Eren was getting tired. In his titan form, he had managed to weaken the War Hammer titan . Even though he had been manhandled several times, he now held its holder in his hand. The only concern was the indestructible crystal that surrounded her. Like Annie's, nothing could pierce it, from the blades, his titan's teeth, to the Thunder Spears. This formidable enemy might be down but Eren was unable to finish her off.
Things had started off so well. Attacking during the end of Willy Tybur's speech, Eren was sure to face minimal armed resistance. Zeke had been removed and then repatriated. Yelena had thrown Pieck and Porco Galliard into a trap so the Cart and Jaw Titans were rendered useless for the moment and few Marleyan soldiers were spotted around the area. Eren was all well placed behind the scene. To top it off, Reiner had been trapped in the ground. Eren was sorry for Falco. He felt guilty for manipulating him and risking his life. Still, he had calculated that Reiner would rather protect the kid than confront him.
Once most of the higher ups of the Marleyan military were decimated, everything should be fine. Unfortunately, Eren was wrong about the identity of the War Hammer Titan. It wasn't Willy Tybur who was holding it, but someone else, his sister who had single-handedly neutralized two of his bodies. As if that wasn't enough, Pieck and Porco had arrived, forcing Zeke to join the battle as well so as not to arouse suspicion.
Despite the intervention of the Scout Regiment and the destruction of enemy artillery, the situation was not looking good. Five people from their side had been killed and the Beast Titan ducked them with crushed stones while being protected by his fellow warriors.
It was only the appearance of the Colossal Titan that gave them an opening in the opposing defense. The sight of the explosion destroying the enemy fleet had indicated to Porco the fate suffered by Bertolt. The latter had lost his means and had rushed on Eren before starting a dance to the death with Mikasa.
Without the support of the Jaw Titan, Levi had been able to sever the Beast Titan's nape and simulate Zeke's death. Pieck then got bombed with her Panzer Unit dead,and her human body fallen from the roof to crash into the street.
This had been enough for Porco to lose his temper and savagely attack Eren who had protected himself with the crystal. Interestingly enough that Eren noticed, the Jaw Titan had left claw marks on the crystal, proof that it could shatter it.
Mikasa then managed to cut off his legs when she saw the airship in the distance. Eren then hastened to pin Porco to the ground and tear both his arms off. He had stuck the crystal in his mouth before using it as a nutcracker and devouring Willy Tybur's sister.
Feeling the cerebrospinal fluid trickling down his throat, Eren felt a blinding light flood the back of his titan's nape
He noticed that he was standing in a different place with the stretch of sand completely surrounded him with blue streaks of light seen shining through the black starry sky. As he takes in his surroundings,he saw a giant tree where those branches of light originated. He didn't know where he could be but it was mesmerizing and oddly familiar. It was after a while that an ancient voice of unknown origin was heard.
"Eren Yeager!"
Eren turned around.He saw no one "Who is there ?"
"You fought bravely for Eldia and demonstrated the merit of a leader."
Eren furrowed his eyebrows "What are you talking about ?"
"You have the characteristics of the powers that you possess: the responsibility for the power carried by the Founding Titan, the sense of justice maintained by the War Hammer Titan and the thirst for freedom defended by the Attack Titan. Despite yourself, you accepted all of their powers and fought for a future for the Eldians."
Eren was shocked "Who are you ?"
"I am the one who preceded all the Eldians, the one who is at the origin of the titans, the one who gave multiple gifts, the one whose power my children perverted. I am Ymir Fritz."
It can't be possible.."How is this possible?! I thought you were dead."
"Just as your father continues to live through you, I live through every Titan Holder . In my day they were one through me. When they were shared among my nine children, a part of me was in each of them. But divided in this way, my soul could no longer speak to any, so my inheritance was used for evil purposes. However, now that three powers are hosted by the same host, I can turn to their holder, you."
So that is how she was communicating through me "Why talk to me? If you deplore the history of the Eldians and the genocides committed, you should want our extinction like Karl Fritz."
"It is true that I am ashamed of my children for their use of the power of the titans. I had initially conferred on them to help humanity and not to slaughter it. Nevertheless, I refuse to pass the blame on their descendants of which you are a part. Also, you and your friends are fighting for Eldia's survival and freedom, not for her glory and prestige. Your cause is noble and your actions are righteous."
"Why tell me that? You must have something else in mind to come and talk to me like this."
"Indeed, I come to offer you a second chance."
"What do you mean ?"
"No matter how hard you fought for Eldia, you are always on the verge of annihilation. Your ignorance of the world has harmed you many times and cost the lives of innocent people. It is to fix this that I am offering you a second chance."
"I have a hard time following you."
"The Paths ,where you are currently at, connects all the Eldians through time and space. It is the link between the past and the present and records everything concerning the Eldians. This is what I propose to you, send your conscience back in the hope that you save all those who did not deserve to die."
" Oh, Wait. Are you talking about time travel?"
"The name is simplistic but correct. If you accept, your soul and spirit will go to an earlier time when things could still change. You will return to where everything turned upside down However, it will be a place where you have never been, where you will never be born. Some things will have already changed. Your memories are still there. You will remember the events of the past four years. Your duty will be to modify them so that Eldia can exist."
Eren weighed these words carefully. His plan of attack on Liberio hadn't gone too badly so far. The War Hammer Titan was his and Zeke was to be repatriated. The Rumbling would then be within their reach.
Eren looked down.
But as many lives as they could save in the future, they could never bring back all of the dead. All those who had died because of his mistakes and whom he could have saved. Thomas, Mina, Nick, Mylius, Marco, Petra, Oruo, Gunther, Erd, Mike, Nanaba, Gelgar, Hannes, Nifa, Moblit, Marlowe, Erwin ... He could never list them all. All had believed in him. And in return, they had only received death. None of them deserved their fate.
There he had an opportunity to redeem himself, a chance to change things. Knowing this, his decision was made.
"I accept. If you can really achieve this feat, then let me go back in time to rewrite history!"
"Very good. I know it won't be easy for you. Therefore, I grant you three pledges of good faith.
What you call "Ymir's curse" and which reduces the life expectancy of the holder of one of the 9 Titans to 13 years was instituted at the time of my death by me. I didn't want any of my descendants to become proud because of their power. However, I don't know how long it will take you to restore Eldia's freedom. I therefore grant you the power to cancel the curse for the beings of your choice, as well as the possibility of deciding for yourself the successor of a titan power in the event of death. You will also have the possibility to keep a power in you before entrusting it to a person of confidence."
"It's a lot of power for one person, even for me."
"Indeed, but your soul is noble and your heart is pure. I know you won't overdo it. You will never use it for selfish ends and you will always put others before yourself."
"What about the other two wages?"
"You will need to be able to use the Founding Titan. They are the key to Eldia's future. Unfortunately, the Fritz family, whose blood alone allows it to be activated, used it to dominate the world or condemn the Eldians. I must therefore choose a new person worthy of my power."
"You mean that ..."
"You will be the new catalyst of the Founding Titan. Only you can activate its power. Use it to guide Eldia to freedom."
"Thank you Ymir. Thank you very much."
"However, keep this in mind. The non-aggression pact put in place by Karl Fritz will still be active, making the use of the Founding Titan impossible. To break this pact, you will need to come into contact with a Royal Blood Titan. Only then can you reveal its full potential."
"And the last pledge?"
"As I told you, the "Path" transcends space and time. All Eldians continue to exist through him, even after their death. Therefore, you can travel there by taking a person with you. On the other hand, this person must have one day been in possession of a titan power. It's up to you to make your choice."
It was a difficult decision for Eren.
Of the twelve people outside himself who, to his knowledge, possessed one of the 9 Titans, several were automatically excluded: Reiner Braun, Pieck Finger , Porco Galliard, Marcel Galliard, Annie Leonhart , Bertolt Hoover and Lady Tybur. All of them joined Marley's cause for various reasons: conviction, fear, hatred, resignation ... Eren needed an ally with him, someone he could count on. His enemies were very much in their place.
So there remained Armin Arlert, Zeke Yeager, Grisha Yeager, Ymir, Eren Kruger and Frieda Reiss.
For Kruger, Eren felt bad for doing this. The man had fought for many years under Marley's nose and beard to restore Eldia's freedom and dignity. The memory of his long conversation with Grisha really gave the image of someone who was proud of what he had accomplished and tired after all these years. The former holder of the Attack Titan had deserved a rest.
Zeke was a real conflict for Eren. On the one hand, he had wished for four years to meet his older brother and have a bond with him. On the other hand, the blond disgusted him for what he was planning to do. Sterilizing the Eldians was unthinkable for Eren. Zeke hoped to save the world from the threat of the titans as well. But he never thought that the human species could one day design even more lethal weapons with technological progress. If only Zeke could see the big picture and not limit himself to what he had in front of his eyes, then Eren might have chosen him as an ally.
Eren was very reserved for his best friend. Never having existed means that Armin would be nothing in the eyes of Mikasa, Jean, Connie and Sasha. Eren could never forgive himself for stealing his life. Armin was banned for sentimental reasons.
Grisha was a complex question. Eren had appreciated him as a father. On the other hand, he despised him as a man. He had been behind the walls for 13 years with all the knowledge and the power to act. Nonetheless, he had remained passive, waiting for his deadline to pass on a heavy burden to his son before he died. Decidedly, Grisha had remained the same as with Zeke. He believed he was doing the right thing and wanted to defend the freedom of the Eldians. On the other hand, he thought he knew everything better than the others and had never asked the advice of one of his sons. Eren was therefore neutral towards his father.
Now it was necessary to decide between Ymir and Frieda. And Eren 's decision was already made.
Ymir Fritz had pointed out that some things might be different in this new timeline. It involved the return of Ymir to life. It was only on a stroke of monumental luck that the brunette had been able to acquire the Jaw Titan. She was dead four years ago. It would only take a moment for her to remain as a Pure Titan forever. By taking her with him, Eren was at least making sure that she could live a long, well-deserved life.
"I made my choice. May my friend Ymir accompany me."
"Very good. If you see this as the best option to prevent tragedies."
"It should be!"
"So be it! Good luck Eren Yeager! May you guide Eldia on the path to redemption!"
The voice and his surroundings faded as Eren was plunged into darkness.
It felt like landing on level ground. He was now lying on what seemed to be grass by touching it. Painfully, he opened his eyes to reveal the rays of the sun.
He stood up and looked around. He was in a deserted plain with a few trees. The blue sky was clear and you could see a few flown birds. Being here could only mean one thing: time travel had worked. He was no longer in Liberio in 854. The wall that could be seen in the distance indicated that he was indeed back on the Island of Paradis.
Eren gave a cry of joy and victory. He had a second chance.
The noise was followed by a moan. Eren looked beside him to see what could be the source.
On the grass, another body was lying. Eren immediately recognized the reclining woman. He could never forget the person who had caused great grief to Historia. Her brown hair tied behind her head and her freckles made it possible to identify her.
Slowly, Eren knelt beside her and hovered over her head. The woman in turn opened her eyes. She looked at Eren and gasped in surprise.
Eren smiled at her. "Glad to see you again Ymir!"