CHANGES
I'll see you in 2000 years.
- Year 867, somewhere underground:
[Thirteen years after the world was destroyed by Titans]
He is racing through the alleys, running for his life. It's actually pretty fun, really. Cutting corners, jumping boxes, looking high and low for a better escape route, thinking on his feet. Those guards were actually in need of some exercise. It seems like the newer technological advancements implemented in the last thirteen years have made them soft. The teen boy can count only five guards or so, so far. ‘I can lose them,’ he thinks.
Far below Paradise Island’s wealthy capital, Mitras, stands The Underground, the city of the lost. Cramped and damp buildings fill up those underground streets like a tangled maze; but the teenage boy already knows his way by heart. The guards whistle loudly as they run, bringing the attention of onlookers. The older and unfit men are having trouble trying to keep up with the teenager's speed. In the crowded market, spectators watch as the boy rushes by and the young children cheer as the teen successfully outruns the unpopular Police Guard. The boy is quite charming, and has already fallen in the graces of the underground people.
A hundred metres below the surface, The Underground City is marked by poverty and violence; and with quite limited rays from the sun to light one’s path. Nonetheless, it is the place this young boy has called home, at least for the past three years. The teen is indeed charming, and quite clever for his age. He continues to run, easily evading the old policemen. The brand-new radio equipment seems not to be working. Probably out of range so far underground. No response, no reinforcements. The boy stops, leaning on a wall, in a smaller alley; panting, quite excited, trying to better control his breathing. He looks around tactically. There are no signs of those guards, just pure silence. Maybe he can breathe safely now, and just keep going. The teen goes back to walking, leisurely crossing back into the market. But never underestimate your enemies. And don't forget the power of the good old vocal cords. It seems that shouting is still effective, and not out of range; and so is the old police whistle. There they come again, he can count eight, perhaps ten now. The teen sprints once more as the guards shout and fire their whistles incredibly loudly after him. The boy smiles.
A commotion is already forming on the large market streets as they all come again, all racing through The Underground City. While the unfit men seem to struggle in the chase, a sharply dressed man is following the teen in a calmer way; for he also knows The Underground well. The man looks around the familiar market with his one working eye. The other is covered by an eyepatch that cleverly matches his gloves and stylish cane. The guards continue on the erratic and mindless chase while the well composed man begins predicting where the boy is most likely going. He looks up, analysing the city streets, he follows the slopes with his eye, calculating the teenager’s path in his mind. He then proceeds to leisurely walk through the obscure alleys with the objective of intercepting the boy.
A commotion is already forming on the large market streets as they all come again, all racing through The Underground City. While the unfit men seem to struggle in the chase, a sharply dressed man is following the teen in a calmer way; for he also knows The Underground well. The man looks around the familiar market with his one working eye. The other is covered by an eyepatch that cleverly matches his gloves and stylish cane. The guards continue on the erratic and mindless chase while the well composed man begins predicting where the boy is most likely going. He looks up, analysing the city streets, he follows the slopes with his eye, calculating the teenager’s path in his mind. He then proceeds to leisurely walk through the obscure alleys with the objective of intercepting the boy.
The boy continues to cleverly count the amount of guards as he runs away from them. He has counted fifteen foes in total. The teen crosses yet into another alley, knowing for sure he has evaded them for good now. He is looking towards the larger market street, confirming he has finally lost that idiot crew. That's when he hears that old, quite reprimanding voice. The teen recognises it immediately, the voice belongs to his dear-old Uncle Levi. “I knew this would happen,” the uncle says. “Eventually.”
The retired Survey Corps Captain is at the end of the street. He starts to walk closer, in full domain and style - with a cane he doesn’t seem to need, but enjoys wearing on his walks. His face says it all: I told you so. There is no need for words. It's all deep within the disappointment, there, deep inside his one working eye. The boy is still running, now gently slowing down. Almost stopping, to meet his old man. Breathless, but still smiling, enjoying himself. A young soul looking for danger, curious about life, still searching.
“I told you not to go looking around, making noise,” Levi begins with his scolding, but his nephew doesn’t stop completely. “How many times do I have to explain to you the gravity of the situation that we are in?” The uncle continues, clearly vexed with the teen. Even more vexed to see how the young boy seems to be enjoying himself greatly. “We've been located, now we need to mov-”
“I'm already moving,” the teen cuts his uncle short, still running, gaining speed once again. Passing faster by his dear Uncle Levi, shooting up that street.
“Azzy!” Levi shouts back at him with strong admonishment and slight exasperation.
The boy was affectionately nicknamed Azzy, by his mother in his very young years. A nickname the Ackermann boy is trying to outgrow, but has been unsuccessful in the matter; ‘Azzy’ is only a couple of weeks shy of turning fifteen. He continues to run, gaining even more speed.
And at the end of the narrow and long street, he turns to cheekily wave goodbye to his uncle in the distance. “See you at dinner!” Azzy shouts cheerfully and quite charmingly. Levi sighs, he swiftly holds up his cane, considering his next move. He looks up to the endless city slopes again, he can hear the police whistles in the far distance.
Azzy stops once again, he gently notices all those sweet toys on a dark shop window, he is entranced by a cute girlish rag doll that seems to be smiling at him with her innocent green eyes. This street is also empty, the shops are all closed. Azzy takes out his pocket watch to check the time, he can still hear the policemen rush in the far distance. As he checks the time Azzy starts to feel that eeriness within once again, coming deep from his entrails. He can almost see from the corner of his eyes a reflection watching him on that shop window, it’s that witch once again. He abruptly looks up from his watch to face the monster, to show he is not scared of her, that he never was. But he sees nothing, only his own reflection. The street is completely empty. Azzy leans in, looking at those toys in that shop window once again. The rag doll is no longer smiling, perhaps she never was.
The silence in the street is pure, as Azzy tilts his head, entranced by the doll once again; the Ackermann boy can only hear his own breathing.
Suddenly multiple rocks are thrown, coming from behind him, and they completely shatter the shop window. The teen immediately curls and covers his face, protecting himself from the glass. He swiftly places his golden watch back into its pocket, afraid to lose it. Azzy looks around searching for the assailant but the street is completely empty, he is alone. The hunter has quickly hid himself into a dark alley. Azzy looks around, lost, he turns to the shattered window again, there are shards of glass all over the toys, including the sweet rag doll. The sharp shards are also all over the pavement and also all over his clothes. The teen cleans himself of the glass and continues to walk, looking for a good hiding spot; already fearing for his uncle’s scolding later that evening, once all this would have passed and they could finally sit for their customary dinner. The hunter watches him go, still hidden in the dark, with his sharp green eyes rapt on the boy.
Azzy is distracted; he looks back to that odd street for a moment, reflective, but turns once again as he sees the herd has caught up with him. He opens his blue eyes wide, already kicking up his feet and picking up speed in the other direction. The policemen shout once again, and their chase proceeds, the boy is very fast. They all let out curses under their breaths and continue to run after him.
The teenage boy runs as the curious underground citizens watch the exciting chase. He turns into a large street once again, filled to the brim, Azzy hopes the crowd will make those old fools lose sight of him. The boy is growing tired, not physically, but mentally, of that incessant old herd. Some of the more clever guards have decided to plan ahead, they are preparing to corner him. Other unfit ones are running closer, impressively, they are catching up with the teen. When one of them loses their footing, he has been inadvertently tripped by the Captain’s stylish cane. The man falls hard on the cobblestones, followed by three more, all falling in a domino effect. Levi is trying his best to avoid this threat without causing much trouble for him and the boy; trying to fix the situation in a subtle way. And also trying not to strive too fiercely against his fellow soldiers. But Azzy isn't exactly helping, from Levi’s view it seems the wayward nephew is thriving in that chase. The boy is causing quite a ruckus all over The Underground City, to the Captain’s dismay. Levi looks around as the boy disappears in the distant streets once again, he rolls his one working eye, annoyed.
The boy keeps running, enjoying the chase. A challenge at last. There are now fifteen soldiers or more, or at least that's what the teen has counted. Merchants are watching, people gossiping, kids are mesmerised and cheering. All happy. The teen is putting quite a show. While the uncle is becoming more upset, he has lost track of him. If things keep going this way he might need to properly fight these soldiers off, and he really doesn’t want to do that. The last thing he and his nephew need now is that kind of attention. Levi reaches down to feel his custom pistol under his coat, counting how many shots he has saved, considering his next steps. He can sense someone is watching him. Levi looks around the crowd, searching. ‘You’re here too, aren’t you?’ He thinks.
The boy is panting, still running. It has stopped being so fun, he is now considering the gravity of the situation for once. Azzy turns yet another corner into a larger, calmer street, with only a few kids happily playing. He slows down.
He observes them and also notices the simple people in their houses, going by their day. He focuses on a family: the father carving a piece of wood, sitting on an old crate by the rundown building’s door; the mother hanging clothes upfront as the small kids go by her and she caresses their heads. The father also greets the little ones as they enter the old building, a simple but happy family. All getting inside, getting ready to enjoy their modest supper. Azzy watches them from a distance, approaching closer. He quietly watches the simple family through the window as they prepare to sit for their supper; with a cold feeling deep on his insides. That feeling isn’t hunger, but his grief, and his desire to have the same. A simple but happy family. Azzy stops walking, he was getting too close, he doesn’t want to disturb their peace. The kids all chat with their parents, they are all so happy, so naive. The tired parents seem burned by life, but they also seem very happy with their three precious jewels.
Azzy stops completely, in the middle of that slum, he stares down into a small mud pool, one of many in that damp street. He stares down at his badly-lit reflection.
‘If Mum and Dad were here, what would they think?’ The boy considers, upset. He has very few memories of his parents. He knows a lot about them, but he never got to know them himself. He has only heard the many stories his uncle has told. Azzy could imagine them, he could dream about them; and hope to one day be like them. But his deepest wish is to actually one day meet them, somehow.
He sighs, stepping hard on the mud pool, destroying his reflection and continuing to walk without minding the slight splash on his leather boots. He walks slowly and looks back for a moment. ‘Uncle is right. We've been located, we‘ve been discovered. These people won't forget,’ the boy reflects.
“We need to move,” he lets out. “Again,” Azzy adds, feeling the annoyance of it all, it seems that persecution would never end, the Crown was restless. He continues to walk, contemplative. He has lost his sense of direction. The boy is now completely lost, unsure as to where he is going. He then comes across a very tall wall. Azzy stops, quite angry all of a sudden. The boy is still panting, he feels very upset. He looks up at the large wall of a building right in front of him, there’s no use trying to climb that. Not that he was thinking about it, the boy is too tired to even think. But he hasn’t given up, of course he hasn't. He turns to one side and to the other, to see a tall building to his right and another equally tall building to his left. He had distractedly walked into a corner.
The boy then hears the metal noises, and turns to his back once again. The policemen finally cornered him, he had been too distracted to notice. A few curious people come out of the windows of the two buildings around them and other onlookers come behind the policemen as well. The tallest guard, who seems to be in charge, makes gestures so some guards can gather around the boy, to be sure he is completely surrounded. The boy looks around, surprised. It seems in all that reflection he was unable to notice how the guards were gaining on him. The teen is completely cornered, with nowhere to go. Putting his hands up, he looks all those guards in their faces. Some show up in the buildings around, two in the right building, one in the left; at his back there's that large wall, right in front of him were eight guards and four more arriving, all with guns aimed - the fifteen he had counted before. There's no escaping it now. The teen keeps his hands up, still maintaining his cocky expression.
The tall guard gestures so some can position themselves behind the boy, even with that incredibly tall wall, he just wants to make sure the boy is completely surrounded, with absolutely no escape possible. Some of the guards seem somewhat nervous but most of them seem quite well prepared. The boy notices these guards are way better dressed and much better equipped than the simpleton soldiers he is used to seeing there in The Underground. They have much nicer uniforms and shinier weapons, all with the beautiful Royal insignia plastered across their chests and rifles. It seems the Royal Guards have come down from Mitras into the dirty steps of The Underground.
“You are all far away from the palace,” Azzy comments, and smiles. “Don’t move! You are surrounded.” The tall guard interjects.
“What are fancy Royal Guards doing in The Underground, I wonder,” the boy continues the taunt, with a hint of anger and showing no fear whatsoever.
The tall guard then gestures to the others to make sure they all have the boy in their aim. He then firmly adjusts his own rifle, pulling the heavy weapon up and aiming it at the boy.
“Her Majesty, The Queen, has a quarrel with you,” the tall man says, aiming his shiny rifle at the young boy with strong concentration.
“A quarrel?” the teen asks, bewildered, trying to hold in his laughs.
“Don't move!” The tall guard shouts again, ready to fire; staring at the boy in deep precision as his finger slowly leans over the trigger.
Levi is swiftly approaching, moving fast through the forming crowd that is gathering close to that alley. He pushes some of the curious citizens out of his way with his cane, his eye fixed on the guard’s rifle. He is terrified Azzy is about to be mercilessly shot, he loves that boy like he is his own son.
Azzy keeps his hands up as all the guards aim at him in that tense while. There's a moment of complete and eerie silence. The boy maintains his look of defiance as he stares the Royal Guards down, still with his hands up, Azzy is angry, he is tired of running. He can feel that anger boiling in his entrails.
Levi is quickly making his way to the front, with his hand firm on his small pistol, ready to shoot that damn guard before the idiot shoots his nephew. Levi is very angry and he, just like his nephew, is tired of running too. The eeriness of the quick while of silence is burning deep within those few witnesses. The Royal Guards are ready to attack.
.
Suddenly a flock of crows rises up fast over an old tower down the street, the flock clumsily brushes against the giant bell as they pass through the darkness of that rundown tower. The loud and haunting sound echoes throughout The Underground City, immediately calling the attention of all the guards and the other onlookers on that street. It is quite an eerie sight as the crows fly away from the tower. All flying high into the rocky ceiling, looking for the few ventilation shafts to pass through to the surface. All the witnesses stare at those birds and at the giant bell as it continues to slowly move and to slowly chime.
The chill in the air is palpable, like a ghost has just sent them its greeting. The whole eeriness doesn’t last more than two seconds.
And as the guards come back to their senses, and turn to look towards that alleyway once again, the boy has disappeared.
End of prologue - "The Chase"
.
.
PS.: Before this story starts, I need you to know that I'll keep the original manga as it is, still as somewhat of a "basis" for this story. I'll be calling that "the darkest timeline" (unofficially) officially I'll be calling it "The old World" which is also the name of Change's first overarching arc! [March, 19th, 2021]
2 PS.: I wrote this before Chapter 139, this chapter of my fanfic was written over a month ago, I did not make changes to my original plan after 139, the story will follow as planned, so consider this to be vaguely based on the final arc up to chapter 138. [April, 19th, 2021]
3 PS.: This is the revised version of this Chapter. Thank you, SailorChronos1, for helping with the text! I hope it’s easier to read and more comprehensible now. This is my first ever attempt at writing in a second language and I'm learning a lot! [May, 25th, 2021]
- Creative Tree
.
.
The Old World
Part One: What Happened to Them?
Chapter One: "The Field"
- Year 854
It was very difficult to notice the beauty surrounding them. High up in the sky, the wind, the clouds, the sunrise. That bright light was shining on a devastated world down below. The small crew of survivors was flying on the young Jaw Titan’s back. No one said a word for at least the first two hours. Plain silence, which was an odd thing after their ears were already accustomed to the loud noises of Titans stomping the entire world. Just plain silence, that is all there was now.
Jean was looking down below, beginning to feel annoyed. "All I can see is red, it's getting pathetic," he let out with a tired look on his face. "How long until we reach the ocean?"
Onyankopon turned to him in solidarity. "Well, this is not an airship; it's not like we can calculate its flying speed. Does anyone have a timepiece?" he asked the crew.
"Now, that's a stupid question," interrupted Conny. "We should be glad we are still alive. All here, flesh and bones, with all limbs accounted for."
"I'm sorry, I-" Onyan tried to apologise but Conny continued. Now more clearly addressing Jean.
"Stop whining, Jean. Falco should be the one complaining, he's the one who's been carrying our weight all this time-"
"There it is!" Gabi exclaimed, interrupting the discussion. And showing her smile for the first time after such a long while, as she pointed at the big blue strip of ocean they could now almost see on the horizon.
"Great!" Onyan smiled. "According to our starting direction, this should be the shortest sea path between Marley and Hizuru. It shouldn't be long now."
The scenario had changed completely from the one before. In just a few minutes they became completely enveloped by the blue of the sky and the ocean; a very peaceful feeling none of them had felt since all of this started weeks ago. Just the six of them, the blue sky and the even bluer ocean. Peace at last. But not completely. If they looked closely at the water, they could see all the debris and ship wreckage. Onyankopon looked at the waves intensely and impatiently, trying to find the wreckage of their ship; hoping someone had survived the Jaw Titan’s transformation, days before.
Levi finally broke his silence. "You won't find them, it's useless, we are too high up. We can barely make anything out on those waves down below." He firmly told Onyankopon.
Falco was feeling guilty. Sure, a lot more people were dead, they were just among the others. But those other deaths, they hadn't been caused by him. Those people in that ship were safe, they could probably have made it somehow. Maybe. Or maybe they would just die later. But still, their deaths as they were, in the ocean, that was in his hands. That was his fault.
"I know, maybe I'm hopeful they made it back to Hizuru, or another smaller island nearby. The ship had lifeboats; so maybe, maybe they are still out there, somewhere," Onyankopon said, trying to be hopeful, but failing miserably at it.
"I guess we will know when we get there," Levi replied, sternly ending their conversation.
-.-
Meanwhile in Paradise Island, a baby girl had just been born. The tiny baby was the new joy of the Queen’s Farm. But not necessarily of the Queen herself.
"She looks so beautiful! Just look at her! She's perfect," one of the nuns told the Queen. The old woman was holding the small baby girl. "She needs you, Your Majesty." The nun gestured as if to give the baby to the Queen.
Queen Historia was looking through the window, calm and attentive. Contemplative. And completely ignoring the words of the old woman.
"Is it over?" Historia asked.
"Well," the nun considered, "you are well rested and the baby is clean-"
"I wasn't asking about the labour," the Queen interrupted, annoyed. "I can't hear the noises anymore. I still could before, even if it was faint, but everything seems calm now. What was the last news the messenger brought us?"
"Last we heard, there was some struggle down at the docks, but nothing has been confirmed. The place is completely destroyed, but by human hands, not by your Titans, Your Majesty. Unfortunately there isn't much more that we know, there were no surviving witnesses," the nun said nervously while rocking the small baby that the Queen refused to hold.
"Why am I only hearing about this now?" Historia asked back, angrily.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty. The information only arrived when Your Majesty was already in labour. I apologise." The nun tried to justify the mistake, hoping to be on the Queen's good side once more.
"Tell them to send a troop to investigate the situation. And I want the new information to be delivered to me as soon as possible; it doesn't matter the situation I am in." Historia gave out the order sharply.
The nun curtsied and exited the room, still rocking the baby in her hands. Before she could speak with the guards, the doctor quietly took her aside.
"How is she doing?" the doctor asked.
"She is still rejecting the girl," the nun answered quietly, almost in a whisper. "She is still in shock. I wonder how long this will last; she needs to feed the girl, the baby is so small and fragile. I don't want to think of the worst," she continued while worriedly looking at the baby's sleeping face.
"Let's not then. Besides, babies are resilient, she's probably stronger than she looks. I'm sure she will be a great princess! And our great sovereign someday!" The doctor gradually increased his tone just to assure the faith of his fellow patriots - as many servants and soldiers were walking around those corridors.
The nun gave the Queen's message about the harbour inquiry, and the Yeagerists started discussing it among themselves. Their mission was to keep the Queen safe. To make sure there wasn't any attempt on her life in such a delicate situation. They were under strict orders, until their unproclaimed King came back, to defend the orphanage at all costs.
"If we send even a small troop, we are still making ourselves vulnerable. It's too risky," one of the soldiers pointed out.
"We could send someone as a messenger to deliver this mission to another squad," another one suggested.
"But we don't know what is happening out there. It's dangerous to leave the Queen with even less protection than what we have here," a third Royal Guard added in.
"We should follow orders; do what Her Majesty told us to," the doctor interrupted their discussion. "The threat of a Marlean attack seems less likely now. The baby was born, the Queen is healthy. You heard the last messenger: the people are rejoicing outside! Our people. The plan worked! We will be at peace now. Eldia will be great again! Thanks to our Saviour and King. Now, designate a squad to do what our Queen asks. Don't second-guess Her Majesty; let's keep putting our trust in them and everything will be fine. Trust me." He said it in the most pompous way possible. The doctor then walked back to the Queen's quarters, together with the nun and the small newborn.
The nun looked towards the closed door of the Doctor’s office, where the tiny body of the second baby lay hidden. Out of the twins the Queen was carrying, the firstborn had been born alive and healthy, but the second had unfortunately been stillborn.
"I suppose they don't know-" the nun quietly commented with the Doctor before they could enter the Queen’s private quarters.
"No one is supposed to know. The Queen gave her orders," he hastily and quietly replied.
The Queen was in deep mourning and was rejecting the living child. Her deep sorrow was clear in her eyes as they arrived back at her door.
"What a speech," Historia noted as they walked back into her room. "But don't be so cheerful, it's not over yet," she continued as the doctor looked quite embarrassed. "The walls in this building are quite thin, and you are all very loud," Historia pointed out.
The small baby girl woke up with her mother’s voice and immediately began to cry. Historia looked away, staring at the high windows again.
The doctor looked at the little thing in the nun's arms. "You need to feed her. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but hear my advice: she needs your warmth and care," he pleaded.
"We know how difficult this has been for you. Such a ghastly labour. There was no saving the boy-" the nun began, trying to help, but was hastily interrupted by the Queen.
"The good doctor took care of it. I don't want to hear a single word about this. This story dies here. Do I make myself clear?" Historia asked in full authority. The doctor and the nun nodded their heads respectfully.
It took a couple of minutes of silence, of Historia still staring out the window as they could all hear the baby's faint, sad, miserable cries. Finally, she moved her head in the direction of the nun, and extended her hands to hold her newborn child.
Historia finally took her baby girl to hold, looking at the tiny thing with eyes full of sorrow. The doctor and the nurse left the room, to give the Queen some space.
“I’m sorry about your brother, my angel,” Historia whispered among tears. “I’m sure he’ll always be with you. He will always be with us,” the mother promised.
The baby finally stopped crying, she felt safe in her mother’s arms.
-.-
The crew was still flying over the large ocean. They finally sighted land again.
“The shores of Hizuru, hopefully,” Onyankopon notified the group.
They all looked down to see the destruction. Hizuru was unrecognisable. The place was in a much worse state than when they had left there, only a couple of days before. A flattened land filled with debris and red stains. It seemed, like in Marley, the rain hadn't come down yet to wash away the blood.
"There's nothing left here. Everything is completely destroyed," Jean let out in a disappointed tone. "Everyone is already dead here too; I don't know why we hoped they wouldn't be." He proceeded, "Can you find anything down there that we could use?"
"There has to be. I refuse to believe those Titans sank all of Hizuru's ships! Let's just keep looking," Onyan responded, still trying not to let go of hope.
Levi sighed, he couldn't take it anymore. He was done thinking of the ones he had lost. Looking down below wasn’t easy. Hange’s smile still haunted him, and being back in the place where she had lost her life was very difficult for the Ackermann.
"We are pressed for time. We need a ship that can fit all those people, and we also need enough coal. At this point it would be a miracle to find anything. Maybe we should consider a new plan," Conny interjected. "Those people are depending on us."
It would take a miracle.
It took a few more minutes of flying up the shoreline, looking for any sign of anything they could use. At that point, all of them were questioning if this had been the best course of action, or if they should give up and consider something else. What a waste of time then.
But that's when it happened. They could see a faint outline of a massive ship down there, in the distance. Falco flew in its direction. The closer they got, they could see that the ship wasn't in the best shape; it looked like it had been underwater and it was in need of repairs. "It's better than nothing," Levi told the crew.
As they drew closer, they could see little figures scurrying up and down the docks: human figures, which seemed impossible at the time. Getting even closer, they started to recognise those figures.
"What a sight for sore eyes!" Kiyomi exclaimed happily as the group landed on the docks. "I gather it's finally finished, the destruction has stopped, the tremors are gone. Well done, you are all humanity's heroes," she praised them.
"It's not over for us, not yet," Levi responded. "There's a group of people stranded in Fort Salta, we need a way to rescue them."
"How did you find yourselves a ship?" Onyan asked. "I'm relieved, but I am not going to lie, this seems like a tremendous stroke of luck!"
Kiyomi started to explain. "It just presented itself to us. The thing seems to have risen back up from the depths after a storm. It still needs repairs; we were lucky we made it to this harbour. We need some time to repair it, but when it's done we probably have enough coal to go to Salta." Kiyomi continued, "If there are any humans alive out there, we need to make sure they receive the proper care. I sent a team to look for survivors here in Hizuru as well. It seems unlikely but we need to be sure. The engineers mending the ship can help you with the rescue; I cannot accompany you, I'll stay here. I need to go see the state of my country."
"It will take forever to count and know how many people are still alive, and to evaluate the state of the whole world right now," Jean added.
"For now, Paradise Island is most likely the place with the majority of survivors, but we don't know much about what is happening there either," replied Onyankopon.
"About that," Levi interjected, looking back in Falco's direction. "It seems you have things under control now."
Levi turned to address The Jaw Titan. "Do you think you still have energy for a trip to the Island?" he asked the young Titan Shifter. Falco nodded back at him.
"Are you sure, Falco?" Gabi asked, worriedly. He nodded again, gently trying to pat her head. "I am going with you then," she told Levi.
"I’m going too," Conny added, walking closer.
"Then I'll stay and help with the Fort Salta rescue," Jean told the group, and turned to Conny. "Please tell my parents that I am alive, if you see them. And Conny," he clasped his friend on the shoulder. "If the nightmare is over for us, it probably is for your mother too."
"Don't give me too much hope, I have a lot to think about as it is," Conny replied. "Besides, you saw what happened to the Colossals. I'm trying my best not to worry too much."
"Well, don't ponder too much on it then. You'll be home soon," Jean replied, trying to comfort his friend.
-.-
The trio left on the Jaw’s back once again, flying to Paradise. It took a few more hours and the young Titan was exhausted.
Falco could barely hold up his wings by the time they reached the destroyed harbour. As they touched the ground he quickly removed himself from the Titan and passed out in Gabi's arms. Conny rushed to help. Levi jumped out of the disintegrating creature in style and walked towards the destroyed harbour; to approach the soldiers he saw conversing among themselves and taking notes.
"Captain Levi!?" one of the soldiers exclaimed. And then began to shower Levi with questions. "Where did that flying monster come from? And were you here when all this happened? We don't seem to have any witnesses. Is it done? Was the Rumbling successful? Are we the winners?"
Levi only stared at him, he crossed his arms and did not say a word.
"Did you see what happened or not?" another more impatient soldier annoyedly asked.
"Barely," Levi answered, carelessly. "Can you help them get to Ragacco?" He asked, pointing at the other three. "I need to go somewhere else; I made a promise."
"We could spare a couple of soldiers to aid them. Since the Rumbling is done, and we are not expecting any counterattacks any time soon. But the rest of us need to finish this inquiry. The Queen wants to know what happened here," one of the soldiers explained.
"Take me to her," Levi suggested. "I can tell her everything she needs to know."
-.-
Under the scalding sun of Fort Salta a large group of human survivors is waiting for rescue, all looking hopelessly through the sandy horizon.
"It will be ironic to die here of starvation, after surviving everything else we went through," Reiner let out, sitting back down in the sand, contemplating their situation.
"Thirst will kill us first," Pieck added as he sat down next to her.
"We can't afford to stand around waiting for rescue. Pieck is right. We need to look for a well and organise rations. Work with what we have. We survived this far. Let's not waste it," Mr. Leonhart told the group, taking charge.
"And what about him?" Annie asked her father.
She gestured with her chin at Eren's crystallised body. There, laid on the ground at a safe distance from them. She was watching carefully since it had revealed itself, emerging from the inside of the worm-like creature after it completely steamed out. It had been over half a day since then, but the crystal was still emitting a faint steam.
"I can't believe he was inside that disgusting thing this entire time," Reiner complained.
"Well, it's not like it would make much of a difference knowing," Pieck argued. "That thing seemed invincible up until the very end. If it hadn't steamed out on its own, we would never have found him there."
"Do you think Mikasa is still somewhere in that maze?" Reiner asked, turning to look at the oddly shaped maze that was made out of Colossal Titans after they were hardened again.
"Last I saw, she was next to Levi. He didn't say a word before he left, but she was probably killed by Eren's second transformation," Annie replied sternly, but with slight sadness in her voice.
"I could climb up that thing and have a better look at our surroundings," Reiner then suggested. "Maybe there's a nearby town that is still standing. And if I find any signs of her out there, it would just be a bonus."
"There's nothing out there," Annie snapped back at him. "Weren't you flying on Falco's back long enough to see it? Everything around us is dead. The few people here are probably the last survivors of all of this," she remarked.
Silence fell upon them after that. Annie's father stared at Eren's crystal in the same way as she had been staring before.
"How was it for you, dear? How does it feel? Can we even be sure if he's alive in there?" Mr. Leonhart asked.
"It's like a never ending dream," Annie answered, "and he most certainly is alive. It just remains to be seen how long he'll be hiding in there." She added threateningly.
-.-
Queen Historia seemed happier now, the wondering eyes of the innocent child looking at her had won her over and made her smile again. She was pacing back and forth around the room, humming a lullaby, rocking her baby girl to sleep as the maids were cleaning the room. One of the nuns announced the Captain's arrival, and she signalled to let him in.
"Congratulations on the birth. I believe the monarchy is safe now," Levi said in an ironic tone while crossing his arms and leaning against one of the highly decorated walls. He waited for the maids to leave the room, looking towards his young pupil with eyes filled with disapproval.
Historia turned to him with a dry expression. "Captain, I'm glad to see you are alive," she responded with dead eyes.
"Are you? I don't buy that for a second. I can't believe you went along with this nonsense, supporting Eren's stupid plan. But now to think of it, you're probably crazier than he is," Levi started his admonishment.
"It was either us or them," Historia responded with grace and a hiss of anger. "We had to move quickly, to protect our own."
"Spare me your bullshit. I'm not one of your brainless followers," Levi snapped back at her, raising himself up again and walking forward.
"There was nothing else we could have done. We needed to get rid of our enemies, for good," the Queen maintained. "Otherwise, our people would never stop being hunted."
"Really? Are all those people outside this Island our enemies then?" Levi continued the admonishment, he was getting angrier. "All the peaceful nations? The civilians going about their day? The children?! How would you like it if that little one in your arms right now was trampled down by a gigantic monster and turned into red jelly? You're a mother now, so tell me: how would you feel if it was your child?" He angrily pointed at the small baby in her hands.
Historia looked at her daughter with care and worry.
Levi continued, "Why don't you go outside of this comfy room and see what's left of the world out there? It isn't a pretty sight," he scolded his once squad pupil.
"What is done is done. There's no going back now. The past will never change. We can only move forward," she remarked to him with a reprimanding look, and a stronger tone to remind him of her status. She was the Queen.
Levi didn't care.
There was silence, for a short while.
Historia broke the silence in the room, walking slightly closer to her old Captain, still holding the small newborn in her arms. "So, is that what you came here for? To reprimand me about things I already know? It won't work. I made up my mind about this a long time ago. I am at peace." She stood straight and regal. “My loyalty lies with my people,” Historia declared.
"I am not here for you, and you know that. I made a promise," Levi reminded her. He looked around the fancy quarters and then continued, "I have to admit, that's a bold strategy, using the children as human shields. It fits your perverted ideals."
"They are not shields. You were there when I took a vow of raising the orphans, and you supported me. I have royal guards here for their protection, as much as my own," Historia responded sternly.
"If I knew you were going to brainwash those poor kids into joining your cult, I would never have endorsed any of this. Now, where are you keeping the children 'safe’? Is it in a room as luxurious as this? I doubt it." Levi said while raising his arms to the high decor, to illustrate his point.
"So you came to take the boy with you?" Historia asked and looked down, conflicted.
"Of course I did. I am the only family he has," affirmed Levi.
"He was left in my care-" she was saying as Levi interrupted her.
"I am not leaving my nephew with you. He is my own blood, and you are dreaming if you think I am leaving him here to become a brainless moron like those guards outside," Levi told her off, and turned to leave. "Oh, and I almost forgot. Consider this as my resignation, Your Majesty. There's no point in a Survey Corps if there's no world left outside to explore."
He then left the room, leaving Historia quite calculative.
-.-
Gabi and Conny had stopped in their journey within the island. The young girl had asked for Conny to stop their small carriage as she was having trouble stanching the boy’s bleeding wounds.
"This is weird," Gabi noted to the Survey Corps soldier. "The bleeding doesn't seem to stop..." she trailed off while taking yet another bloodsoaked bandage from Falco's wounds.
"He is at his limit. It might take some time for the regeneration to kick in," Conny argued, trying to appease the girl.
"He's losing too much blood, at this rate, I'm worried for his life," Gabi said, anxiously.
"Let's take him to a hospital then. You are right, we could be losing him," Conny decided.
"But what about Ragacco? And your mother? I know you are eager to see if she's okay. Maybe I should take him to a hospital on my own," Gabi then suggested, concerned for the soldier.
"No way! Ragacco can wait. I'm taking care of you both. If my mother knew that I refused to help the boy who saved my life so many times, she would scold me nonstop," Conny replied, laughing so as to ease Gabi's mind.
-.-
The sun was now setting at Fort Salta; some water and rations had been expertly divided among the last survivors of the apocalyptic occurrence. Now night was coming and its eerie darkness was beginning to set in. They were hoping for Falco to come back with news of a ship or some other form of transport. And, since Eren had revealed himself to be crystallised, the team was even more eager for the Jaw Titan's return. After all, there was nothing else that could break that crystal, they really needed him.
Mr. Leonhart looked around the dark skies, with his hands on his hips, he sighed. "We should just start walking," he advised the group of survivors.
Annie turned to Reiner. "Maybe you were right about climbing up that maze," she conceded, then proposed: "We could transform and try it. Up there we can get a better view, and see if help is still coming. If not, see what is the best direction we could start walking towards."
Pieck looked up at the two, while still sitting on the sand. "Do you think you still can?" she asked, and turned to look at her bandaged arms; her wounds still felt very fresh, it didn't feel like she was regenerating at all.
"What do you mean?" Reiner asked back.
"My wounds are not healing properly, and I feel,” Pieck sighed, confused. “I don't know; don't you two feel strange?" she asked, wondering.
"Are you suggesting we lost our Shifter abilities?" Annie asked, baffled.
"There's no way!" Reiner replied in a humorous and quite confident tone. "I feel the same as always. You are probably just tired. I'm sure your healing will work better once you are rested, don't worry about it-"
And as Reiner was jovially talking, a familiar sound unnerved him, making him stop on his tracks. All humour and confidence went away from him in the moment and the Warrior became quite pale.
They all looked down to their side as they could hear the slow glass shatter. The crystal cocoon was slowly breaking apart.
Eren was awake.
- Year 867 -
The boy lying on a field
The boy lying on a field
He had to open his eyes. Whenever he closed them, he was back there, or nowhere: blood, a rose, a strange man, a castle, toys, a tree, a statue, fire burning wildly; pain. The sky. The sky? He woke up from a nightmare. Or was it? It was already gone, completely wiped again. He opened his eyes, finally.
The boy stared at the birds flying in the sky, the clouds, the wind, the grass. It was a nice day. But which day was it again? He looked around. It took a couple of seconds for him to realise where he was. He was there again. He had been on that field once before.
"Why am I here again? How did I end up here?" The boy was looking into his fading memories, trying to make sense of what had happened. He felt extremely confused, he couldn't place his mind.
He then startled. The boy could hear steps coming towards him. He knew it. He was in danger. That primeval instinct kicked in; adrenaline rushing, he slowly reached for his small knife. He was ready for whoever was coming. His uncle had taught him well.
The steps drew closer, walking heavily on the grass, boots stepping on the broken foliage. And as it was close enough, the boy swiftly made a move on his assumed assailant: knife right to the throat. In a split second. He was inhumanly fast. But with superior speed, and clearly better technique than the young boy - the kind one only gets with years of experience - the older man blocked the boy's attack and skilfully disarmed him. Make no mistake. Just because the man had whiter than white hair and only one working eye didn't mean that he was useless. Appearances are deceiving.
"I knew I would find you here," Levi told his nephew.
The boy looked up at his uncle with completely lost eyes. Levi knew those eyes, they made him upset, and guilty.
- Year 854 -
Among the orphanage children
Among the orphanage children
Levi slowly walked into the room. All the children were there, along with some guards, and some nuns as well, supervising the orphans. Most of them were joyfully playing, running, chatting, being happy children - like children, completely unaware of the situation in the world outside. Innocent. Pure.
He scanned the room, and his eye stopped right on the corner: there he was, the small boy was playing on his own, away from the others. In his own little world. Levi didn't recognise the toddler right away; he was taller and a little older, of course, but there was something else. The boy was sad. He himself didn't know why, he was too young to understand anything, but Levi could see it in his face as he tried to distract himself with a couple of toys he'd gathered.
"He hadn't made any friends since his mother left him here. Poor thing. He's not very communicative," a nun told Levi, approaching.
"He doesn't actually speak yet, not to strangers anyway," Levi replied to the nun. "I'm actually the only one, besides his parents, who has heard him speak. But he was always smiling, he's a happy child, maybe this is not a great environment for him. He was taught not to trust strangers."
"Tell me about it. He was crying from the moment he noticed his mother leaving, and he has been crying all day ever since!" the nun complained, annoyed. "But yesterday, he stopped, and he's been like this, just quiet. He seems to cry only for himself now," she noted, more contemplative.
Levi walked towards the boy. And the boy looked up at him, and smiled. A sad half-smile, but a smile nonetheless. Levi smiled back at him in a similar way. The child then looked at the door, he had been expecting Levi not to come alone. Where were his parents? He kept waiting for the door to open again. Nothing happened. The boy turned his head down again and concentrated on his toys. His mum and dad were not coming. Levi crouched down to his level, staying in his sight. The uncle then put his mutilated, bandaged hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Hello, Azzy," he said softly, and the boy looked up at him again. Levi sighed and continued: "I know I'm not the one you were expecting. I promised your mother I would take care of you, if something were to happen." He tried to hide the broken tones in his voice.
The boy stared at him with lost eyes. They were as blue as the ocean. Those eyes could stare through Levi's soul.
"He knew,” Levi thought. “Since yesterday, he knew they weren't coming back."
He took the boy in his arms and raised him up, holding him fatherly.
"Come on,” Levi softly said. “Let's go home."
End of Chapter One: "The Field"