I don't think about that very much," he replied. The time traveller always kept that aspect of his life away from his mind, the mere thought of immortality made him uneasy.

"Well, you should. The girls are getting older, they are growing up so fast!" Ymir let out, with arms crossed. "And I can't even begin to imagine how painful it would be to watch them getting older and older and- eventually die," she told him in agony.

Az looked to the side, very reflective and saddened. "It's pointless to think about all that now, it's too early for us to know what will really happen to us, or to them."

"Do you hope we'll just grow old like any human? Regenerating the way we both do?" Ymir questioned. "Because to me it seems impossible."

Az remained silent, he wasn't sure of what to hope for the future.

Ymir stood up from the bed, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Maybe there's one good thing in this," she said as she walked further. "We're just taking the long run."

"The long run?" Az asked, confused.

Ymir turned back to him with a smile. "Maybe I will see my family again after all," she considered, happily. She then walked back towards her lover once more. Ymir embraced him with the joyous realisation in her face.

"It might take two thousand years, but, who knows? I might meet my family again. I might finally talk to my brother again," Ymir considered, looking into his deep blue eyes with much hope. "Only time will tell," she let out.

-.-

- Year 874 - Mitras, the Royal Palace

"You look upset," Ezra noted. He looked down to Blue's research. "What have you translated so far?" the prince asked.

Sonnenblume sighed and leaned back on her chair. "I don't even know if I'm right," she explained. "But if I am, this person sounds very lonely."

Ezra held up the small notebook she had copied. "If you were able to decode full sentences so far then it proves you are right, no?" he questioned while analysing it.

"I could just be projecting. I've been staring at all this for too long," Sonnen explained with some frustration and doubt.

"Well, it's just a bunch of odd symbols to me," Ezra told her with a small smile. He thought about it some more. "You know, my parents say my sister and I had our own made-up language when we were little," the prince decided to share.

"Yeah, it seems all twins do that," Blue carelessly replied and went back to concentrating on her ancient puzzle. The girl was clearly adamant to solve it.

"Are you going to take all this to the lodge?" Ezra asked her with a charming smile and she looked up at him again.

"Definitely not. I'm taking a break from all this," she replied. "I need it," Blue added.

"So I am your break?" Ezra joked.

"Oh, no, you're more than that," Sonnenblume justified and leaned in for a kiss.

"Glad to know," he replied with some charm and kissed her. The prince then looked around that empty room. "I'm surprised we are allowed to be alone," he softly joked.

"Alone?" Blue questioned and smiled. The young Ackermann pointed forward. "There are two guards behind those doors," she expertly noted then turned back in her chair, also pointing. "And four more in the halls going in that direction," she further explained. "We are never alone in this Palace," Sonnenblume let out with some complaint.

"We will be once we get to the lodge," the prince softly promised. "Just two more days," he added, leaning in for another kiss.

"And someone is about to walk in," she noted.

"Well, that I can hear too," Ezra replied, turning towards the doors. The Ackermann abilities weren't as impressive now that they could both hear the steps getting louder in the corridors outside.

One of the palace staff walked into their presence. "Milady, your mother is here," the old man announced to Sonnenblume. The girl opened her eyes wide and immediately rushed out of the room.

Blue ran fast around those corridors until she finally arrived at that entrance hall. She saw her mother standing there and immediately hugged her very tight. "You're here!" the girl let out, full of joy as her mother hugged her back equally tightly, letting out a small smile.

"You won," Mikasa quietly replied in her ear, sounding very serious.

She then stopped to admire her daughter's face and caressed her long hair for a moment. "You look taller," the mother noted. "And leaner, or maybe I just forgot what you looked like," Mikasa added with a small hint of bitterness, as they hadn't seen each other in two years.

The older woman then leaned slightly to the side as she saw that young man approaching. "Now you look a lot like your father," Mikasa noted, baffled.

"Don't offend the boy, Mikasa," Levi interjected from the side, already with arms crossed and Sonnenblume then rushed to hug him too. "Uncle Levi!" she let out with much excitement.

"I'm not a boy," the prince replied with a small chuckle, slightly offended. Ezra let out a small, nervous smile.

"Oh, yes you are," the old Ackermann maintained as his niece hugged him very tight.

Levi then looked Sonnenblume in the eyes. "Only you can make me take that long of a boat ride with your mother, it felt like an eternity," Levi told his niece with some complaint.

"Don't be annoying," Mikasa interjected, staring at Levi with some disapproval. "We're here now, aren't we?"

She then turned to the prince. "I'm glad we can finally meet," the older woman then softly extended her hand and held his quite sweetly. "Well, we have already met but you were too young to remember," the aunt added.

"Yes," the prince concurred, a little nervously. "Blue talks a lot about you," Ezra added with a nice smile.

"Blue?" Mikasa asked while tilting her head.

"That's how he calls me," Sonnenblume explained.

Mikasa turned to the prince again. "Sweet," she told him with a smile as Levi only rolled his eyes behind her.

The group went up the stairs of the entrance hall to meet the rest of the family. They could all see Queen Historia smiling the moment they reached the atrium. She immediately walked over and hugged Mikasa very lovingly, to the awkward stares of everyone else.

"I'm very happy you and the Captain decided to come back here after all these years," Queen Historia told her old friend with a nice smile. And Mikasa looked at her disconcerted.

"I'm not a Captain anymore," Levi reminded the Queen and the others, from the corner. Crossing his arms once again.

"Well, I'm sure the trip must have been tiring," Historia continued. "Come, we have tea in the rose garden," she invited them while pulling Mikasa by the hand. The two older women walked together towards the outside.

"Time can heal anything," Eren commented as they all watched.

"I was hoping it would," Ezra replied to his father, with a sigh of relief. "Otherwise the next few days would be rather awkward," he added, raising his eyebrows.

"You don't give your mother enough credit," Sonnenblume noted. "She has quite the diplomatic skills."

The young woman then walked toward the outside gardens as well, and her uncle followed her. Levi passed by Eren completely ignoring his presence.

Although Mikasa also hadn't acknowledged her brother standing there, it had been because she had been dragged away by the Queen without the opportunity to do so. Levi on the other hand was clearly ignoring Yeager on purpose. The old Ackermann seemed annoyed by his niece's decision and by their families being joined together once again.

The Fritzs and the Ackermanns' bond was something that spanned two millennia at this point. What had started as two childhood friends and their joined mission to protect their village and, eventually to build an ambitious empire; had then grown into a joint curse for their descendants. Their bloodlines were irreversibly intertwined. It was an unavoidable tie that was too difficult to comprehend after its origin being lost to History. Regardless, it annoyed Levi.

"I don't think he likes me very much," the prince quietly noted to his father as the old Captain walked away, seemingly annoyed.

"Don't worry," Eren awkwardly scratched his head and then placed his hand over his son's shoulder. "He's just being 'Levi', you'll get used to it eventually." The father explained and followed the others.

-.-

"That's a nice scarf you got on," Eren noted to his sister after intercepting her in the corridors. "I wonder who gave it to you," he joked, with arms crossed and leaning on the wooden panels of that corridor.

Mikasa was wearing the blue and white striped scarf he had given her all those years ago. She held it for a moment as she passed by him, going towards the visitors' quarters. "I thought wearing it would be a good peace offer," the woman noted.

Eren scratched his neck and started to accompany her, they walked side by side. "I'm glad I could finally catch a moment, just the two of us," he noted.

"Your wife is far more chatty than I expected her to be," the Ackermann let out.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Eren replied to his sister with a smile, as they walked through the corridor. "It's almost like what she used to be, even though it's still not quite: it," he commented. "At least it's something." Eren gave a brief pause, reflecting on it. "She will never be the same, none of us will," he concluded.

Mikasa remained silent as they walked side by side.

"You don't believe I did it, do you?" Eren questioned without entirely saying what he was too afraid to let out.

Mikasa stopped. "Did what?" She asked in a dry tone, staring straight into his eyes. Eren only looked down and away. "Are you asking me if I believe you killed Armin?" Mikasa questioned him firmly. She continued, "if I believe you were the one who ordered his death?"

"I'm sure you know I would never do something like that," Eren defended himself, brokenly.

"Then why are you asking?" His sister questioned and then started to walk again. Eren walked behind her, clearly upset. "All I know is that you like stirring trouble, you can't help yourself," Mikasa proceeded. "But even then I wouldn't expect you to cross that line," she stopped again and looked at him. "But then again, maybe I don't know you very well. I don't think I ever knew you."

"There's nothing I could have gained from that," her brother argued more strongly. "There was nothing to be gained from his death. Even Armin would have agreed with me and told you to think logically about this, and you know it," Eren firmly affirmed.

"Maybe you didn't know him very well," Mikasa argued back, softly but coldly. "Sometimes I wonder how you two could be friends," she let out, "but I wouldn't have ever met him otherwise so at least one good thing came out of it." Mikasa realised.

"So in a sense, I deserve a 'thank you'," Eren cleverly remarked, and smiled.

"Don't push it," Mikasa warned.

The two siblings had already passed Mikasa's destination. They stopped at the end of the corridor, close to a large and high window, with the beautiful view of the gardens outside.

"And we were friends because we shared and chased the same dreams," Eren explained, nostalgically. "We both wanted the same things."

Mikasa reflected on it, looking out of the window. "But you two had very different notions of how to achieve your dreams, didn't you?" she argued back.

"I'm not evil, Mikasa," her brother argued more softly. "I hoped you'd stop treating me as such."

"I'm not- I," she took a deeper breath. "I just wished he was here," Mikasa confessed, suddenly more agitated. She brought her hand up to her face, almost as if to clean a tear.

"So do I," Eren replied, clearly upset. He gently held her hand and kissed it, fatherly. They held hands for a moment, both watching the garden outside. And Mikasa softly leaned her head on his shoulder.

He looked down and to the side, reflectively. But soon looked up at her again with a sweet smile. "How can you even be dubious of our friendship if it happened twice?" Eren questioned smiling, while still holding her hand.

"Well, it's not really the same thing," Mikasa playfully argued, with a small smile.

"I was the one here watching their friendship grow, it is pretty much the same thing," Eren argued back, certain. "Only this time, we get to share grandchildren," he added, kissing his sister's hand again in gratefulness. The father seemed extremely pleased with that prospect.

"Don't tell them that or they'll cancel everything and run away," his sister warned, jokingly. Mikasa held her scarf for a moment, thinking about that tragedy that had occurred so many years before. "I'm sorry about what happened. I truly am," she told him more softly. "I can't begin to imagine what is like to lose one's child in such a tender age."

"None of it was your fault," Eren replied, "and I don't blame Azzy either. He was just a child too."

"Well, he certainly blamed himself," Mikasa noted, upset.

Her brother turned to face her more clearly, showing his concern. "Do you have any idea of what happened to him?" he questioned. "Where could he have gone?"

Eren was asking questions he already knew the answers to.

"It's been seven years. Sometimes I have this feeling that he is trapped somewhere and that's why he can't come home," the old mother confessed. "But maybe he just doesn't want to see me, to face me," she added more brokenly.

She took a deeper breath, while holding her brother's arm tenderly. "I imagine my little boy trapped somewhere, but then I remember that if he was still alive he would be a grown man by now. He wouldn't need me," Mikasa confessed.

"Do you think he's not alive anymore?" Eren questioned.

"Do you think Ymir is still alive?" she questioned him back, rhetorically.

Eren scratched his head, slightly nervously and sighed. He knew the fate of their children, partially. And he knew of his daughter's gruesome death. But that was all in the past. They could still be alive, technically.

"Sometimes I hope- I hope that she'll come back to us. I dream she's here, that she's safe in her mother's arms," Eren revealed. "But I don't want to do that to Historia. After so long she's finally healed. I can't let her go through all that loss again, so I keep my dreams and feelings to myself," he confessed.

"She probably dreams all of that too, Eren," his sister noted.

"She threw herself into her work," Eren explained. "We both did, after all that…"

Mikasa thought for a moment. "What will you two do now that she's 'retiring'?" she asked her brother, still holding tight to his arm.

Eren scratched his head and put his hands on his pockets, letting go of her arms. "She wants to go back to the farm," he commented, halfheartedly.

"That sounds good. All those children, it can be a good distraction for her," Mikasa noted enthusiastically. "And I know how much you love cows," she joked.

Her brother looked at her sideways, slightly annoyed. He proceeded. "But I don't think we should leave Ezra on his own, at least not now. He is far too young."

"Oh, Eren, please. Historia was fourteen," Mikasa argued back.

"Still, she had plenty of help, especially at the beginning," he maintained.

"Certainly not from her parents," she swiftly pointed out, side-eyeing her brother more jovially.

And Eren looked at her sideways again. Still annoyed.

"I think he'll do just fine!" Mikasa argued, giving her brother a small fist bump on his shoulder; and then walking back in the direction of the guest bedroom that had been assigned for her. "Something tells me he is glad to see you go," she commented more quietly.

And her brother heard. "What?" Eren questioned indignantly. He walked forward with his complaint. "You don't know Ezra, what in the world would make you think that?" he protested.

Eren was very much accustomed to his high military position. As Chief Colonel he held the power over all of Eldia's military affairs, and he didn't expect that ending anytime soon.

Mikasa held herself over the door handle, playfully. "Armin used to say that diplomacy is like a dance. A very complicated ballad. Always trying to help countries find rhythm while also avoiding stepping on those large egos of the more vain world leaders." she remembered with a smile, thinking of Armin's words.

She then looked at her brother more seriously. "And you, Eren, you were never a very good dancer," Mikasa pointed out while opening the bedroom door. The aunt considered. "But perhaps Ezra will be," Mikasa told him with a clever smile; while entering the room and then closing the door behind her.

Eren just stayed there, perplexed.

-.-

The young bride was sitting in front of her vanity, she felt radiant. That special day had arrived.

"You look beautiful, my sunflower," Mikasa told her daughter as they admired the bride in the reflection. The mother was helping her with the finishing touches of her hairdo, and Sunny smiled. She reached up for her mother's hand. "Thank you for being here," Sunny told her softly and sincerely.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, baby girl," Mikasa replied, smiling. She kissed her daughter on the side of the head, and they both looked at the reflection again. The young bride then turned to her, inquisitive.

"What do you think of him?" Sunny asked her mother. "So far you haven't said," she added.

"Well," Mikasa thought for a moment. "He is clearly a soft man, with a genuinely good soul. And very intelligent," she commented and her daughter smiled, timidly.

"My father was truly the best man I ever met. I have the most lovely memories of him, he was gentle, but also strong, clever. He took care of me," Mikasa proceeded, quite pleased. She smiled. "And when I met your father and as we grew up together I saw all those qualities again. That strong and caring character is what drew me to him," the mother explained. "So I am truly happy to see you following that same path."

"Oh, mother," Sunny complained. "Don't ruin this for me."

"You asked. Why would my assessment ruin anything?" The mother asked with genuine confusion.

"You just said I'm attracted to Dad, and Granddad," Sunny protested.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Mikasa maintained, she tilted her head. "Hadn't you realised it before now?"

The girl just hid her face in the chair and shook her head, quite embarrassed.

Mikasa shrugged. "If taking into account the beautiful bond between your father and I. And my parents, and his parents; well then, my dear, you are on the right track," the older woman cleverly remarked. Mikasa then raised her daughter's chin and looked at her with love. "I wish you a truly happy and long-lasting marriage, my dearest," she softly told her daughter, and kissed her on the cheek.

The older woman then looked to the side as her daughter was standing up. Mikasa picked up the small notebook from Sunny's vanity. "What's this?" She asked.

"Oh, that's just a project I've been working on," Sunny explained while fixing her dress. "It has given me quite the headache."

"I thought it was your diary," Mikasa commented.

"It seems like a diary, but it isn't mine. I found it in dad's things," Sunny explained. "That is just a copy I made to study the symbols, the original itself is very old."

Mikasa let out a small laugh while skimming through the pages. "Yes, I remember when he stole it from Tybur Castle. He was extremely proud of himself for being so sneaky," the mother commented with a sweet smile.

"So is that where it's from?" Sunny questioned and her mother nodded. "Does that help?" Mikasa questioned.

"It might help me put it in context," Sunny considered, "once I finished deciphering it. But I've been stuck on that part for two years," she commented in some frustration.

"How about this one?" the older woman comically pointed at one of the symbols. It vaguely resembled a sunflower. "If your father had actually drawn this it would probably have meant 'sunny'," Mikasa suggested, sweetly.

Sunny took the small notebook to analyse it closer - even though she had seen that symbol a thousand times before. "Yes, that would've been obvious. Especially if dad had made it," she noted. "I actually considered it to be in that vein from the get-go. But it's not quite that simple," Sunny explained. "Following a similar line of thinking and based on other assessments I made, it actually seems to be just a particle: 'sun'. If I'm right of course."

"Sun," Mikasa repeated. "Well, your brother was the one who called you that," she quickly reminded her daughter with a nice smile; but then immediately looked to the side, saddened.

Sonnenblume closed the little book and leaned in to put it inside her vanity's drawer. "I know, I miss him too," she quietly noted to her mother.

"Why wouldn't he be here..?" the mother quietly complained, thinking of her lost son, "on such an important day to you."

"Mother, I don't think he'd miss it if he was still… here," Sunny replied, upset.

She turned to see her uncle walking in. "It's time," Levi noted, checking his pocket watch. Sharply dressed, he stopped by the door, leaning on the wall.

"Besides, something tells me the two of them would definitely not get along," Sunny whispered to her mother, joking to make light of the situation.

Mikasa noted her cousin standing there, Levi had his arms crossed, it was time to say her goodbyes.

She turned to the bride again. "You're perfect." Mikasa told her daughter affectionately, while holding her shoulder. "See you later," she added more softly with a smile, while holding her chin. And Sunny smiled at her mother.

Mikasa nodded to Levi and left the room.

"She's right, you do look beautiful," Levi told his niece while leaning away from the wall. He walked closer to her and then stopped. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not the one to be doing this," he quietly commented.

"I'm sure Dad would be glad that it is you," Sunny replied, certain and with a smile.

Levi then walked even closer to the bride. "To be honest, I'm surprised you chose me over-" he was about to comment when Sunny interrupted him.

"Over uncle Eren?" his niece cleverly guessed. She tilted her head lovingly. "Uncle Levi, I would choose you over uncle Eren a thousand times and a thousand times over," Sonnenblume revealed.

"Just don't tell him that," she whispered more jovially.

The bride became more serious and nostalgic. "You were the one there while I was growing up. You taught me how to fight." she told him softly.

Levi smiled at her and offered her his arm.

They started to walk together out of the room.

"I know what you're doing here," the old Ackermann commented, "what this is really all about."

"What do you mean?" his niece stopped and asked, confused.

"I know you're watching. You're keeping an eye on him," Levi commented, "I know you. You'll do the right thing-"

"Uncle Levi, that's not-" Sunny tried to interject but it was of no avail.

"When the day comes, you'll be ready to strike. You'll do it without fail," the old Ackermann declared, completely certain.

And Sunny fell silent, staggered.

-.-

- Year 854 - October 30, Paradise Harbour

Falco was in deep sleep, laying on that deck. His consciousness was drifting away, and he opened his eyes in that strange dimension full of sand. The young Warrior looked up to the starry skies, Falco held his head in confusion and decided to stand up. As he was finding his footing he saw his brother in the distance, smiling at him.

"Colt!" he exclaimed, full of hope and joy. Falco ran fast towards his brother, he opened his arms wide with the intention to hug him; and he didn't even notice how his brother didn't have any reaction beyond that still smile. Once Falco reached him and tried to hug him tight his image immediately faded into smoke.

Falco looked around the fading smoke as it left his empty arms and hands. He dropped to the sand in pure confusion and grief. "What is this place?" he questioned.

The Warrior looked up to those stars again, he could see that eerie purple energy floating high across that night sky. That gave him a shiver. But he then focused on one of the bright constellations. It was almost as if it was talking to him, it compelled him towards it, so he started mindlessly walking towards those stars. He wandered for some time.

That constellation was the Jaw Titan's guide, and Falco continued to follow it. He walked and walked, he couldn't even tell for how long. Falco wondered if all this was just an odd nightmare, but at this point he was too deep into it for him to wake up.

He kept walking.

The goddess Ymir had trapped all Titan Shifters from all the ages with those thin but unbreakable tree roots. The thin and bright cords were clearly magical and were meant to prevent anyone from interfering.

"Now, would you look at that," Maria commented to her Jaw companions, and the boys turned their heads.

Marcel was as confused as Maria, but Porco immediately recognised the young Warrior. The boy was wandering aimlessly around the sand, clearly confused.

"Falco!" Porco shouted.

"Who is that kid?" Marcel questioned.

"He's our successor," Porco explained.

"Oh," Marcel let out.

"Right…" Maria trailed off.

"Hey, kid!" Marcel shouted and the boy came in their direction, extremely confused as he saw all those people in chains.

"A-Are you all trapped here?" the boy questioned.

-.-

- Year 854 - Paradise Island, the city of Trost - Wall Rose

[ a few days before ]

The Army had just returned from their first ever attack in enemy territory. There was a sentiment of unrest and rumours of insurrection were swirling around the major cities as the news were spreading. The results of their attack on the great continent were being met with mixed responses by the paradisian population. It seemed that a larger - and constantly increasing - number of citizens didn't like the rumours they were hearing and were in strong disagreement with the military's latest decisions - in particular with the Survey Corps.

"I just don't think it would be a good idea," Mikasa told Armin while holding their toddler closer into her arms, protectively, as they walked through the streets of Trost. The two of them stopped and Armin gently caressed the boy's hair.

"Trust me, he will be safer there," Armin affirmed. He had suggested that she should take Azzy to the Queen's farm; where the nuns of the orphanage could take good care of him while the two of them dealt with all the mess that had ensued.

"There's no safer place for him to be than where Historia is, don't you think?" Armin maintained. "I personally took care of her security plans," he reminded Mikasa, gently pointing at himself. The young Officer then considered the military unrest at the moment. "Besides, even if any of those radicals tries to rebel, well, they won't be attacking there." Armin firmly argued.

Mikasa only looked to the side, the mother was in dangerously low spirits and her lack of sleep was starting to show. She held her head as her tiresome headache chimed. "I just wished this would be over," Mikasa let out, under her breath.

Armin let out a small, sardonic chuckle while stretching himself. "Oh, believe me. I would give anything to just go back home and finally lay in bed," he wished, incredulously. "Finally have a full night's sleep and wake up to a nice cup of coffee, watch the waves, play a little with Azzy in the sand-"

The boy immediately stood to attention after the last phrase, quite excited and inquisitive. "You shouldn't say the word 'play' in front of him," Mikasa reminded Armin. And the small toddler turned to look at her even more excited; she put him down and he started to run around the area.

The toddler ran off to the greenery of an open park, in the middle of the busy city, as his parents leisurely walked behind in the same direction.

"This hasn't even started," Armin continued. "It won't take long until Marley attacks us," he raised his eyebrows, "I wouldn't be surprised if they are already here."

"You're clever, I'll give you that," Pieck whispered, slightly impressed as she spied on their conversation a little further away. The two of them stopped and she stopped as well, further behind. And gently hid herself in a small street corner.

"If you knew they would attack us back then why did we do this?" Mikasa complained, tired.

"Mikasa, they would attack us anyway," Armin reminded her as their small boy ran around happily. "And we couldn't let them have the Founder, things would be much worse if they had access to that power," Armin argued.

Mikasa sighed. "You should go talk to him," she advised.

"I'm not going to," Armin firmly replied, he also sighed. "At least not yet, I need to gather my thoughts," he explained.

She looked around the city streets. "He shouldn't have been arrested," she whispered in admonishment. "It's just enraging those crowds even more," Mikasa pointed out, rightfully.

"That's with Hange," Armin replied. He took out a summoning letter from his coat. "We'll talk more after we meet with Zackly," he reminded her and put the letter back on his inside pocket again. "I'll meet you there," he added. Armin considered, "then we can both decide on how to deal with Eren," he added as Mikasa looked around, distracted. It seemed she had lost sight of their boy.

"Peach!" the spy heard the small, childish voice greet her with much excitement. Pieck looked down in alarm as the small toddler pulled on her skirt, asking for attention. That staggered her completely.

"What did you call me?" she asked the small boy in pure confusion. "Peach!" Azzy exclaimed again and hugged her legs with affection.

Pieck crouched down slowly, puzzled. She stood on the boy's height. "How did you know I was here?" she whispered. And the toddler hugged her again, expecting she would carry him up. So the spy stood up again with the boy in her arms, still perplexed.

"So, what have you found out so far?" Porco asked from behind her with his mouth full. And Pieck startled even more. She rapidly turned towards him.

"Cheese sticks?" Pieck asked, annoyed. "Where did you get cheese sticks?"

"I bought them on a little stand down the street," he explained while munching again on his fried delicacy. Porco licked his fingers, he then used the sticks to point at the boy. "Where did you get this one?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Pieck looked at the boy in her arms again. "I don't know, he just came over here," she whispered.

"Yeah, but why are you holding some random kid?" Porco whispered back comically and took another bite of his fried cheese. The small toddler was suddenly hypnotised by those cheese sticks.

"He just jumped into my arms," she explained, whispering.

"Any man would be lucky to," Porco joked.

"I just don't want him to cry or yell, I don't know-" Pieck tried to justify as Porco slightly looked over from the hidden corner. He could see Mikasa walking towards the open park area, looking around, searching.

"Is that one of the Ackermanns?" Porco asked Pieck in another whisper. "The Asian one?" he added.

"Yes," Pieck confirmed while also looking over from the corner. "Where's the blond one?" she questioned while looking around. Armin had already left.

She turned to see Porco smiling at the small toddler and giving him a small piece of the fried cheese. Azzy smiled back at him while munching on it. "Don't give him food," Pieck admonished him in a whisper. She finally put the boy down and he ran off, quite happily.

"Hey, you were the one holding him, I was just trying to entertain the kid," Porco justified.

Pieck turned again and watched as the boy happily ran around the park, contemplative. 'Peach!' his small voice came back into her memory. The Warrior tilted her head, "huh," Pieck let out.

"You know, I'm starting to like it here," Porco noted.

"What?" Pieck turned to him incredulous.

"It's pretty nice, I wasn't expecting the island to be like this," he honestly confessed. Porco shrugged. "I wouldn't mind staying here," he added.

Pieck rolled her eyes. "Come on, we have a lot to do," she told him and started to walk away.

"I'm serious-" he was about to argue while crossing his arms. When Porco stopped in alarm and looked down to his hands. "Hey," he let out. 'Where are my cheese sticks?' The Warrior questioned in his mind. He hadn't even seen the moment the boy stole the food from his hands. Porco was dumbfounded as he looked around the ground, looking for it.

"Come on," Pieck told him again and continued to walk.

Mikasa had sat on one of the benches in that park. She held her head in annoyance and in tiredness. Mikasa sighed. She dropped her hand down and gently held her stomach, and turned her head up to the bright skies. She closed her eyes and leaned back, letting the sweet breeze wash over her. The young mother sat there in silence and in peace for that brief moment.

She could then hear the small toddler running and laughing around the park, so she finally let out a small smile. Mikasa opened her eyes again as the boy rushed over towards her.

Azzy reached out for her to hold him and Mikasa held him up and put him standing on the bench, next to her. "I want to play with Sunny!" the boy exclaimed with much excitement.

The mother looked at him with some alarm. 'Not this again,' Mikasa thought, drained. "Sunny is not here yet," she told the boy with some concern. Mikasa shook her head, perplexed. "How can you possibly know her?" she questioned, gently caressing his small face.

The boy wasn't paying attention anymore, he was focused on the small birds in a nearby tree. He swiftly jumped off the bench and stood on the grass again, about to run. But his mother swiftly held his wrist before he could run off.

"No," Mikasa sternly warned. She sighed while looking at her delicate wristwatch. "We need to go to the train station," she firmly affirmed while standing up. The mother stretched herself while still firmly holding the boy with her right hand. She gently placed her left hand over her stomach.

Azzy looked around the park. "Is Sun coming?" the toddler asked with much excitement while jumping up and down. Azzy loved trains.

And Mikasa looked down at him with a small smile. "Oh, darling, at this stage she goes wherever I go," she softly explained to the toddler.

They walked hand in hand to the train station.

-.-

- Year 854 - October 30, Somewhere in the forests of the Rose Region

"Annie, come on!" Hitch shouted. "We've been following this- this nothing for hours!"

The two friends were riding fast among the dark trees. Night had fallen and they were still following the strange, small light that Annie claimed to have seen.

"It's not nothing. You just can't see it," Annie shouted back from her horse, annoyed. The Titan Shifter was determined. Annie knew this small creature was guiding her to somewhere important.

Hitch looked around the dark forest, scared. "I don't even know where we are anymore," the MP noted more quietly.

They kept galloping fast.

"Can't you just admit that we are lost?" Hitch shouted.

Annie was riding faster and in front of her. "I can just leave you," the MP added, threatening her friend slightly.

The Titan Shifter turned her head. "Then go," Annie threw back. "I don't mind," she added and then turned back. When Annie looked up front she immediately stopped her fast-riding horse. They both came to a halt, with Hitch stopping behind her.

"I lost it!" Annie complained, baffled. She scanned the dark trees, looking across the forest. She galloped slower, turning with her horse in multiple directions.

Annie then turned to address Hitch. "You made me lose sight of it," she complained. But soon noted how Hitch was completely paralysed. Her friend seemed very scared, so Annie turned and followed Hitch's eyes to see what was frightening her.

"That's not some tiny fairy creature," Hitch quietly noted, referring to the comical comments she had made earlier. "That's a ghost." The MP affirmed, terrified.

Annie looked at the small, illuminated figure in the distance. She was running, dancing across the trees. The child's pure happiness looked eerie. "Oh, so now you can see it?" Annie joked back, but Hitch didn't seem very amused.

"Why didn't you say it was some creepy dead girl before we both followed it all the way into the woods?" Hitch whispered at Annie. She galloped her horse closer and they both stood side by side.

"It didn't really look human when I first took a glimpse," Annie argued, whispering back. "It just looked like a star."

"Well, it doesn't look very human now," Hitch hissed back, still trying to whisper. "At least not like an alive human," she added, very nervously.

"Come on," Annie called her, galloping further.

"Wait! Are you crazy?" Hitch protested, still whispering but a little louder. "We should get away from it, we don't know what it wants."

The small ghost stopped dancing around the trees and began to move again, flying further into the woods. "It clearly wants us to follow it, come on," Annie replied, and began to chase it again.

"But we don't know why. We shouldn't-" Hitch was about to argue and Annie interrupted her.

"What are you so afraid of? It's just a child." The Titan Shifter argued and then proceeded to follow the ghost, and the MP reluctantly followed her friend.

They continued to ride fast across the dark forest for a few more minutes; when the air began to feel colder and the forest more scarce. The trees were further apart and the moonlight shone brighter into the forest. And they both realised what that meant: they were arriving at the edges of it.

They eventually arrived in a vast open field. Annie and Hitch stopped and saw the girl turn into a small star again and then disappear. They had arrived at their destination, the ghost's job was done. The two friends looked around the field, confused.

"Where are we?" Annie asked.

-.-

Gabi took a seat, near the window and started to look up at the night sky, wondering. She was in that hospital hut, in a small village, the closest near Shiganshina. The hospital was full but things were calmer now. There was pure silence. One of the MPs had come in earlier that evening to notify the doctor and the staff how the Wall Titans had stopped moving once the night fell. It seems they were strongly dependent on the sunlight. So the paradisian population could use the night to seek refuge as they all knew the troubles would begin again in the sunrise.

The night was calm and peaceful, most of the villagers had left and the hospital staff was resting as the patients slept. Gabi looked back to see the Braus family all sleeping, all close together and it made her miss her family. The young girl then turned to the window again, she looked up at the moon; fearing for her dear friends and for what the morning would bring.

A few small speckles of light started to appear in front of her, on the other side of the window. The speckles turned into a small, bright blue butterfly. It flew in the air, closer to Gabi's face and the girl started to wonder if she was actually dreaming. The luminous creature multiplied, soon there were dozens of small butterflies hovering near that window, all made of pure light.

Gabi stood up and went to the hospital door, she decided to leave the building. It was a cold night, but she didn't care. The young girl was mesmerised. The small butterflies came to greet her at the door and Gabi looked back inside for a moment. She considered telling the Braus that she was leaving, but she didn't want to wake them from their peaceful sleep.

She walked outside as the small luminous creatures hovered around her, they made Gabi smile with all their flying graciousness. And she understood that they wanted her to follow them. The dozens of butterflies turned again into a single one and it began to fly off, expecting to be followed. Gabi hopped onto one of the MP horses that had been tied near the hospital hut. And she started to go after the small butterfly as it left a trail of bright blue speckles in the air, almost like breadcrumbs for her to follow.

Gabi rode fast into the night.

-.-

[Still] Year 854 - October 30, Paradise Harbour

There was pure silence in that night, as they all stood on that deck. Pieck had woken up. She looked up to the calm and dark skies, concerned.

"The second wave should be arriving any second," she warned the others while taking out a small knife from her coat. "We should get communications going, and we need to find out where that thing is," Pieck noted as she held up that small knife.

"Quite right," Jean concurred, next to her. "We should stop all this before sunrise- Whoa," he exclaimed and put her hand down as she was about to cut her palm. "What are you doing?" Jean asked, alarmed.

"I'll fly over and find out the position of the troops," Pieck explained bluntly. "Locate the monster and guide them there."

"On your own?" Jean asked, clearly concerned.

"Can you fly?" Pieck asked back, challenging him.

"It's just- you look very drained…" he trailed off, timidly, but still worried.

"I'll be fine," she affirmed, "and it's like you said: we have until sunrise. The Wall Titans can't move," the Warrior argued. "We need to take advantage of the nighttime."

Jean was a bit reluctant, but he eventually yielded. He let go of her hand. "Be careful out there," he softly advised.

Pieck took up the knife again. She looked at Jean and at Connie, who was sitting near the comatose Falco.

"Take care of him," she told them. And Connie nodded, he then looked at the boy with worry. Falco was out cold.

Pieck then ran towards the end of the deck and jumped. She cut her palm and transformed over the sea.

Her burning fire illuminated the dark sky.

"That's just beautiful," Connie noted as they stared into that transformation. The Phoenix fires were as colourful as fireworks.

"Yes," Jean quietly agreed, entranced.

The Phoenix Titan flew off into the night.

-.-

Onyankopon helped Yelena as they walked into the Army research facility, in the darkness of the night. The bleeding in her shoulder had stopped, but the woman was still clearly in need of medical care. Some of the Hizurians and the young cadets were helping the wounded up on the Medical Unit, and the Survey Corps members had separated the corpses of the deceased on the first floor.

"Are all of them here?" The Commander asked. Hange sighed, clearly upset to see the bodies of all those young soldiers lying on that floor.

"Not all, ma'am, some of them reportedly fell on the water," one of the soldiers replied.

"Make sure to document it all. Find all the badges and names. For us is crystal clear what happened here, but we need more than that for the investigation and future trials," Hange explained and turned her head to see Onyankopon coming inside of the building with a wounded Yelena.

"Who shot you?" Hange asked.

"Levi," Yelena replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Hange let out a small smile. "Where is he?" she asked.

"I don't really know, he came back in this direction earlier tonight. I'm assuming to help," Onyan explained.

"Of course he did," Hange added in a small voice, looking back down at the corpses and wondering about those reported to be in the water; and hoping the Captain wasn't among them. She turned to Yelena. "And I'm assuming you were the one who shot that flare up in the air?" the Commander questioned, gravely.

"Yes," Yelena replied with a smile of pure defiance.

"Come on, you're not helping your case," Onyankopon sternly advised her.

"Take her up to the Medical ward," Hange ordered to one of the cadets. "And after the doctors release her, she goes down to the cells with the rest of the Yeagerists."

"Alright," Onyan obliged, helping one of the cadets to hold the wounded woman. "And what about me?" he asked.

"Well, you-" Hange was interrupted as they heard an extremely loud blast very near the building. She and Onyankopon rushed to the windows to see what had happened.

"You were supposed to pilot the air machine," she continued as they both were horrified to see that the air machine had been blasted into pieces on the dock.

-.-

"Oh my, you look like a mythical figure," Lady Azumabito let out. She couldn't help but notice that whole attire as they walked into that office. The old Lady was talking about Mikasa's crystal armour, of course.

Mikasa ignored the old woman as she looked frantically over the desks and shelves. "It's not here," she let out in frustration.

They were on the third floor of the building, in the office Armin and Mikasa shared.

Levi leaned on the door. He too had a new attire. After he was healed, he changed out of his blooded clothes and into the newest ODM suit and equipment. The Ackermann was ready for a fight.

"What exactly are you looking for?" he asked Mikasa.

Kiyomi noted the small crib in the corner, she then walked closer to one of the desks and picked up a photograph that was over it. The old woman stared at it cryptically.

"The telegraph machine, and the radio," Mikasa explained. "So we can communicate with the others. Armin was tinkering with those."

"What do we do now?" Levi asked.

"The radio must be upstairs," she noted, walking closer to Levi as she realised.

"Do you have a son?" Kiyomi interrupted, showing the picture and asking Mikasa.

"Yes," Mikasa confirmed and smiled. She held up the picture.

"Handsome young man," Kiyomi praised with a dry smile. The old Lady didn't seem to approve of their family being mixed even further into that cursed Eldian blood. But she nodded in her phoney support.

"He's a bit older now," Mikasa explained proudly. Her toddler was only a few months old in that picture. "He's my life. I think about him all the time," Mikasa said sincerely as she slightly dropped her hand over her stomach, looking happily but also tense.

"You must be very worried for him then," the old woman noted, "with all this chaos."

And Mikasa nodded. "But he's safe, or I hope so," she let out.

"The radio?" Levi asked, annoyed.

"Right," Mikasa replied while putting the photograph down again. And they both quickly left the room.

Lady Azumabito lingered a little longer, staring deploringly at that crib. She too left the room.

-.-

Up on the fourth floor, Daz walked around on his own. The Yeagerists walked with his gun pointed forward, still looking for his 'enemies' - as he had been told. The man had no idea what had happened outside of the building, but he could tell things were calmer now. 'I guess we won,' he thought.

When he could see the shadow of a man approaching from the corridor. He lifted his gun higher, nervously preparing to face a possible enemy.

"Reiner?" Daz asked with a smile of relief as that old acquaintance appeared on the door. He put his gun back on his side holster. "Long time no see, man," Daz said while reaching out for a handshake, quite excited.

Reiner decided to play along. "Long time no see, indeed," he replied with much charm while shaking Daz's hand.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you since training days, I think," Daz asked, still smiling, he put his hands on his hips. The man was quite happy to meet Reiner again.

"Oh, I've been around," Reiner replied while scratching his head, a little nervous.

"Are you helping Eren too? I remember how close you two are," Daz asked with a smile.

"We sure are," Reiner replied with a small chuckle. "To be honest we are trying to figure out where he is," he added, a little nervously once again.

"Do you think the traitors got to him?" Daz asked more quietly while leaning over closer to Reiner's face.

That's when they heard the loud explosion and they both rushed to the windows to see what had happened.

"They blew up the air machine," Daz gloated, "it was probably Floch," he added.

"Who's Floch?" Reiner asked with some confusion.

"Don't you remember? The ginger kid, he used to hang out with- with…" Daz took a moment to consider, scratching his head. "Honestly now that I think about it, I don't remember him very well either," he added.

Reiner still looked confused. "But he's helping us too," Daz explained further. "He's on the King's side too."

"Right… that being Eren," Reiner stated, sounding a bit uncomfortable with the notion.

"Yeah, I know it's kinda weird to think of him that way," Daz concurred with a smile. "But he has the Founder now so I guess it makes sense."

"Sure," Reiner replied while looking around the room.

"He was always a brat," Daz chuckled. "I remember Ymir had all sorts of funny nicknames for him," he reminisced with a smile. "I really miss her," he added with hands on his hips, thinking of the good ol' days.

"So do I," Reiner concurred and smiled.

Daz became confused. "I thought she was on your team," he asked.

And Reiner changed the subject. "Is this the Communication's Room or is it the one down the hall? You know, the one door that is locked," he questioned his old 104th Regiment mate.

Daz took out a bunch of keys from his pocket. "Is the one down the hall," he replied and guided Reiner to it. "Who are you sending a message to?" he carelessly asked while they walked in the hall.

"To HQ," Reiner promptly replied.

"Which one?" Daz asked while opening the door.

Reiner thought fast. "The-The one in Shiganshina," he nervously replied.

"Alright," Daz concurred as he opened the door wide and let his old mate in.

And Reiner walked in jovially, he quickly sighted the radio and was relieved. It meant that now they could talk with the Marlean Army.

"So," he was about to say when he turned to see Captain Levi swiftly hitting his old mate on the head and making him unconscious. Daz fell on the floor like a dead dove.

"We should probably take him down to the cells before he wakes up," Mikasa noted as she disarmed the unconscious man.

"Something tells me that will take a while," Reiner noted with his hands on his hips. Levi's blow had been quite strong, the man was out cold. The Warrior then walked to the windows and opened them. He whistled.

Jean showed up, he'd climbed the building with his ODM gear. The soldier landed on the window on his own.

"Where's Pieck?" Reiner questioned.

"She bolted," Jean explained. "And the kid is still out, Connie is watching him," he added.

"What do you mean she bolted?" Reiner questioned.

"We need to figure out how to help Falco," Mikasa noted more quietly.

"She transformed. She is looking for your fleet, and for the monster," Jean explained to Reiner.

"First Armin, now her? We need to do this together," Reiner complained.

"What?" Mikasa turned suddenly to Reiner.

"Don't complain at me, I'm not a Shifter," Jean let out while climbing down the window and jumping into the room.

"Where did Armin go?" Mikasa asked.

"Go ask your Commander, because I have no idea," Reiner replied while shrugging.

"The second wave should be arriving now," Lady Azumabito interjected gravely, making her presence noted into that room. She walked inside. "You need to inform them that Paradise is on their side, and quickly." the old woman sternly advised.

"Is this the radio thing?" Jean asked.

"Yes," Mikasa replied and Reiner nodded.

"We should get Hange here to communicate with that Army," Levi suggested. "She's our representative," he added.

The older Ackermann was standing next to the door and his younger cousin gently walked closer to him after that suggestion.

"No, not just yet," Reiner countered. "Let me do the talking for now," he offered, taking charge.

"She hasn't seen you yet," Mikasa whispered to Levi, concerned.

The people in that room had no idea of Levi's near-death experience. But the ones who were witnesses to the amount of damage that had been inflicted upon him would certainly be shocked with his sudden recovery. Levi was completely healed.

"She'll see me sooner or later, and right now that's the least of our concerns," Levi firmly whispered back.

"What are you going to say to her?" the younger Ackermann asked her cousin in another whisper.

Mikasa was right to have her concerns. They had unlocked the secret to their bloodline's regenerating capabilities and both agreed to keep it a secret.

"I'll think of something," Levi replied, and walked into the room.

Mikasa turned her attention to Reiner, as he turned the radio on and began to dial the desired frequency. She also walked inside the room again, slowly. She became extremely curious and a little stunned as he turned the dial.

'Two-three, five-eight,' were the frequency numbers.

"Is that the frequency?" Mikasa asked.

"Yes," Reiner replied.

Mikasa was a little stunned for a moment, that was the nature sequence. Armin loved it, and he secretly used those numbers for everything. She thought it odd for a moment but she rapidly let it go.

"Eagle, this is Crane," Reiner transmitted. "Do you copy?"

They all heard a small static. And what sounded like: "copy," coming from the other side.

"Eagle, this is Crane," Reiner repeated, talking about himself. "Rooster was lost," he gravely explained, about General Magath. "So were Pigeon and Blue Jay," he added, about Porco and Colt.

The static suddenly stopped and the sound became clear, and the group in that room looked out of the windows to see why: the fleet was arriving closer to Paradise shores.

Reiner stayed on the line, while the others went closer to the high windows to watch as the hundreds of airships slowly approached, crowding the dark sky. The Phoenix Titan was flying high above them and much faster, she swiftly landed on the beach.

"Eagle, do you copy?" Reiner asked. "We have allies. I repeat: we have allies. Do not attack," he firmly warned. "We have allies."

"Yes, I was counting on that," Az charmingly replied. The sound waves echoed across the room. No static, they all heard it crystal clear.

Mikasa was frightened by the sound of that voice. It made her shiver and she had no idea why.

A few other people were also speaking with Reiner on the radio now. And he continued with his report. "Nightingale and Hummingbird were safely rescued," he explained about Falco and Gabi. "And Mockingbird- well, Mockingbird is the new Titan that was just flying near you," Reiner explained, about Pieck.

Mikasa stayed there, a lot more stunned than before. The transmission ended and she was unable to hear that voice again. It was so similar to her father's, and that nature sequence. It was all swirling inside her mind. She was extremely bothered by it all.

She was extremely bothered by something she could not explain, or perhaps she could.

"Where is the transmission coming from?" she swiftly asked Reiner.

"The airships," the Warrior replied, nonchalantly.

"Which one?" Mikasa asked.

"The lead ship," he explained further. "It's the one upfront with the big red flag on top of it."

Mikasa hazily stared out of the window, she seemed lost in thought.

"A red flag? Really?" Jean asked Reiner, crossing his arms, questioning the Army's flashy choice.

"It's a good way to signal the other airships," Reiner argued back, shrugging.

Mikasa swiftly ran across the room and jumped out of one of the open windows. The younger Ackermann skilfully jumped around the buildings with her ODM gear. She had left without warning, to the startle of the others in that room.

And with the Phoenix Titan's help, she decided to fly near that main airship. They couldn't fly very close, as the Titan had previously explained to her; for the movement and strength of her giant wings would disturb the airships' aerodynamics.

Luckily the young Ackermann had her small binoculars with her. Mikasa searched around that giant airship's deck. She was frantically looking and Pieck had no idea of what she was doing or what she meant to achieve. They were flying a few hundreds metres away from that main ship, and parallel to it. The Phoenix Titan was doing her best to fly as slowly as the airship but that was difficult so she kept flying ahead and then returning again. She had already done that three times.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the Titan questioned. She looked up to the small crystal soldier on top of her head.

Mikasa was looking for the owner of that voice. She leaned in closer, in between the Titan's long black hairs, gently standing over its forehead. Mikasa looked her in the eyes. "Who is the 'Eagle'?" she firmly questioned Pieck.

"I don't know," the Phoenix Titan replied, stunned.

Paradise Island- somewhere northwest of the Maria Region

Mikasa wouldn't find the owner of that voice however, not in that main airship; for Azymondeus had actually been communicating from Old Onyan's airship. They had secretly entered Paradise Island's airspace much earlier that day, coming unsuspectedly from the northwest. They had not been detected.

"We are turning. Why are we turning?" Azymondeus gravely asked, walking heavily and loudly across the wooden deck. "This airship is supposed to go straight ahead and at full speed."

Old Onyan turned to face him, from his Captain chair. "We are still going at full speed, I just decided to change our course," he explained.

"Why?" Azymondeus questioned, finally stopping near him.

Onyankopon stood up, with some difficulty and with the help of his cane. "Because I'm not helping you," the old man explained, walking further.

"Are you out of your mind?" the Ackermann questioned, impatiently.

"I just received information from the pilots," the old man began to explain, firmly walking ahead. "The Titan seems to be in some form of hibernation somewhere on the east side of the island. And that's where we are going," old Onyan told him quite firmly. He stopped and pointed at the area on the large map they had over the table, at the centre of the airship.

He continued. "They believe she is recovering and regenerating. The airships plan to bombard it to the fullest, and hopefully destroy it completely before it can rise up again," he explained, leaning closer to Azymondeus. "And that's where we'll be," Onyankopon firmly added.

"No, you don't get to make that decision," Az protested. "They have more than enough airships," he argued.

"My airship is well supplied and I'm helping," the old man maintained, challenging him. "The Paradisians are also helping. That's what we are all here for: to destroy that monster. I won't follow your plan," old Onyan declared. "Now, you're one of the intelligent ones, my boy. You can help us deal with this thing and win this once and for all," he gently suggested. "Or you can just sulk in the corner of this airship during this mission. It's all up to you," Onyankopon added.

The old man knew he had no choice, they were all trapped on that ship until it reached the ground once more.

Az looked to the side, clearly angry and annoyed. "I hope we can fight this together," old Onyan insisted. But the Ackermann only walked away from him, silently. Az went towards the windows, to look at the dark skies and the starry night. He crossed his arms, looking downward.

The old man then saw the small yellow light in the controllers flickering on and off, it was one of the pilots trying to communicate with them. Onyankopon then slowly and with difficulty made his way back to his chair.

"Eagle? Quail? Does anyone copy?" Agent O-7 was asking over the radio.

"Quail here," Onyankopon replied while holding down the button. "Any movement on part of the monster?" the old man asked.

"No," Danso replied. "So far it is not moving, and the fleet is still a few hours away," the pilot added.

"We are hours away as well, at least seven hours," old Onyan replied.

"I'm aware. I'm not calling about that, sir," Danso explained. "I had a message from Crane, and the Eldian Army. It seems they are in need of an airplane. So I offered my services," the pilot explained.

"You offered your services?" the old man asked, perplexed.

"They need help, so I'm volunteering. I'll be leaving in the direction of Paradise Harbour in five," Danso replied. "Richmond and Langley will stay watching the beast."

"Negative. You are not allowed," old Onyan told him in a reprimanding tone.

"I am not allowed?" Danso asked, confused. "Sir?"

"You cannot go. Abort the mission," the old man insisted.

"Why?" The pilot challenged his superior. "They requested help and I'm helping-"

Onyan interrupted in a hissed whisper. "That's where I am, Danso," he explained, talking about his younger self.

"So?" the pilot asked.

"So?!" the old man repeated indignantly, he was baffled.

Onyankopon was very focused on this conversation, but he could sense a lot of commotion happening behind him. He wasn't sure of what was happening until he saw on the controllers that the main door had been opened.

Well, it had been forced open. The red alarm began to flash on the controllers and the old man became confused, disoriented. Onyankopon had no idea of what crisis to focus on in that moment.

"I'll be alright, Chief," Danso told him over the radio and the communication cut off.

Old Onyan stood up to see what was happening in the deck, as multiple soldiers gathered together to force the giant, heavy door closed again. They were mumbling to one another, questioning how that idiot could have opened that. And also saying how he had jumped out to his death - without a parachute.

The old man stood there, stunned. 'It seems you have regained your energy,' he considered in his thoughts.

Azymondeus had jumped out of that airship. The Ackermann was determined to fulfil his mission.

-.-

Rose & Sina

The Island was engulfed in pure chaos. Since the early hours of that day the earth had been shaking underneath their feet and hundreds of thousands of Wall Titans had been released from their Wall cages. They walked all over the island in pure confusion all while the citizens ran off from the centre regions. The death toll was getting higher and higher as the earth continued to shake, and not only because of the Wall Titans walking above it. But also because of the cancerous creature growing inside of it: the creature Ymir had, perhaps unknowingly, brought up to this dimension with her as she transformed.

The creature seemed to be growing at the very centre of the island, deep underneath the Underground city. And it modified everything on its path. It grew like a tumour and brought psychological fear to anyone too near it. The mental torture was what first alerted the more sensitive citizens who were living on the Underground. And was soon followed by the more physical evidences - as the ground shook violently and they all could feel something rising up from the depths.

The Military Police had finally understood and were starting to believe those more humble citizens. They decided to release an evacuation order to the more populated areas around Sina. But the upper class citizens were still unconvinced and felt that it was madness to leave their safe and comfortable homes just to feed into the hysteria of those Underground citizens. Regardless, the official evacuation order was to leave to the edges of the island. And if possible - to reach the open areas beyond all the Wall regions: the vast open fields of Paradise.

-.-

Maria

The Colossal Titan heavily walked in the middle of that dark night. Armin was suddenly surprised that Hange and Shadis had been right, for as he was finally approaching the Maria Region - to the west - he could actually see that absolutely enormous hole in the ground. And how it was brightly glowing in the distance.

That vision was fascinating, and the Titan approached with care. Shadis had also been right about the sensation, for as Armin looked down to that immensity he truly felt very small. The Colossal Titan decided to go down that hole.

He gently climbed down as he tried to understand that confusing site. The area was glowing with crystals and bright matter all over. It was all very colourful and in Armin's personal view: quite beautiful.

'What is this place?' Armin asked in his mind as he kept walking down into that odd looking cave. He could see trees and foliage and overgrown worms and other underground animals. Even old bones and other wreckage that had been buried deep, long ago, was now glowing brightly. The whole cave shone radiantly. The water pouring around seemed turquoise instead of pure and transparent and there were pools of another purple liquid that Armin couldn't identify.

He kept walking into that hole, it seemed to go on for many kilometres. Armin was too mesmerised to even feel lost: he just kept walking. The Colossal Titan finally stopped and leaned down closer to one of those purple pools, he wanted to know what was that liquid. So Armin put his Titan's hand into it: and he immediately started to feel it burning him up.

The Colossal Titan abruptly stood up again, feeling confused and out of balance. Armin looked down at that purple liquid all over his Titan's hand. That was where that burning feeling was coming from. Armin became terrified as he watched his Titan's hand growing and growing and forming multiple eyes and teeth. Still out of balance, he immediately reached to a sharp and tall column of pure crystal near him; and yanked it out of its place with all the strength he could muster from only his left arm. Armin used the giant column as a makeshift sword and started to cut off his Titan's right arm. Desperately trying to stop that grotesque tumour from taking over his Titan's body.

He was finally able to sever his arm, Armin started to walk backwards. Feeling confused as his Titan started to regenerate that lost limb. He looked down at that grotesque tumour in pure haze, as it steamed out on the ground.

'What is this place?' Armin questioned again, still in pure haze. He looked around to all of that crystal and those radiant lights and all of that strange matter. The man was becoming overwhelmed with fear. He could not understand where he was, or what all of that was. Armin kept walking backwards, lost in his own fear, he eventually misstepped into a structure that could not hold his weight. And he fell further down, he just kept falling. The Colossal Titan was now much deeper inside the earth, completely lost.

Armin took a moment, trying to remain calm and organise his thoughts. He looked around that odd matter: it was clearly all under the Island, and spreading fast. "At this rate our foundations will be completely destroyed, the Island will crumble inside itself," he realised.

The Colossal Titan looked up, thinking of the weight of all the Wall Titans. And all the constructions, and of all the population living on the surface. He knew it wouldn't take long for it all to come crashing down. All those people would die and the ocean would eventually take over the crumbling island.

"I need to stop this," he let out. "I can't let the island be destroyed."

Armin was thinking fast.

"I can't let the island be destroyed," he repeated. Fixing this problem would be a massive undertaking, he had actually thought of an idea, and quite fast. It was ludicrous, "but it might just work," Armin let out.

'How can I find you?' Armin considered in his mind. He had the ability to track all Titans, except the Founding. And he knew that very well, but he needed to try.

The Colossal Titan sat on the ground, he wanted to concentrate to his fullest, Armin closed his eyes.

The one thing Armin could not have accounted for was that his old friend had actually lost the Founding Titan power. And, well, his two other Titans were now very easily trackable. And one was much needed.

"Eren, can you hear me?" Armin asked, trying to reach that cursed dimension.

-.-

Warning: strong language, graphic depictions of violence and brief depiction of child abuse.

≃2000 years ago

[ The day before the Titan's death ]

"Come on, you can just touch it, go ahead. You'll enjoy it, poppet," the horrible man suggested to the small girl after he had exposed himself.

Maria looked extremely uncomfortable, she just looked away. The small girl tried to walk towards the entrance of the small tent, but the man blocked her.

"Come on, it will be fun," he evilly insisted. The girl just looked to the ground, shocked and stunned.

Maria felt lost and terrified, she was doing her best to keep her distance from that evil, undressed man. She just stared at the ground, her infancy shattered with that imagery. The day was radiant, and the sun was shining through that tent. Suddenly she found relief as that sun was blocked by her hero. The girl saw that shadow on the ground and immediately recognised it. She finally looked up and rushed towards her father.

"What in the hell are you doing?!" Azymondeus firmly questioned, absolutely horrified.

His shout was quite loud and called the attention of the General, who was not very far away from that tent himself. Ludvík rushed over.

Maria hugged her father very tight and then hid behind him. Az had been concerned after he had lost her from his sight, and was now glad to find her, but extremely stupefied and disturbed by those circumstances. The anger started to build and it was boiling inside of him as that soldier slowly and carelessly put his private parts back in place and redressed himself.

"What? You get to spend the whole day with that one, why are you complaining?" the evil man protested, full of himself. In such a sadistic mind, the strong father-daughter bond Azymondeus had with those girls, and their affectionate physical closeness - that he sometimes let slip in front of others - was of a much more sinister nature. And it was viewed as an invitation.

The father shook his head, appalled. "You are going to pay for that," he gravely declared.

The coward soldier immediately became more fearful after hearing that tone, he looked around that small tent, looking for a place to escape. But the princesses' guard was blocking the only exit. He knew very well the infamous reputation this mad man had and he could see the fire in Azymondeus' eyes. There would be no escaping from this, he was about to die.

Azymondeus firmly walked towards the man and began to choke him with only his left arm. Lifting the soldier up in the air with no difficulty as the man struggled, trying to get out of his grasp. The father looked at him with pure anger in his eyes as the man gasped for air.

"Dad!" Maria let out, confused and worried.

"Dad?!" the man exclaimed with some difficulty.

"You shouldn't have heard that," Az told him, raising his eyebrows, "but now it won't matter, will it?" he added as he began to crush that man's windpipes. Azymondeus could then see from the corner of his eyes that Ludvík had arrived in the tent and was standing behind Maria, also confused and stunned.

"Take her to her mother," Az firmly told Ludvík without taking his eyes of that horrible man. He lunged forward with the man while raising him even higher. Tumbling over and dropping a few weapons from a bucket all over the ground - making a loud sound of metal clunking and rattling.

And Ludvík ushered the girl out of the tent and towards the castle, immediately taking her away from what he knew would be a very violent sight. The General didn't see what had happened, but he had lived enough to read the room. The situation was pretty clear, especially with Azymondeus' extreme reaction. And the old man could also tell how the little girl was traumatised and anxious.

Maria looked back to the faint silhouette of her father choking that man in that tent. And Lud turned her face forward again and they just kept walking.

"You picked the wrong place to do something stupid," Az let out as he held the man up by the neck. Not crushing his throat just yet, the father knew he deserved much more.

He was referring to the fact of how that particular tent was full of weapons. Not only the ones he had just tumbled over accidentally, but many many more around them.

Still crushing the man's neck with his left hand, Az reached out for a spear near him with his right. He then threw the man on the ground violently, so violently that dust rose up in the air - and the impact immediately broke the man's spine. He groaned in deep pain, the man struggled for air, he couldn't move.

The Ackermann then began to violently stab him. Azymondeus knew what he was doing, he made sure to stab him in a way that the soldier would lose blood and feel much pain but not die. Not yet. He wanted the man to suffer as much as possible.

After stabbing the man forty-eight times, he finally let go of the spear, dropping the blooded thing on the ground. He then reached down with both hands and crushed the man's head with his inhuman strength - finally killing him.

Azymondeus began to drag the mangled body of that soldier out of the tent by its left foot. He dragged the corpse across the whole camp until the edge of the village with no expression on his face, as all the rest of the Army watched. He then just kept going. He dragged the corpse up to the middle of a field, by the edge of the village while the Eldians watched in the distance. Azymondeus then firmly walked back.

He stopped at the edge of the camp as the soldiers just stared at him. "No one buries it. Let him be eaten by the wild beasts," he gave out the order, which was received with fearful silence.

-.-

The night had fallen and Azymondeus was still washing his face and arms in that clean river, far away from the centre of the village. He had cleaned away enough of the blood of that disgusting man. But he still wanted to wash all of that experience out of him, so he was still incessantly washing his face and his hands. The father wished he could erase that memory, or even yet, he considered turning back time. The man was broken, his reality shattered. He looked at his reflection and at the moon's above it, considering what had become of his life so far.

"You shouldn't have done that, boy," the General sternly, but fatherly, advised. "We have laws to follow," Ludvík added, while coming down the hill. Walking towards his best soldier as Azymondeus was kneeled down in front of that river margin.

He stared annoyed and indignant at Ludvík's reflection as it appeared behind him in the river. "Laws?" Az turned to him in anger and spite. "You are all brutes. And when I deal with one of you accordingly you want to come to me and talk about laws?" he questioned the General.

"Fritz won't be happy. You risked unleashing disruption among the soldiers," Ludvík explained.

"Of course he won't," Az let out in pure annoyance and anger. "To hell with him. That goat fucker, he thinks all of that is normal." the father complained, vexed. "I feel sorry for his daughter," he added under his breath. Az then looked up at Ludvík. "But you don't," he noted.

"No, I don't," Ludvík confirmed.

"Because you're a good man," Az told him while sitting down properly, he held his knees with his hands.

"But what you did is not right either," Ludvík calmly explained as he sat down next to him. "I've known you a long time, boy. I've watched you grow up," he reminded his best soldier. "And I've seen time and time again how easily you let your anger take over you," Ludvík noted, shaking his head in disapproval. "You have a special taste for violence, you just let it consume you. That's dangerous."

"Who are you to lecture me on violence? I've seen you do much worse," the younger man complained.

"Certainly not like what you did today. And unlike you, I have self-control," the older man justified.

"Would you have self-control if you were in my situation?" Az asked but then promptly retracted. "I shouldn't even be asking you that, you don't have daughters," he let out in frustration.

"That is not something that happens only to girls," Ludvík pointed out to him, fatherly.

Az slowly shook his head, extremely upset. "Humans are evil. It's appalling," he let out.

"And do you think killing them is the only solution?" Ludvík questioned.

"Don't you think the entire Earth would be much better off without us?" Az questioned back. "We are like plague," he added.

"Would you then consent to not existing?" Ludvík proposed a more philosophical question back.

"Perhaps that wouldn't be too bad," Az replied, looking to the side. He knew very well that his own existence had brought much pain to himself and to others.

Ludvík dismissed him. "Killing…" he trailed off while shaking his head. "Killing is not even the right word for what you did, what you did was grotesque and… and evil," the man noted very fatherly. He was clearly concerned with this young man. Ludvík loved Azymondeus like a son.

"More evil than what that disgusting scum was doing?" Azymondeus posed the question.

"Why would you let his sin taint you?" Ludvík questioned. "And make you feed into your own sin?"

The old man sighed and looked down at their reflection on that river, as they both sat under the moonlight. "It is what I told you, my boy," he began to advise. "You have a taste for violence. You thrive and relish on it," Ludvík told him gently. "You let it consume you. And you lose control-"

Az interrupted him, indignant. "Defending my family is not a sin," he argued back strongly.

"So," Ludvík tilted his head, "tell me something," he decided to question, leaning in closer. "What even is your family?" The General posed that haunting question and Az became stunned, he knew exactly what the old man meant.

The young Ackermann stood up and left for the tower. He was going to end that whole charade - once and for all. The man had been trapped in that cursed life for far too long. His family had been broken from the start, and this had been the pinnacle of all that this evil had brought him.

The tower

Ymir was up in her room, as per usual, she was checking around her many dresses and jewellery; preparing herself for the celebration coming up the next day. The Queen was choosing what would look best for such an occasion.

Azymondeus walked into the room from the balcony, also as per usual. He looked ahead, emotionless.

"Ah, there you are," Ymir noted while checking one of her new golden dresses. "I thought you had been lost, again," she joked, mean-spirited.

"Do you even know what happened today?" he questioned, indignant.

Ymir rolled her eyes and threw the dress over her bed, she fixed around her gold and silver bracelets, extremely annoyed. She crossed her arms. "Everyone knows what happened today. You put out quite a spectacle," she told him in pure admonishment.

"Spectacle?! Have you even talked to Maria?" he inquired in anger.

"She's fine, she's a big girl-" Ymir replied, still with arms crossed.

"Fine?!" He asked even more angrily.

"Stop shouting, they are sleeping!" The mother told him in admonishment again.

Azymondeus firmly walked out of the Queen's quarters and went straight into the princesses' bedroom. He brought in the torch from the corridor outside and walked into the room, opening the tower windows so the moonlight could shine through.

"Girls, let's go," he told the three small girls softly. "Wake up," the father said.

Az placed the torch on the bedroom wall. "Rise and shine," he softly added. It was the middle of the night. Sina immediately stood up in her crib, smiling at him, ready to play.

Ymir walked through the door, vexed. "Stop that!" she whispered. "They are sleeping."

"They won't sleep another night in this hell," Azymondeus challenged her. "I won't allow it."

He then walked to Maria's bed, and sat next to her. And she looked up at him with her big green eyes. "Remember the promise I made you, baby girl? Well there you have it: we are leaving now," the father told her softly. "I hope I'm not too late," he whispered brokenly, while caressing her golden locks and putting them behind her ear.

"You're not late," the girl whispered back with a small, broken smile. And her father smiled back at her equally.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, immediately sitting upright in her bed, full of energy and excitement.

Ymir just crossed her arms in confusion and anger by the door. "What are you even going on about? We are not going anywhere." She affirmed, vexed.

Az stood up and began to walk towards her. "You don't have to come," he told the mother. "If you love this hideous place so much, then you can stay," Azymondeus challenged Ymir, angrily.

The mother walked towards the crib, trying to get Sina to sleep again. But the toddler was clearly very awake. She looked up at Ymir with those big blue eyes as her mother kneeled in front of the crib.

"Aren't you coming, mummy?" Rose asked from her bed, very near her mother - as her and Maria were about to stand up, both very happy.

"We are not going anywhere." Ymir firmly repeated to Rose and pointed at her and Maria, "don't stand up," she firmly ordered, "you are all going back to sleep."

"Again, you can stay here if you want," Az reiterated from the door, he crossed his arms.

Ymir regally stood up and walked towards him in pure anger. "Don't be ridiculous," she admonished him once again.

"Again, you can stay here," he told her again in a slow and angry whisper, very near her face. "And fuck your precious crown," her lover evilly suggested in another whisper, absolutely vexed with her.

"Don't say that in front of the girls," Ymir replied loudly, still in pure admonishment.

"Oh, aren't they big girls now?" he questioned, mocking her.

"Just stop it. You are just embarrassing yourself-" she sternly replied, staring him up and down with disdain.

"So you are staying? Why am I not surprised?" he confirmed, with arms crossed. And turned to the girls. "Come on, girls, you are coming with me," Az told them and Ymir defiantly stood in front of him.

"You can't do this. I wont allow it. You can't just take them," she maintained, angrily.

"What? So now you care about them?" he questioned her, still with a hint of mockery.

"Stop talking like that." Ymir firmly ordered.

"Stop giving me orders." Azymondeus firmly replied.

The three small girls just looked confused, they kept staring at each other and at their parents' confrontation. Maria stood up and moved to Rose's bed, and the two girls held hands, sitting apprehensively in that small bed. They had never seen the two of them talking to each other like that. It was very frightening and eerie.

Azymondeus and Ymir always made sure to fight away from their daughters - usually near the river where they first met and occasionally went back to. They had fought many times before: near the river, in whatever battlefield they happened to be on, in her large tent, in other spots of the forest where they usually had romantic encounters in as well, and so on. But never in front of the girls. They made sure to keep the illusion of perfection to those three small children. An illusion that was being shattered at that very moment.

This fight was also very different. All their previous fights had seemed to be some form of preliminary enticement for their more intimate moments. Although there were heavy topics being discussed and many insults thrown around from both sides, there was always an overall lightness to it. And it always ended up with reconciliation. This however was a much heavier fight, and there was no reconciliation on sight.

"We were supposed to be a partnership," Azymondeus let out, clearly hurt. "If this were a real family of course. But we are not," he told her firmly. "Not partners, we were never even a couple. You just used me to get what you wanted. And you used me again, and again," he looked towards their children. "The only good thing that ever came out from all this charade is them." He declared, firmly pointing at the girls.

"Charade? How can you even say that? I love you and you know that," Ymir questioned, stunned.

Az crossed his arms, and started to pace around the bedroom. "Perhaps you do love me, and the girls. But you love yourself even more," he argued. "You just use me to get what you want, you use them - but that stops now," he firmly declared. "Either you learn to truly love your family, and come with us. Or we are leaving without you," he challenged her.

Ymir shook her head, stunned. "If you leave Eldia with those girls you will never stop being hunted by the Eldian Army," she threatened. They both knew the interest the Fritz family had over the girls, they treated them like they treated their mother: like property. The Fritzs eagerly expected those girls to be Titans too.

"And I'll kill any and all of those who dare to take them away from me," the father threatened back.

"Are you going to kill all of them? The entire Eldian Army?" the mother questioned, challenging him.

"We both know I am perfectly capable to, I can kill them all fairly easily," he calmly reminded her of his otherworldly powers. Ymir knew very well how he had annihilated that entire Marlean battalion in only a few seconds, in the infamous Battle of the Merciless. All because they had severely injured her, threatening her life.

"I will always defend and protect you, and them, no matter what comes my way," the father strongly declared.

He walked over and held her hands affectionately. Azymondeus looked into Ymir's eyes. "Just imagine, my love, how peaceful it would be: just the five of us, near the ocean. Finally living in genuine happiness," he softly told her while holding both her hands. Az came even closer, and added more softly, "and I know you want another one. So perhaps it will be the six of us," he whispered his lovely suggestion.

Ymir looked to the side, very conflicted. She let go of his hands while shaking her head. Ymir walked backwards, distancing herself from him. "I can't," the Queen insisted. "I know if I leave, they will be powerless again. Marley will invade us and destroy us. I have a responsibility, a duty to my people." She maintained.

"They are not our responsibility. They are not your responsibility," Az fought back, angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you? We don't belong here."

"Don't you care about them? Those people are our people. Why do you always act like they are not your family too?" she argued back, passionately.

"They are not my family. These girls right here are my family. And you are my family." the father firmly told her, vexed.

"Then why do you hurt me?" Ymir questioned.

"When did I ever hurt you?" He asked back, even more angry.

Ymir looked to the side, drained. She walked closer to the crib and held herself on it, as the small toddler looked up at her. Sina was sitting down, clearly anxious and confused, and so were the two other girls sitting at the bed beside that crib. The three girls could see how their mother looked drained and very upset.

She looked at him once again. "I once told you, not long ago, that I would never leave you behind. If there was ever an opportunity to leave with the girls," she reminded him. "That I could never bear it. And it breaks me to see how easy it is for you to just snap and decide to leave me behind like that."

Az walked closer, he proceeded with concern, but also with logic. "You leave me no other choice. You and I both know we should have left even before Maria was born. But you insisted on staying, over and over again, for the past seven years!" he reminded her.

Ymir stood up straight again. "We can't just leave Eldia. My people need me-" she was arguing once again as he interrupted in pure anger.

"They are not your people, Ymir!" he shouted.

Az couldn't take it anymore, he had had it. "You know they don't care about you, right? Not even a little bit," he proceeded, shouting. "They only care about your power. If you were still just a mute slave feeding the pigs they wouldn't even look at you. They would probably hurt you, abuse you, rape you and let you starve. How-"

"Don't use those words in front of the girls!" Ymir angrily interrupted him in admonishment.

"How can you be so selfish?" he questioned.

"Selfish? Being queen is my duty." she argued back in anger.

"This is not about duty, it never was. You just want power. You enjoy being queen too much," he hissed back at her, extremely angrily.

Ymir looked around him, staggered, looking for a way to defend herself, or perhaps, to attack.

Az continued, raising his voice. "You don't love our children enough." He declared and opened his arms wide. "You care more about this stupid empire, that's the truth and I will show you," he threatened.

"Stop saying that!" She warned, crying.

He continued more gravely as she cried. "I will show you what you value most. I will prove it to you."

Ymir looked down at his garments and promptly took out his sword from its scabbard. She stabbed him with it; with all her strength, in pure desperation.

Az looked down confused for a moment, it all happened very fast and he didn't have time to react.

The three small girls were absolutely terrified, they became paralysed with the sight. That gruesome act was something they should never have witnessed. It just shattered their confidence in their parents' love for each other even more.

The sword had gone through his stomach, very near his heart. It had pierced through all the way, appearing on the other side. And he immediately began to bleed out, but also steam out at the same time.

He looked down, nonchalantly, and then looked up at her in fury as he easily removed the sword from his chest. Ymir looked in horror but in realisation as the wound immediately healed. Azymondeus threw the sword on the stone ground with extreme fury, completely breaking it in a very loud bang. Terrifying Ymir and the girls.

The metal sword immediately shattered from all that strain, and pieces of it flew everywhere. It had been a present from Ludvík, his second best sword. The thing broke down in many pieces, close to Rose's bed. And the two girls immediately stood up, very scared, as their parents stared down at each other. Rose and Maria retracted to the corner, behind Sina's crib.

Ymir was paralysed, she just watched the wound heal and steam out, unsure of what he would do next.

Azymondeus looked at her in pure anger. "I vowed to protect you, but I failed to protect you from yourself." He declared, brokenly.

He then walked to the crib, and took Sina out of it.

"No!" Ymir shouted and forcibly took the toddler from his arms. She then stood in the corner, in front of the two other girls. "You won't take them away from me," she told him crying and the small girls all hugged her.

The father noted how the three small girls looked confused and clearly scared of him.

"You don't deserve them," he told Ymir, extremely upset. But the girls just all hugged their mother even tighter, trying to console her as Ymir dropped down sobbing.

"Fine," he said and they all looked up at him. Az knew there was only one way he could win this. He was finally determined. "But I will cut this Evil," he declared to Ymir. "I will cut this Evil by its root."

He knew very well what enabled Ymir's sin. She was obsessed with her position and with all that power. And that horrible old man was an immense influence over her. Azymondeus had finally decided to do what he had cogitated many times over all those years: he was going to kill Fritz.

All of that fight had been very messy and very loud. Elke suddenly opened the heavy wooden door of that bedroom with a look of much authority.

"Sir," she told the soldier. "I believe the General is calling you," the princess firmly said. "Now," Elke commanded, staring him down. The older woman stood strongly by the door, showing him the way out as Ymir cried with the girls in that corner.

That sudden appearance was a confirmed reminder of that family's influence over their lives. They were clearly their slaves, their property, their pets. The soldier looked at that woman in fury as she just stared him down in complete and higher authority.

"Leave," Elke regally insisted, showing him the door.

Azymondeus looked back at Ymir as she sobbed desperately. "I will cut this Evil by its root." he repeated the threat.

The soldier then walked out, giving the princess a quick look of rage as he finally left the bedroom and began to walk down those stairs.

Elke firmly watched him walk down the stairs, determined to follow behind to make sure he had fully obeyed her. She then looked back into the room as Ymir looked up at her, still crying intensely.

"You are weak," the Fritz princess told her in full disdain. She looked the wench and her little monsters up and down, extremely judgmentally. "Pathetic," she added under her breath as she followed the soldier out. Closing the door.

-.-

- Year 854 - October 30, The Dungeon - Underneath the Reiss Cave

Armin was reaching deep through that cursed dimension. He found himself inside of his own nightmare: that dark and damped dungeon.

He walked around, confused. 'Why am I here?' Armin asked inside his mind. The Colossal Titan shut its eyes even tighter, he was scared. The whole purpose was to find Eren, but in this search he had ended up travelling to that fearsome spot in his own mind.

Armin started having nightmares in that dungeon as soon as he inherited the Colossal Titan. In those dreams he was near his death, barely breathing and covered in tight, heavy chains - in the darkness of that dungeon. Those nightmares were actually memories, from a previous holder: Armin's homonymous great-great-grandfather, who had been trapped in that very spot. Those torturous memories haunted him deeply, and even if only in his mind, walking in those dark corridors was still very frightening.

He had no idea of what he was going to find, but Armin kept walking. He followed the small torches that lighted the damped walls. Armin finally reached the main holding cell, the heavy metal gate had been left partially open. He walked in to unexpectedly find who he was actually looking for.

"Eren?" he asked in pure confusion. Armin walked closer, fearfully.

Yeager lifted up his head with difficulty, for those chains were very heavy. He opened his eyes slowly, the man was tired, but glad to see his friend.

"How did you end up here?" Armin questioned, he walked around the cell, looking up and analysing the dark room. "Are you trapped?" he continued questioning. "Who trapped you?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Eren replied, sarcastically. "How are you here?" he asked.

"I'm not. I'm tracking you," Armin explained.

"Oh," Eren let out.

Their reality suddenly shifted and they found themselves in the cursed dimension again - which was where they were actually meeting.

"How have you lost your Founding powers? How is that even possible?" Armin questioned. They both knew Armin wouldn't be able to track him otherwise.

"Well, I died," Eren explained, nonchalantly. He sat on the sand, annoyed, rubbing his wrists and massaging his neck - feeling glad to be free from the chains, even if only mentally.

He looked up with tired eyes as Armin paced around him.

"But you're not dead anymore," Arlert pointed out.

"I still lost it," Yeager maintained, about the Founding powers.

"Then who has it now?" Armin questioned, with his hands on his hips.

"That's a good question," Eren replied nonchalantly. "Can you get me out of here? Now that you can see where I am," he requested.

"You're very far away, I don't know if we'd have time," Armin explained. "At least not now," he added.

"So are you just going to leave me to rot here?" Eren asked indignantly.

"Just hang on," Armin suggested more calmly.

"Well, aren't you glad I'm out of combat," Eren spat out in full annoyance.

"It's not that. We have more pressing matters, Eren." Armin justified.

Eren shook his head. 'I'm not letting you kill Ymir,' the father thought, worriedly. 'I need to find my way out of here.'

"Remember the dream? The nightmare you told me you constantly had?" Arlert proceeded. "The one about the island plummeting into the ocean? I think it's happening now." he gravely explained.

"I know." Eren concurred. "Our enemies, they are already here: the Marleans, they will cause all of this."

"They might be here, but no, they are not the ones causing this," Armin explained and Yeager looked up at him, confused.

Armin walked closer to him, concerned. "There's something coming from inside the earth, and it's eating the island from the inside out. If this keeps happening and at this rate, the foundations of the island will crumble," he warned, extremely worried.

"What thing? What are you even talking about?" Eren asked in pure confusion.

"I think it's what gives us our powers," Arlert theorised. He had been feeling much stronger since the creature had arrived.

"What makes you think that?" Eren questioned, incredulously.

"Did you see the flying monster?" Armin asked.

"Barely," Yeager let out, "then I woke up here," he explained.

"That monster came out from the depths of the island, destroying everything on its path. And I think wherever it came from- I think it somehow triggered all this," he tried to theorise.

Eren looked around, seeing themselves in that dark dungeon again. He could see Carla walking around unsuspectedly behind Armin. It was clear that his friend was none the wiser.

'Well, isn't he clever?' Carla pointed out in mockery, and kept walking behind Arlert, looking at him up and down with disdain.

Armin continued to theorise. "The gas we use, the blades, the crystals. All those things that can only be extracted from this island- it must all be connected somehow."

Carla raised her eyebrows behind Arlert, still in mockery. And Eren looked down, trying to concentrate and hoping that vision would just go away.

"All those resources were already in our mines. They have been for years," Yeager argued. "What changed now?" he questioned.

"Something is triggering this sudden overgrowth," Armin supposed. "Eren, we need to stop it before it's too late!" he warned. "Or the island will be swallowed by the ocean!"

'No. He wants to kill Ymir, you can't let this happen,' Carla warned Eren sternly, she walked closer to him and dropped down near his ear. 'This is what's giving Ymir life, if you destroy it, you will be killing her.' She sternly warned with a whisper, and he looked away. Eren shut his eyes tight and the vision disappeared.

"Armin, there's nothing I can do, I'm trapped," he pointed out, defeated.

"Well, I tracked you here. It means you might have lost your Founding powers, but you still have the Attack Titan powers, and more importantly: the War-Hammer Titan powers," Armin argued.

"So?" Eren asked.

"Do you even know where you are?" Armin questioned. He virtually took the two of them out of the dungeon and upwards, to the open Reiss cave above it.

The two friends watched over the enormous crystal columns. "Do you know how those columns were made? Because I do, and I believe we can reach the same memories," Armin told Eren.

That cave had been made almost two thousand years before, by the Original Nine Titans. The siblings helped to amplify the powers of the War-Hammer Titan as he guided the construction.

And Eren understood Armin's mindset. "Do you think I can build a structure like that all across the island?" he questioned, incredulously. "Armin, I've been underground for hours, I don't even know how long," Eren countered. "I've been missing sunlight, and I haven't mastered the War-Hammer very well-"

Armin interjected with a sardonic chuckle. "Even if you had mastered the War-Hammer's powers well, you still don't have my family's blood. But I do," he remarked.

"What are you suggesting?" Eren asked.

"That we do it together," Armin explained with a smile.

"That's a hell of a plan," Eren let out, putting his hands on his coat pockets.

They left the ruins of the Reiss cave and were now in the cursed dimension again.

"But it might just work," Armin replied and presented him with a small dagger.

The dagger was beautifully crafted, black and silver, with a blue stone encrusted in the handle.

Eren looked at the dagger, still with his hands on his pockets, he seemed lost in thought.

He lifted his head again. "What then?" Eren asked.

"Then the island will stop sinking," Armin replied, logically. "We need to really concentrate, Eren, for the plan to work. We need to think of the same thing," he carefully explained.

"I'm asking what happens after that," Eren clarified, annoyed.

"Well, there is the matter of the millions of Wall Titans loose and that enormous flying Titan we need to kill," Armin replied sarcastically. "But one problem at a time," he added.

Eren let out a small chuckle and shook his head. He was the one pacing around now, in that cursed dimension. He walked around Armin, clearly annoyed. "How do you think we can build together something of that magnitude if your instant mindset is to destroy all my hard work?" Eren coldly questioned his childhood friend.

"You shouldn't be so proud of your 'hard work'," Armin hissed back at him. "All you gained were millions of Colossal Titans you can't control and a giant unpredictable flying menace."

"What if we can control it? Together?" Eren asked.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you lost your Founding Titan powers, shouldn't you?" Armin asked back, mocking him.

"I'm the War-Hammer, you're the Colossal Titan, theoretically it should work," Eren insisted.

"It wouldn't, not without the Founder and we both know that," Armin maintained.

"But if we could-" Eren continued with that test and Armin finally broke, interrupting him quite vexed.

"I would not help you, Eren. Is that what you want to hear?" Armin asked, shouting. "I'm not helping you kill people and I'm tired of your obsession with that."

"What is the point of saving the island just to be destroyed later by those humans?" Yeager questioned.

"Do you even hear yourself?!" Arlert continued, vexed. "Of course we have to save the island. And it is more likely it could be destroyed later by those millions of Colossal Titans walking over it. The Titans you apparently set loose!" Armin accused, and continued, "which is the problem we have to mend next! And why are you talking about the humans outside as if they were lesser than us? Are you out of your mind?"

"We are not humans, Armin," Eren gravely replied.

"Of course we are humans," Armin countered, baffled.

"We are not." Eren chuckled. He took the small dagger from Armin's hand.

"Especially you and me," he slowly let out, pointing the dagger first at Armin and then at himself.

"What do you even mean by that?" Armin asked, dismissive. For him, Eren just sounded mad.

"You know exactly what I mean." Eren gravely affirmed. But Armin only looked confused and nervous.

"Humans don't create what you and I created, Armin," Eren explained, actually referring to their children. They were the fathers of the entire Eldian Race.

"Or are about to create," he added, looking at the dagger. Almost rephrasing himself to change the focus to Armin's plan - about the crystal structure.

Armin sighed. "I'll help you deal with the Marleans," he declared. "And any other threats to the island in the future. But we'll do it my way." Armin firmly proposed.

"No, no." Eren shook his head and the dagger on his hand. "We have to be in full agreement," he warned. "You know it won't work otherwise."

Armin angrily took the dagger back from Eren's hand, and used it to point at him. "The only thing we are in full agreement with is that we don't want this island to sink! Are you going to help me save it? Or are we all supposed to die today? Because right now we are just wasting time!" he severely admonished his childhood friend.

Eren looked up to the starry skies of that cursed dimension, reflective. "We have all the time in the world, Armin," he said. "We are not even on Earth."

Armin looked to the side. "You are frustrating," he let out, hissing.

"What? Are you going to punch me again?" Eren asked, wanting to push his buttons even further.

"I wasn't even thinking about that," Armin replied, annoyed.

"Of course you were," Eren countered, certain.

Armin slowly shook his head in disbelief. "When have you changed so much?" he asked, trying to think of it.

"I haven't changed-" Eren tried to defend himself but Armin interjected.

"I know, it's the baby isn't it?" Armin realised with a clever smile. "That's when everything changed for you."

"Babies," Eren corrected his friend. "They are twins."

"Well, congratulations," Armin hissed, cynically crossing his arms. "They'll both die today if their father doesn't act."

"I'm doing this for them," Eren hissed back. "All I'm doing is for them. I won't let my children grow up in a world where they are hunted," he declared with much determination.

"They won't be growing up at all if we don't fix all this chaos," Armin swiftly argued.

Eren looked to the side, upset. "I just want them to be safe," he let out, brokenly.

"I understand," Armin replied in true sympathy, he uncrossed his arms. "I would do anything for my children as well."

'All of them?' Eren thought, jokingly. He was considering the entire Eldian Race. But he contemplated it further, raising his eyebrows. Perhaps this could be a way to trick his friend into doing his bidding.

"It seems we have finally reached a point of agreement then," Eren noted. He walked closer to Armin in full determination. "We'll protect our children, no matter what it takes," Yeager firmly proposed.

Armin raised his eyebrows, considering it. He would go to the ends of the earth if it meant saving his son and his daughter. "That's something I can wholeheartedly agree with," Arlert concurred. He then took out the dagger and slashed through his palm, making a deep gash, his blood flowed out violently.

"We'll protect our children, no matter what it takes," Armin firmly repeated, giving the dagger to Eren and also offering his slashed hand for that handshake - as it bled out profusely.

Eren also slashed his palm, also making a very deep gash. Blood streaming out as he reached for their handshake.

"No matter what it takes," Eren confirmed and they shook hands.

Their blood instantly mixed and so did their powers and their souls. It was a deal.

A bright blue light ignited from their hands as their blood joined together and it expanded greatly. Filling up their bodies and blinding that whole dimension.

The crystals began to form around the Colossal Titan - deep underneath the Maria Region. And also from around Eren - deep underneath the Rose Region. The structure spread out as a net of large columns, all scarcely placed in strategic points of the island: to hold it together. From Shiganshina to Utopia, the net closed in two intertwined circles, an impressive feat that left Maria and Rose secured, but Sina still vulnerable. The situation in that centre region was more delicate as it was the epicentre of all that chaos. Regardless, that impressive crystal foundation still expanded for many kilometres, and it took all of the energy the two Titan Shifters had. It was a miracle that they had remained alive afterwards.

.-.

The two friends were completely drained, and they immediately lost contact. Armin could tell Eren had fallen unconscious and was very weak - close to death. He tried to reach out for him, but he had no strength to do so. Armin was very weak as well and struggling to maintain consciousness. The Colossal Titan plunged forward and its weight sank in the loose soil, making the giant creature fall down even further. He became trapped inside the dirty and debris and among the deep roots and vines of an overgrown tree.

The tumble made Armin fully awake again, and as he laid there, trapped, he began to reevaluate all that had happened. All the steps they took, their discussion… and one thing stood out in Armin's mind: how was Eren in that cave? That hadn't been answered. Who took him there? Who would want him trapped so deep inside the earth?

He couldn't tell if Eren knew that answer and avoided telling him, or if he just didn't know at all. Armin also noted how Eren had complained about being there for hours, and that didn't make sense to him. That wouldn't be possible, it would take a full day just to travel from Shiganshina to the Reiss Lands. It was more likely that Eren had only been there for a few minutes.

The Colossal Titan struggled to stand up, Armin was still trying to figure out that one puzzle. What the father didn't know was that the answer was about to reveal itself to him. It was there, observing him as he tried to free himself from those roots. Watching over from one of the branches of that giant tree, with arms crossed.

Azzy calmly sat down on the branch, watching the Titan struggle. The knight took his black helmet off, smoothly putting it aside. "Need some help?" he cheerfully asked, and his father looked up.

.-.

Eren slowly opened his eyes. He was laying on the damped floor of that cell. The crystals he had produced immediately broke off the chains holding him as they pierced out from his spine and bones. He was free, but too weak to move, and he was still over two hundred metres underground. Eren needed sunlight, or at least moonlight - and he needed it fast. He tried to stand up but it was to no avail, his muscles were atrophied and he couldn't hold his own weight. Eren was still steaming out severely from all the energy he had exerted. He could barely open his eyes.

Suddenly there was a small light in front of him, it grew out from the earth and it shaped itself into a rose. A vibrant red rose with bright green leaves, it was beautiful and it stunned him completely. The rose was made of Titan Crystal.

That one rose was followed by many, they grew all over that dark cell - illuminating it completely. A truly beautiful spectacle. He suddenly saw that small girl in front of him and she smiled, a happy and pure smile of a soul free from pain.

"How did you get here, my angel?" Eren softly asked, slightly raising himself up.

Rose only tilted her head, and looked up at the damped ceiling of the cell, and Eren followed her eyes. When he looked down again, the angel was gone. And so were the crystal roses.

Eren stood up with difficulty and looked up at the ceiling again. "I need to get out of here," he let out with determination. Yeager looked down at his hands.

He brought closer his right hand, analysing the deep gash that had sealed itself with some form of hard, translucent, blue and green crystal scale. "Just a little more crystal," he added, hoping he still had the energy.

Annie and Hitch were looking around that large field in pure confusion. "Where are we?" Annie asked again as they walked around it, bringing their horses.

They stopped, as they could see there was no more soil ahead to continue walking on. And the two friends looked down.

"I think that's the cave where Lord Reiss turned into that giant Titan," Hitch commented as they approached the large crater, they both looked up again - to that vast erosion that spread all the way to Orvud District. The large crystal columns were beautifully illuminated and shimmered in the moonlight.

Annie only looked at her confused. "The last king?" Hitch asked. "Goodness you have a lot to catch on, don't you?" she joked. "That's what you get for taking such a long nap."

The warrior only shrugged, she walked away from the crater and continued to look around the field, "is that a hand?" she eventually asked and immediately rushed to investigate.

Hitch turned curiously and confirmed: there was in fact a human hand coming out from the ground. "Why do you do this to me?" she complained of Annie's extreme interest in all those eerie occurrences so far. She slowly followed behind as Annie ran towards the macabre sight.

Eren had used the War-Hammer Crystal to fight off the heavy earth tumbling on him as he climbed up. It wasn't easy, he was at his last and the earth kept giving in on top of him. He was fighting against it, trying to unbury himself. When he eventually felt a hand reaching out to grab him and pull him out of the dirt. Yeager was glad and relieved. He held firmly to that grip as it helped him out of the ground, and looked up to see Annie's blue eyes staring back at him. Eren immediately fell unconscious into her arms.

-.-

May, 854 - The Queen's Farm - Reiss Lands

It was a quiet morning, and the Queen was leisurely sitting underneath a small and serene tree. Historia was concentrated, she had laid some important documents and books, a couple of diaries and private letters over the cloth. The Queen had decided to immerse herself in her State research rather than have a sole picnic or even a quiet nap. She clearly had more important things in mind.

Historia looked over to see that old friend walking in the distance. She sighed, mildly annoyed at the sight and strikingly nervous. But she prepared herself to talk to him as he walked over.

"I looked for you everywhere," Eren told her as he approached the small tree. He stopped with his hands on his hips.

"Well, darling, if you had looked towards the fields as you arrived you would have seen me here right away," Historia replied while putting some papers back down over the cloth.

Eren looked up, still with his hands on his hips. "That's a nice tree," he noted.

Historia sighed. "It was my mother's favourite spot," she relayed while looking back down again. "She was always here when I was growing up, reading," the Queen added.

Eren looked down at Historia again. "Why haven't you replied to my letters?" he questioned her. "I haven't seen you or heard from you in months!"

"Three months," Historia quietly noted, counting it in her head. She looked up at him again. "I told you not to send me letters," she advised.

"Why?" Eren asked, confused.

"Because they always read them before I do," she cleverly remarked. "They think I don't know it," Historia continued, looking down at her small research once again. She slightly shook her head. "I know a lot more than they think," the Queen added under her breath.

She looked up at Eren very seriously. "Stop sending me letters," Historia strongly advised.

Eren looked to the side, watching the children and the nuns, and the building in the distance. Thinking. He turned to Historia once again. "Well, in that case, you could have just sent for me," he proposed. "You know the rules, you know I can't just barge in if I want to talk to you," Eren reminded her.

And Historia looked up at him once again. "What if I didn't want to talk to you?" she questioned bluntly, making him realise it.

"Oh," Eren let out, he leaned closer and sat next to her, underneath that tree. "Is everything alright?" he asked, worried as he could tell she was a little angry and upset. "Why are you back here and not in the palace?" he also asked.

She looked at his interest with some annoyance. "I wanted some peace and also to check how the orphanage is doing," she justified. Historia sighed, "with all honesty I just wanted to be left alone."

Eren looked up at the tree leaves as they shook with the calm winds. "It's funny, I thought you and your mother didn't get along," he commented. Eren then looked at her with a small smile. "Why would you choose to be in her favourite spot?" he asked.

"It's not that we didn't get along. We just barely spoke," the Queen began to explain. "And on the rare occasions that we did, she made her feelings towards me abundantly clear."

Historia leaned over and started to organise some of her research. "For her I was always just a monster," she added under her breath.

Eren tilted his head. "So why are you on her favourite spot?" he questioned.

The young woman shrugged her shoulders. "I just- I've been thinking about her a lot lately," Historia explained. Ever since the Queen had been aware of her pregnancy, she couldn't stop thinking of her own mother.

"Why?" Eren asked.

"Never you mind," Historia replied, trying to focus on what she was reading.

The Queen was purposefully wearing one of her more comfortable and loose-fitting spring dresses. She didn't have her hair tied up as it was customary now. It was only braided in a simple waterfall and her golden locks floated with the winds. Eren took that moment to admire her beauty, it completely took away his concentration for a moment.

He snapped out of it and focused on what she was doing instead. "What is all this?" he asked.

"I'd just like to know more about the country I'm governing," she regally explained.

Eren smiled trying his best not to laugh.

"You're not governing it," he noted with a small chuckle.

She looked up at him in spite. "Don't play with me, Yeager," Historia advised.

"How are things with Zackly?" he asked, still in a sarcastic tone. Eren leaned over to check her small basket of fruits and snacks and Historia moved it away from him, annoyedly.

"He still treats me like a child," she complained. "They all do," she added in frustration. Historia looked down and away for a moment.

'A child bearing other children, I wonder how they will treat me now,' the Queen considered, only in her mind.

She raised her eyebrows. "And here I thought that when I'd finally be eighteen they would just step away and let me rule. Silly me," Queen Historia let out and crossed her arms. "What a dreadful bunch of old sacks."

"We could always just get rid of them," Eren suggested, quite carelessly as he tried to check out the snacks on that little basket, which was now so much further away.

"What are you suggesting?" Historia asked, but he only shrugged.

"All I ask is for me to be viewed as the Queen not as some silly doll to be paraded around," Historia let out her frustration. "This is my Island."

"So what? Are you gathering dirt on them so you can use it to force them to step out of the way?" Eren asked with a large smile, as he was about to bite on an apple that he had just stolen from the Queen's little picnic basket.

Historia took the tiny apple back right before Yeager could bite on it.

"Not exactly." She put the small fruit away again and held up one of the small books. "I've been reading my father's diaries," the Queen explained. Historia then looked at the small book with deep melancholy in her face.

"No, Historia. Why?" Eren confronted her with some confusion.

"Well, I never really knew him," Historia softly explained. She then turned to look at the diary again. "He has made some questionable things," she let out. "Many questionable things," she added.

"Yes, we know that." Eren was firm with her. "Have you considered that this might be one of the reasons why the new council - or any of those 'old sacks' is reluctant to give you any power?" He cleverly remarked, leaning down with his arms behind his head and looking up to the tree leaves as they shook with the wind.

Historia looked down at the small diary in her hands. "I was considering… we should have a parliament. A proper one," she suggested.

"Historia," Eren scratched his head in confusion. "I'm an Army man. All I know is how to hit and attack-" he stopped and rephrased himself, raising himself up again. "How to protect this country. So don't come at me with politics because I don't get any of it." Eren explained quite honestly.

"Well, all that matters is: will you support me?" she asked, and smiled cheekily.

Eren smiled. "You're my only ally, I'll support you through anything," he told her with much love. His green eyes deeply focused on her blue ones.

And Historia smiled back at him lovingly. A smile of relief as she thought of what was coming.

Eren thought this would be a perfect moment to lean in for a kiss. He hadn't seen or kissed those lips in months and he missed it all quite deeply. He was about to lean in when Historia abruptly turned to her papers once again.

"Do you want to know who are the best sources of information in this Kingdom?" Historia asked.

"I thought we were an empire," Eren interjected, leaning back down again and holding his head with his hand, mildly annoyed.

"Well, sugar, we are sort of… neither," the Queen replied and continued. "Regardless, what I was about to say-"

"Who is your source of information?" Eren interrupted with his question.

"The oldies," Historia explained with a clever smile. "The old ladies whose husbands I put in prison."

"You should have killed them," Eren complained, playing around with the arched handle of the little basket.

"It doesn't matter now," she affirmed. "The important thing is that they all want my favour and they all want to show me their support," Historia explained.

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Well, all these women gossip a lot," she pointed out.

"Impressive," Eren let out ironically, he still couldn't see Historia's point.

So she proceeded to explain it. "And being noble women, they know so much about, well everything," the Queen noted. "About our history… about my history specifically."

Historia leaned over to him with more excitement. She continued with a bundle in her hand. "These letters were stolen. None of my old girls wants to admit who stole them, but that doesn't matter. The important thing is: these are the endless letters my father wrote to my mother," Historia explained, passing her fingers through the bundle. "She never replied to a single one, I wonder if she even read them," she added while shrugging.

"Well, I for once feel for him," Eren joked, being in a similar situation himself.

"He sounds quite pathetic to be honest," Historia confessed while looking at the bundle, as she had read most of those letters. And Eren raised his eyebrows.

She proceeded with some spitefulness. "I'm not leaving anything embarrassing like this in writing for future vultures to pry on my life once I'm gone," the young Queen relayed.

"So young, so tiny and yet so bitter," Eren joked back at her.

"Did you just call me bitter?" Historia questioned him with eyebrows raised.

"I'm joking. I think you're clever and you're right not to want for people in the future to know too much about your private life, I respect that," Yeager explained more seriously.

"Thank you," Historia solemnly replied.

"You of course wouldn't want others in the future to know about you galavanting with one of your soldiers before getting married," he started to joke again. Eren leaned in closer, "all those secret encounters in the corners of the Palace," he added more boldly.

"Galavanting?" Historia questioned his word choice with eyebrows raised high. And Eren only shrugged. "I'm not getting married," she reminded him; as that had been something they had previously discussed.

"Fair," Eren replied, more sympathetically. He looked down at the little basket more reflectively. 'I won't be around for very long so…' he thought, considering his impending death. 'You might forget me.'

Historia had told him she would never marry anyone after his death, but he hoped this wouldn't be the case. He hoped she would find happiness and have a family after he was gone.

"Do you want to know what the old ladies also told me?" Historia asked, changing their topic of conversation.

"What?" Eren asked back.

"My mother comes from a situation very similar to mine," she started to explain.

"In what way?" he asked.

"Well, her father, my grandpa, is also a bastard of the king," Historia revealed. "Meaning that my parents were cousins."

"What? I'm confused," Eren let out.

"They were both grandchildren of the Second King of the Walls," she explained.

"So you are a Fritz from both sides?" Eren asked.

"Suppose so," Historia replied. "That's probably why mother called me a monster," she added.

"Are you more Fritz than your half-siblings were?" Yeager questioned curiously.

"No, I doubt it," Historia argued. "It's very probable that the Queen was a Fritz as well, they were probably cousins too."

Eren looked a little disgusted and stunned, so Historia proceeded to explain those customs. "It's just the norm, especially among nobility," the Queen explained. "And this is a small island, I suppose we are all related on some level," Historia argued.

"In that case, you might be related to Armin after all," Eren joked. And proceeded to chuckle at his own joke. "I bet you are also at least cousins."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that," she replied with loving eyes. "He's so incredibly clever, and decent and sweet-" Historia started to list all of her good friend's qualities.

"Do you fancy him?" Eren abruptly asked, with much concern and jealousy.

"What if I do? Why would it matter to you?" She challenged him with tenacity and a small shrug.

"Don't- Don't make this weird," Eren pleaded as Historia raised her eyebrows quite high again.

"Can't I admire him? I admire him, he's one of my closest friends," Historia countered.

Eren still felt very confused. "Don't- stop making this weird, he is my best friend," he maintained.

"We're all friends, Eren. Stop behaving like a child," Historia reprimanded him. She then leaned in closer. "We're adults," the Queen quietly but sternly reminded him.

Historia knew that Eren wasn't particularly mature which was making the impending reveal of her pregnancy a very stressful and very difficult topic to get into. She was afraid, as she had no idea of what reaction he would have.

Eren crossed his arms, a little annoyed at her tone, he looked down at her research again.

"Did your father know your mother was a Fritz as well?" he questioned, intrigued.

"I don't think so," she replied. "What makes this all the more ironic."

"Why?" Eren asked.

She held up another small book. "From his diaries and all these letters he always sounds so defiant. He always goes on about fighting with his father and wanting to go against the crown and all of the family traditions," Historia explained. "It seems his affair was yet another way of rebelling. The irony is that Alma was also a Fritz."

Historia put the little book down, shaking her head in disapproval. "He ran right into her arms. So sure that he was running away from all his problems in doing so, but in reality he just created another one." She explained in self-loathing.

"You're not a problem, Historia," Eren immediately rebuked. "For once I believe you are the solution to all of our problems," he declared. "You can save this island," he told her very lovingly.

"Oh, is that why your father killed everyone else?" she joked back at him. And Eren looked stunned.

Historia let out a small smirk. She sat up straight, and her small bump suddenly became more visible under her dress. "You know, it's a good thing you're an outsider-" she started to cleverly argue.

"I'm not completely an outsider," Eren slightly interrupted. 'My father was,' he interjected in his mind.

But she continued, "otherwise we would run the risk of you being a Fritz too," she noted.

Eren shrugged, looking into the basket again, searching for a new fruit. "I'm definitely not," he replied nonchalantly as he picked up one of the apples again. "Otherwise I could activate those powers," he logically explained, taking a big bite from that tiny, but juicy apple.

"Wait. Why are you saying all that?" He asked while munching, a little confused.

"Because there is one more thing we need to talk about," Historia said, putting her papers and documents to the side.

"What?" Eren leisurely asked while slightly leaning back down and munching on the apple.

Historia took the knife from that basket and held it up, then brought it close to her other hand. "Whoa," Eren let out, fearing as she was about to cut herself. Startled, he even dropped the small apple. "Wait!" he pleaded, lunging forward. She then swiftly made a cut on her palm, showing it to him.

Eren was very stunned and very confused. Why would she intentionally hurt herself like that? The whole situation looked insane.

Historia's big blue eyes just stared intensely at him as she held that bleeding hand up. And he watched as the Titan steam started to rise, and her palm slowly healed. Eren was perplexed.

"How- How did you do that?" he asked in pure confusion.

The Queen tilted her head, looking at him sternly and cleverly. "You tell me," Historia suggested. And Yeager's expression suddenly changed completely.

October 31, 854 - The Queen's Farm - Reiss Lands

00:00 [Zero Hour]

Queen Historia woke up in a startle as she felt that deep pain inside her spine. The heavily pregnant woman was having difficulty breathing - and moving. Historia was stunned, she breathed heavily, mentally preparing herself. She then slowly rose herself up, struggling a little to sit upright in her royal bed as the sharp pain came back again. She then stretched her arm with equal difficulty to pull on the bell cord, calling for aid.

A young servant rushed to the room and eventually arrived.

"Everything alright, Ma'am?" the small servant girl asked very nervously. She knew very well that being called in such an odd hour by the pregnant queen could only mean one thing.

"Yes, thank you, darling," Queen Historia responded with her regal grace. She proceeded with her request as she sat upright on the side of her bed, trying to compose herself. "Would you please wake the doctor and the nurses, I believe it's time."

End of Chapter Nineteen: "Two Thousand Years Apart"

↑Back to Top