Night draped the forest in a shroud of silence, broken only by the anguished cries of a child, echoing through the dense weave of trees. Shadows wavered under the faint silvery glow of the moon, its light barely piercing the canopy to dapple the forest floor.
A man moved through the darkness, his steps slow and heavy, carrying a misty white bundle close to his chest. His emerald eyes, once vibrant, now seemed lifeless—haunted by a sorrow too immense to express.
He kissed the tear-streaked cheek of the child in his arms, his own tears mixing with the cold, silent air that carried their grief.
Behind him, another figure followed—a tall man cloaked in black, his long coat trailing like the shadow of death itself. A weathered cowboy hat cast a veil over his features, but his voice cut through the night like a blade.
"You really are the worst person I've ever seen, Kruger..." Kenny muttered, his footsteps steady yet unhurried, echoing the burden carried by the man in front of him. The contempt in his tone was laced with something darker—pity, perhaps, or disdain for what was unfolding.
Eren Kruger said nothing, his silence heavier than the night itself. The ground crunched softly beneath his boots as he trudged deeper into the forest, where the towering trees stretched endlessly toward the sky.
Finally, he came to a halt in a small clearing bathed in moonlight. The glow illuminated his face, accentuating every line etched by anguish and exhaustion. The child in his arms whimpered, their cries reduced to soft, stifled sobs against the misty cloth.
"You remember her last words, don't you?" Kenny asked, his voice quieter now, almost drowned by the rustling leaves.
Kruger nodded faintly, his gaze fixed on the heavens above. The moon hung low, an unblinking eye watching their sorrow. "Eren..." he whispered, his voice trembling as he brushed his lips against the child's damp cheek. "Forgive me for everything."
The words lingered in the stillness, carried off by the faint breeze. Kruger's composure wavered, but he held firm, his expression a mix of resolve and overwhelming guilt.
He once again raised his eyes to the glowing moon, which seemed to burn brighter as though bearing witness to his confession.
"You'll hate me for what I'm about to do..." he murmured, his voice cracking, "but one day, you'll understand."
Kruger knelt slowly, the earth cold beneath his knees. He cradled the child closer, his tears falling unbidden now, tracing the contours of his worn face before disappearing into the cloth that swaddled his son.
The sorrow in his emerald eyes glistened as he gazed down at the child—a fragment of himself, too innocent to grasp the weight of his father's words.
"Son..." His voice was barely a whisper, as if the forest itself strained to hear. "I'm tired... so tired. Of everything I've done. I just want to rest, if only for a little while."
Kenny stood off to the side, his hands buried in his coat pockets, watching in silence.
His expression was unreadable, though his sharp gaze lingered on the child—a disappointment to the Ackerman lineage, tainted by impurity. Yet, there was a flicker of curiosity in Kenny's eyes, though he would never admit it.
"Eren" Kruger continued, his voice a mixture of love and despair, "one day, the truth will come out. The journey will be painful, but it is yours to make."
The moonlight cast its pale glow on the scene, painting Kruger's bowed figure in an ethereal light. His words, spoken to a child too young to understand, felt heavy, resonating with a finality that made the clearing seem like a sanctuary of grief and inevitability.
Kenny tilted his head slightly, his usual smirk absent. He couldn't help but think Kruger was speaking more to himself than to the child and how the heck would the kid understand anything Kruger's saying?
As the night deepened, the clearing grew quieter, the rustling leaves fading into the background. The moment felt suspended, as if the universe itself was holding its breath for what was to come.
"Mikasa's life, Armin's life, everyone's life hinges on your being able to control this power..." Kruger murmured, his voice heavy with guilt and determination. Slowly, he lowered his son to the muddy ground, the soil damp and clinging to his knees.
Faint tears slid down his weathered face, each droplet carrying the weight of regret, loss, and resolve. His emerald eyes shimmered in the faint moonlight, exposing the cracks in his once-unshakable demeanor.
"Dina... Zeke... Karen... Eren... Forgive me... for everything..." he whispered, his voice breaking as he slid trembling hands into the folds of his coat.
From the depths of his pocket, he pulled out a small black box, its surface emanating a faint, otherworldly glow that pierced the darkness around them.
Behind him, Kenny Ackerman watched in silence, his sharp gaze softening just slightly at the sight of Kruger's anguish.
Closing the gap between them, Kenny placed a hand on Kruger's shoulder—a gesture not born of sympathy for the man, but out of lingering loyalty to Karen.
"Inject me," Kenny said, his voice firm but calm. "You don't need to curse him with those powers. I'll bear it. I'll do whatever you want... Only because of Karen."
For a moment, the forest fell silent, the soft rustling of leaves punctuating the tension between the two men. Kruger shook his head slowly, his tear-filled eyes meeting Kenny's stoic face.
"It's not possible... for an Ackerman to gain titan powers." Kruger said softly, his voice trembling with the weight of his words.
Kenny frowned, his expression briefly faltering. "What the hell are you talking about? Your son's an Ackerman, too."
Kruger nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the glowing vial in his hand. "Eren's different... He's half-breed... A descendent from the Ackerman and Shogun clan..."
Kenny stood still, the explanation hanging in the air like a bitter truth he couldn't quite swallow. His fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening. The mention of Karen's name always struck a nerve.
"I know you loathe me" Kruger continued, his voice quieter now, as though confessing a sin. "For marrying Karen. For using her to have a child. But... I loved her. In a way that mere words can't describe. I was lucky—to have been there, holding her as she passed. Peacefully. With a smile on her face, even in her final moments. I hope... I hope she was happy, too."
Kruger's words hung in the air, heavy and unshakable. Kenny's fists unclenched slightly, but his face remained unreadable, his dark eyes scanning Kruger for even a hint of insincerity. He found none.
"Kenny," Kruger said, reaching into his coat once more. His trembling hand produced a folded letter and a rusty key hanging on a thin cord. He held them out to Kenny, his expression solemn. "I have one last request... Give these to Grisha. He'll understand what to do."
For a long moment, Kenny stared at the items before reluctantly taking them, sliding them into the inner pocket of his coat. Without a word, he turned away, his boots crunching softly on the damp ground as he walked toward the shadows of the forest.
Kruger watched him stand still at a corner, his lips forming the faintest of smiles, though tears continued to fall. Turning back to his son, he knelt again and placed a final kiss on the child's forehead.
With trembling hands, Kruger filled the injection with spinal fluid, his breaths shallow as he prepared himself for the inevitable. The syringe gleamed faintly under the pale moonlight, a weapon that would forever alter his son's destiny.
The moment the needle pierced the child's skin, the forest seemed to ignite. An ethereal light exploded outward, stretching through the trees and casting long shadows against the towering trunks. The ground trembled as a deafening roar filled the air, shaking the very foundation of the forest.
Before Kruger's eyes, his son's small form twisted and grew, grotesquely morphing into something beyond human. A partially developed, legless Titan emerged, its grotesque form illuminated by the fading light.
The Titan's milky eyes hung loosely in their sockets, its tongue lolling grotesquely as it instinctively reached for the man kneeling before it.
Kruger spread his arms, his gaze steady even as the monstrous jaws opened wide. "Take my powers... Take my strength... Take my memories... Save the world... Eren..."
The Titan's jaws snapped shut with an earth-shaking crack, its fangs crushing through bone and sinew. Kruger's body went limp, consumed by the beast, and his life extinguished in an instant.
In that fleeting moment, the forest returned to silence, save for the labored breathing of the newborn Titan. Above, the moon bore silent witness, casting its pale light over the clearing where Eren Yeager had inherited his father's power—and his burden.
"Eren..."
—————————————
"Er...en..."
A faint, strained voice whispered through Eren's ears, soft yet laced with agony. His heavy eyelids fluttered open, his vision swimming before settling on Mikasa's trembling figure.
Her pale face was marred by streaks of blood, crimson droplets trailing from the corner of her mouth and falling onto Eren's pale skin.
"Mika...sa?" Eren croaked sitting upright, his voice barely audible. His dizzy eyes shifted past her, catching sight of the horizon. The sun hung low, its golden rays bathing the battlefield in a haunting orange hue, as if nature itself mourned the carnage below.
Around them, the ground was painted red, a field of death stretching endlessly. Pain surged through Eren's chest, his hand instinctively moving to press against the deep wound spilling life from his body.
"EREN!"
Levi's voice tore through the air like a whip, cutting through the chaos. In the distance, the soldier's icy azure eyes burned with fury as he danced through a horde of Titans.
Blood sprayed in arcs as his blades sliced through flesh and tendons with precision, his every movement a desperate bid to keep Erwin Smith alive. Behind them, Petra Rall, battered and injured, staggered to protect Ymir amidst the fray.
Eren's eyes snapped back to Mikasa just as she collapsed into his arms, her weak form trembling against his chest.
"Ugh..." she grunted, clutching her abdomen. Her face twisted in pain, but her hands clung to him desperately, refusing to let go. "Er...en..." she whispered again, her voice fragile, her breath warm against his neck.
"Mikasa!" Eren's heart raced, his hazy thoughts scrambling for clarity. His arms wrapped tightly around her as he felt her fragile body quiver against him. The heat of her blood against his skin only deepened his panic.
"The hell..." Eren muttered, his voice faltering as he tried to grasp the scene unfolding around him.
His gaze shifted beyond her, to the battlefield where the Armored Titan's massive figure tore through a cluster of Abnormal Titans with brute force. Not far away, Armin clung desperately to Jean, who was barely holding on, his body limp and lifeless.
Hange Zoë, bloodied tied to Moblit as he fought against the aberrants keeping both alive.
Eren's breath caught in his throat. It was too much. Too much death, too much pain, all converging on this crimson hellscape.
"Eren... We have to..."
Mikasa's voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. Her bloody palm shakily reached up to his face, her fingers brushing against his cheek. Her dark, pain-filled eyes searched his, as if fighting to convey something that words couldn't.
"Mikasa? You... what the heck is happening..." Eren whispered, his voice trembling as she cupped her hand against his face.
She didn't answer. Her lips parted as though to speak, but all that came was another faint whisper of his name.
Her grip on his shirt tightened weakly before faltering. His eyes darted downward, and his stomach churned. Her hand pressed against her abdomen—not bleeding, but her labored breaths and the agonizing tension in her body told him what she couldn't.
Her ribs were broken, fractured under the pressure of whatever battle had brought them here.
"Kay... Grab on..." Eren's voice cracked, panic washing over him as tears welled in her eyes. Her teeth clenched against the pain, a muffled yelp escaping her lips. He moved to say something, anything, but a distant sound—a low, earth-shaking rumble—froze him in place.
His head turned slowly toward the source of the vibration, and his heart plummeted.
Towering above the battlefield, a figure emerged from the smoke and ash. A blonde Titan, impossibly massive, grinned down at the carnage like a cruel god surveying its work.
Its sharp teeth gleamed in the fading sunlight, its grotesque smile filled with malice and amusement, as though it thrived on the destruction.
Eren's eyes widened, his breaths quickening into shallow gasps. His chest tightened as recognition set in.
The source of his torment.
The monster that had shattered his world.
The reason his mother, Carla, was gone.
The reason he had been forced to embrace the nightmare.
The reason his life had spiraled into a relentless abyss of misery and pain that no one else could fathom.
The Titan's footsteps thundered closer, the earth trembling beneath its weight. Each step sent shockwaves through the ground, rattling Eren to his core.
His fists clenched, his teeth grinding as his mind raced, memories of his mother's final moments flashing behind his eyes. The pain, the helplessness—it all came rushing back, threatening to swallow him whole.
The Titan's soulless gaze met his, its expression mocking, taunting. For a moment, everything else faded—the cries of the wounded, the clash of steel against flesh, even Mikasa's trembling form in his arms. All that remained was his rage.
And the overwhelming need to destroy the monster that had stolen everything from him.