"I... I can't... No... I won't die... I... I want to hold her... I want to hold him... Even for one last time..." Eren's voice wavered, his words drenched in desperation as fragmented images flashed through his mind like a broken reel. Hold who? Who are they? His thoughts spiraled, each question unanswered and tormenting.
His emerald eyes fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion. He found himself tied to a bed, his entire body swathed in bandages from head to toe. The room spun around him, blurry and alien. As his eyes slipped shut again, darkness claimed him, and when he reopened them, he was in a different place entirely.
He was sitting in a rocking chair.
"Ymir... honey, this is your uncle, Eren."
The soft voice of a woman—familiar yet foreign—pulled him from his stupor. He turned his gaze toward the speaker, a blonde holding a small bundle in her arms. The baby blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, her tiny hand reaching out as if to grasp something unseen.
Eren stared at her, his thoughts a tangled mess. His world felt like it was collapsing and reforming in on itself, the edges of his mind fraying. Who is she? Where am I? What's going on?
Who am I?
"I promised... I promised..." The thought clawed at the corners of his fragmented memory. Promised what? To who?
Before he could make sense of it, the scene shifted again. His eyes shifted at the blonde bearded man kissing a girl with blue eyes. "Eren... Come..." The blonde man smiled at Eren grabbing him by his hand. "Cold...?" Eren whispered.
His scene shifted again and he was standing stiffly in front of a general, his posture rigid and lifeless.
"Tch... You sure he's lost all his memories?" the general muttered, his sharp eyes scrutinizing Eren like he was a weapon rather than a person. "He's strong, sure, but can we trust him?"
A blonde, bearded man with rounded spectacles stepped forward, placing a hand on Eren's shoulder. "Yes, General. I can confirm he has no recollection of his past. He took down every single warrior I believe in his bravery, I believe he will prove vital for Marley."
The general scoffed, his disdain evident. "We'll see about that."
As the general walked away, the blonde man—Zeke—turned to Eren with a tight groan. "I'll save you, no matter what." His voice held a strange warmth, a promise laced with something unspoken.
Eren remained silent, his expression blank. He stood there like a puppet without strings, his mind a void.
"Miii... Miiiiikkaaa..." A sudden sharp pain lanced through Eren's head, forcing him to clutch at it. The name escaped his lips like a ghost from a distant memory. The pain surged, drowning him in a flood of sensations and whispers he couldn't grasp.
He barely noticed when Zeke guided him back to the house, whispering as they walked, "You'll save everyone, Eren."
Year 6 in Marley...
The noble Tybur family by now had lost its political value in Marley, and the war against them marked a turning point. Marley, in a brutal and decisive battle, succeeded in killing Willy and Lara Tybur, seizing control of both the Attack Titan and the War Hammer Titan.
Eren's role in this victory was both horrifying and pivotal. Zeke had turned him into a pure Titan using his spinal fluid. In his mindless form, Eren crushed the limbless Lara Tybur, consuming her and gaining control of the War Hammer Titan. His instincts led him to devour Willy Tybur next, claiming the Attack Titan without waiting for approval from Marley's higher-ups.
"This is absurd!" Magath's voice thundered in the council chamber, his frustration boiling over. "Zeke Yeager, your brother defied the authority's laws! Now the War Hammer and Attack Titans are trapped within a single Titan wielder!"
Eren stood silently, lifeless as ever, his presence almost ghostlike.
Zeke, however, remained composed. "General, we have no immediate candidates to inherit his Titans. The next generation isn't ready yet. Executing him would waste the power we've worked so hard to reclaim. I request you recall your decision. You've witnessed yourself. Eren Yeager's control over the titans abilities is otherwordly. I'm sure with Eren by our side we can topple over Eldia and inherit the Founding Titan."
His words carried weight, and despite their anger, the council spared Eren from execution.
And so, Eren remained—alive, powerful, and utterly detached. A man stripped of his past, burdened with power he didn't ask for, and haunted by the echo of a name he couldn't forget: Mikasa.