The Empire of Titans Chapter 79 (The Ocean) (Patreon)

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"Who are Mikasa, and Armin? Who are you talking about?"

"I-I don't know. I can't know. I don't know whose memories are these!" 

"Eren." He blinked. Armin's face was in front of him before snapping his fingers.

"Is anyone home?" Armin japed with a smile before tapping his forehead as if it were a door.

"Yes, I'm home Armin. I wasn't really paying attention." Eren said before letting out a yawn. His blonde friend chuckled before stepping away. An hour had passed since they went inside the basement.

Eren was waiting outside. Being in this place, a part of him still couldn't believe he was back in his hometown. When they had passed through the gate, Eren had expected everything to be as it once was, but that only lasted for a moment.

Eren remembered that everything was gone, including his mother. He didn't know where Zeke had gone, either. He knew he needed time by himself, but Mike had reassured him that he was keeping an eye on him at all times. Eren doubted he would try to run away. He had nowhere to go. The distance between Wall Maria and the Ocean was too big for him to think of turning into a Titan and running all the way over there.

"Eren, can I ask you something?" Armin asked somewhat hesitantly before sitting down beside him. In front of them was the artificial river that went through Shiganshima. The river was used by boats that had long been ruined by rust. Eren remembered when he and Armin would sit near the river, look around, and talk about their own theories about what was outside the walls.

"Sure," Eren answered, watching as small fish swam through the river. He didn't remember there being fish in this lake before the fall.

"I know this might come out as sudden. I was terrified, so I wasn't really paying attention, but if I remember correctly, the Titans walked inside the city almost immediately after Bertholdt destroyed the wall. Right?" Eren looked at his friend in confusion. Why was he asking about that all of a sudden?

"...Yes. You were there, within seconds, over six Titans were already inside." Eren said, arching an eyebrow, looking at his friend intently. "Why asking?" He asked, knowing he wouldn't ask such questions out of the blue, but Armin wasn't listening.

Armin looked deep in thought, biting on his lower lip until he suddenly realized. His eyes widened. Eren waited for him to finally answer him. Instead, Armin looked at him once again, but his eyes looked angry but sad, too. "Eren, I remember you once asked Mister Hannes how many Titans he could see every day near the gate. Do you remember how many he said?" Eren was now even more confused than before.

"Armin, what is this about? Is there something you want to tell me?" Eren asked, but more like demanding; Armin inched away from him; he looked down at his feet, opened his mouth, and looked ready to say something.

"Nothing, really. I'm just thinking of writing a book about that day, and I was curious about every detail possible." Armin answered sheepishly. Eren narrowed his gaze; he was certain that he was lying to him right now. But he didn't want to force Armin into telling him why he was asking these questions; he knew Armin would tell him eventually, so for now, he just decided to humor him.

"I Don't know. Hannes said that it varies from day to day, but he said the biggest number he had seen was five Titans at the time, and even then, they would often scatter away somewhere." Eren answered with a small shrug; Armin seemed to have listened to his every word.

"...I see, it fits perfectly." Eren heard him murmur, but before he could ask what he meant..."Eren." They both turned to see Mikasa walking up to them, followed closely by Ymir and Annie; the latter was quiet and wasn't really talking to anyone.

"Commander Erwin and the others have come out. We need to find Dina Fritz's Titan," Mikasa told him as she walked across a ruined house, jumping on her tiptoes before walking across the patch of grass near the river's bank.

"I see." Eren drawled, paying attention to Annie. She was still silent, looking down at her feet. He stood up and walked up to her.

"Annie, can we do-" "I'm alright, Eren." Annie interrupted him before he could finish, lifting her head up to look at him, dark bags under her eyes.

"Bertholdt, he should have never become a Warrior. I know you don't want to hear it, especially after what he did, but he was a good man; he had no other choice." Eren didn't know what to say to that. He knew in what kind of environment they were all raised. They were taught they were devils; even if they didn't believe the lies, it wouldn't change anything. Bertholdt's father would have been sent to Paradis to become a Titan if his son refused to do his duty.

Deep down, Eren knew he had no other choice, but every time he thought of him, his mother being eaten by the Titan flashed through his eyes, reminding him of that day, reminding him of what Bertholdt had done.

"Stopppppp." 

"...Let's just go and see what Commander Erwin wants," Eren said with a weary sigh before walking past them.

Soon, they walked back to his house, where everyone else was waiting. Even Zeke was there, with Mike and his Squad standing near him. Hange had placed the books inside a box and was carrying the box, while Erwin walked up to him once he caught sight of him.

"We are ready to leave. We need to bring back the books to Wall Rose, resupply, and ride toward the Ocean," Erwin told Eren before turning to face everyone else. "As we speak right now, The First Titan Division is already preparing to take out most of the Titans on the territory of Wall Maria, but they are waiting until we capture a certain Titan once that job is finished. They will work every day to take out as many Titans as necessary." Erwin told everyone with a commanding voice, and everyone saluted.

Soon, they were all on horseback, ready to leave. Eren noticed that Zeke was as silent as a grave. When someone told him to do something, he did it without saying anything. All thought that he might burn or tear the letter apart went away; he knew he had read the letter.

They rode outside of Wall Maria through the river's opening. It was too small for Titans but big enough for Horses to ride through once they all were on Wall Maria Territory.

Annie took off, jumped from her horse, and bit down her hand. Everyone watched as the Female Titan formed in front of them before taking a deep breath and letting out the loudest scream. Many covered their ears right away, and the nearby trees shook to their roots. Once she was done screaming, Mike rode past the army, standing near Annie. He sniffed out the air for a few seconds before shouting.

"They are coming, at least fifty of them!" he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. Many scouts pulled out their swords, some shifting uncomfortably on their horses. Soon enough, they felt the ground shaking; despite being on horseback, they could still feel it shaking.

Gelgar, who was busy drinking beer from his bottle, coughed when he saw the horde of Titans running towards them from every direction, their loud and heavy footsteps leaving a dirt cloud behind them.

"Eren." Zeke called him. Both quickly made contact. A burst of electricity was felt by everyone nearby, and the Titans stopped running. Some tripped over and fell flat on their faces from being commanded to stop immediately.

"Ohh, I completely forgot we have the King with us."

"Good for them. They would have stood no chance against me."

"Didn't you piss your pants the first time you saw a Titan."

"That was EIGHT years ago!!"

"I thought we all were gonna die." Many scouts sighed in relief.

"No worries, as long as the King is with us. Nothing can harm us," Floch shouted the loudest with pride. Many roared in agreement, some looking at Eren with awe as if he were a god amongst them.

"Eren, Mikasa. Do you see her?" Erwin asked, ignoring his soldiers. The two were quiet as they rode past the army, with Zeke near them in case they needed to make contact again.

Eren commanded them once again, this time for all those nearby to make a straight line. The people watched, mesmerized, as the Titans formed a straight line as if they were soldiers; all missing was for them to do the salute.

Eren looked at their faces, one by one, but as he looked at all of them. "It's not here. Let's keep searching,"

Eren hoped this would take little time, but he seemed to have underestimated just how many Titans were left in the Wall Maria territory. After five hours of searching, Annie was starting to get very exhausted.

"This is the last time. Tomorrow, we will try again," Erwin announced as Annie let out another scream. Once again, Titans ran towards them; Eren looked at their faces when one grabbed his attention. As she got closer, his heart started beating in his throat; he breathed heavily, and the wide smile made his blood boil, and he was tempted just to kill her.

He remembered his mother getting eaten; he knew deep down that Dina wasn't at fault; she couldn't control herself after all, but all he could remember was his mother struggling against the strong grip.

"Eren." He escaped his thoughts when he felt her hand grabbing his hand; she understood what he was going through.

"She is not at fault for what happened that day, Eren. You will regret it if you do it." Eren gripped her hand; he went silent, his mind returning to their last conversation.

He knew it could never change, even if he killed Dina. His mother would stay dead, and their last conversation with one another will always be about how he yelled at her and how many times he wished he could change that. To tell her how much he missed her and that he had never meant to yell at her like that, but the past was in the past.

"Thank you, Mikasa." Eren spoke softly to her, and with gratitude, she smiled gently at him. Their fingers intervened as Dina stopped in front of them, unlike the rest, who were much further away.

"Eren, is this her?" he heard the Commander ask as he dismounted his horse. Zeke looked confused. He knew they were searching for a particular Titan, but he had no idea which one.

"Yes. Stand back, Petra, grab the clothes." Eren ordered, looking back at the ginger girl, who quickly pulled out a long green cloak from her bag and other clothes they would need.

"Kneel," Eren ordered. The Titan's smile was wide enough to almost cover the entire face. Her blonde hair was short, but from the memories he had seen, he could see small resemblances between her and Dina. The Titan kneeled.

"Wait, Eren. I-Is that who I think it is?" Eren heard his brother shout, but he ignored him as he pressed his hand on her forehead. Since this was the second time, he was sure this time it would take less time to turn her back into a Human.

Zeke tried to dismount his horse and get closer, but a hand on his shoulder made him stop. He was met with the glare of Captain Levi. "Where do you think you are going, Monkey?" he demanded. Zeke didn't know why, but he flinched. This man, despite how short he was, was frightening.

Zeke opened his mouth to answer when the Titan let out a scream. They all covered their ears, but this time, after thirty seconds of screaming, she stopped.

The Titan started emitting steam. They all watched as something moved under the skin where the nape was located, slowly growing in size until a hand burst out of the nape, followed by the rest of her body.

"Petra," Eren called out; the girl quickly ran forward; the naked woman stumbled on her feet, almost falling, when Petra grabbed her by the shoulder, using her cloak to cover her with Hange's help.

"Who are you people?" Eren heard Dina ask weakly, looking frightened.

"No worries ma'am, you are safe now." Petra said softly, trying to convince her she had nothing to fear.

"Ma'am, you are inside the walls of Paradise. You were a Titan for... 19 years now." Hange explained, with Petra giving her a look of disapproval. She was sure this was too fast, and when they looked at her face, she was proven right. Her face went white, and her mouth opened and closed several times.

"...19 Years!!... Are you sure about this?" She asked, not wanting to believe it. Hange seemed ready to say something else, but Petra elbowed her on the stomach before she could utter a word.

"Yes, but don't worry; you are safe now. Come with us." The woman looked around, and only she seemed to notice the corpse of her own Titan behind; now, all that was left were the bones. She looked back at the girls in front of her and noticed the army standing behind. She nodded reluctantly. They weren't sure if she did it because she didn't trust them or because she thought she had no other choice.

Soon, they all rode back to Wall Rose. By the time they arrived, it was almost dusk, and they all needed to rest. Eren expected Zeke to try talking with his mother, but he avoided her.

Eventually, Wall Rose appeared in the distance; the Garrison soldiers at the top spotted them and ordered the gates to be opened. Awaiting them was a large gathering celebrating their return.

"The King has returned."

"King Eren is back."

"See. I told you. No one would die this Time!!"

Eren wasn't yet used to this kind of attention but still smiled at the people calling out his name and the name of the Survey Corps.

"Jeez, Eren. You know what would be really funny, if they all started chanting you by your proper name." Jean said with a teasing smile from behind as they rode through the streets.

"Proper Name?" Sasha asked, confused.

"Suicidal Bastard!" Jean shouted before laughing. Eren groaned in annoyance, and Connie chuckled, too, thinking it was too funny.

Not soon enough, they finally made their way back to Wall Sina. Many of the soldiers had been returned to their homes.

By the time he was back at the castle, Eren felt exhausted. A part of him still couldn't believe this was his house now. Historia, with many soldiers, officers, and Commander Nile, awaited their return.

"The Mission was a success; Wall Maria is closed." Eren shouted for everyone to hear. They all cheered, and even Commander Nile seemed relieved and happy to hear that, but they all knew it wasn't over yet.

A doctor first checked Dina, and once that was done, Eren knew he had to talk with her.

*

*

The door opened, and Eren stepped inside. Dina was wearing proper clothes, and she seemed to have taken a bath. A tray with food was placed on the table.

"Ma'am. I'm sorry if this is all so sudden. I hope you are well rested." Eren spoke courteously; Mikasa and Kenny were waiting outside since Historia had come along with Eren.

"Yes, can I have some answers now? Who are you two?" she asked, sounding less frightened now but more wary than ever.

"Of course. I'm the King of the Walls, my name is Eren Yeager."

"And I'm Queen of the Walls. My name is Historia Reiss." The two answered, taking the woman by surprise; she looked at them both as if she couldn't believe what they said.

"But you two are so young." She said softly, speaking with a motherly voice, but then she seemed to remember the King's name.

"...Wait, you said your last name is Yeager, right?" She asked, standing up from her bed. She looked around her mid-twenties.

Eren then explained everything that happened after she was turned into a Titan, how Grisha made it to the Walls, how he married another woman and had him; when he got into that part, she seemed hurt. Eren heard her murmur something under her breath, but he couldn't hear what it was; she was silent until she looked at Eren.

"Where's Grisha? Is he still alive? I want to see him." She quickly pleaded, but Eren looked down, knowing he couldn't give her that; he himself wished that his father was still alive. Eren explained the rest of the story, how Grisha had stolen the Founder from the Royal Family and how he had given his Titan to Eren to continue his job.

"Ohh." Dina said with a defeated tone as she slumped down on the bed, a shattered expression on her face. She looked heartbroken. A choked sob escaped her throat. Her eyes turned foggy. Tears rolled down her face that she quickly tried to wipe away, but soon, she started sobbing, her face turning red from crying, her face slumped into the pillow.

"If you want, we can leave you alone." Historia offered, knowing the feeling of losing someone, but Dina quickly raised her head from the tear-soaked pillow. She used her sleeve to wipe away the dried tears from her face, which was still red, as were her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Eren wasn't sure why she was apologizing to them.

"There's nothing to apologise for, Lady Dina." Historia spoke with courtesy. The woman smiled at the girl before looking at Eren. She stood up and approached him, looking at his face as if trying to search for something.

"Miss?"

"You have his nose, King Eren, and his chin. You remind me of Grisha when we first met." Dina said with a motherly voice; Eren felt it when he heard her; he felt a lump in his throat. She sounded too much like his own mother speaking.

"Thank you, Lady Dina. My father was a very good man," Eren said with a sad smile. The woman nodded with a tearful smile, but she quickly noticed that Eren was avoiding her eyes and not fully looking at her.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something?" Dina questioned. Feeling that she must have done something to offend him, the Queen opened her mouth to say something, but Eren interrupted her.

"It's nothing, Lady Dina. Don't worry about it." Eren said hastily; Dina knew he wasn't being sincere with her but decided not to pressure him. He was the King, after all. While Historia gave Eren a look of disapproval, she didn't say anything.

"Lady Dina. We know you are of Royal Blood, like me, so in a way that makes us distant cousins. You are welcome to live here in the palace for as long you want." Historia offered with a welcoming smile.

Dina suddenly looked like a cornered deer when she heard they knew she was of Royal Blood; she had wanted to keep it a secret; while Eren and Historia seemed like good people, she knew it could end very badly for her if they knew the truth, but it seemed all her secrets were already out there.

"You have nothing to worry." Eren suddenly said, as if knowing what she was thinking.

"We won't force you to do anything. You have my word as King of the Walls." Dina didn't know why, despite knowing the boy only for an hour, she felt like she could trust him, but deep down, she knew she had no other choice, no way of protecting herself, no Titan Shifter. She just hoped that Eren truly meant his words.

"Is there another reason, you brought me here?" Dina questioned, wanting to know the real reason. The King suddenly knocked on the door.

"Come inside." Dina stepped back, unsure who was walking inside, as the door opened, and a man with blonde hair and a trim beard walked inside.

Dina felt her heart stop for a moment. He was much older than she remembered. He had grown, he had become a man, but she recognised her little boy. Her legs moved on their own, and before she knew it, she was hugging him, her arms around him.

"Zeke!!" She sobbed against his chest, her cries muffled by his chest.

"M-mother?"

"It's really you, you have grown so much." She sobbed even more, remembering all the times she had been angry with him for not meeting their expectations. All that regret escaped her all at once. All the pain she had felt. "I'm sorry. I Was a terrible mother." she sobbed even more when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Zeke, I love you son. I put you through so much suffering. We both did. I-I Really wish I would have spent more time with you." She kept sobbing; he was silent when he fully hugged her back.

"Mother." He said with sadness and happiness.

For the second time that day. Zeke found himself thinking the same thing.

What should I do Now? 

The Ocean - One Week Later

"Anything, did you see anyone?" Magath shouted at the soldier walking downstairs, skipping through multiple steps before stepping into the docks.

It's been a month and a half since the incident with the Titans. In one moment, everything was going fine, despite the enemy shifter; their Cannons easily took them out, but then everything changed when the Titan with wings attacked. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see its eyes in front of him; he could hear the screams of the poor soldiers who were eaten by the Titans.

After they made their way back to the docks, almost everyone else wanted to return back to Marley and leave the Devils behind. Magath usually didn't tolerate his soldiers showing fear like that, but after seeing their fellow soldiers getting eaten by Titans, he knew that was something one couldn't easily forget, so he let it slide for now.

Magath had reminded them all that they needed to wait for Zeke and the others to return; many quickly protested, but Magath had the highest authority, so they shut their mouths the moment he threatened them with federal prison.

But what he thought would be a week of waiting turned into six weeks of waiting; at this point, their supplies were running low, so Magath had decided the Eldian soldiers left would be given only one ration per day. While the Marley soldiers would be fed as usual, eventually, one of the Eldian soldiers started fishing and caught quite a few, but when he offered some to Magath, Kosolow punched the man before telling him that he had already touched the fish. They would never eat it.

Magath had said nothing, knowing he couldn't show too much sympathy for them. But at this point, they were all tired of waiting for their allies. The soldiers were all growing relentless, especially the Marley soldiers. The only ones from Marley who still wanted to stay were Pieck's Panzer Unit.

"I'm afraid not, Commander. There's no sign of them anywhere." The soldier responded, saluting in front of him. Magath sighed wearily, feeling older than he was because he knew what would happen the moment the others heard the soldier.

"Let's just leave, let the Devils die. They are probably dead anyway," one soldier shouted, and many agreed, including Kosolow. The Eldian soldiers clearly didn't like what they were hearing, but they knew better than to express their opinions.

"What! No Lady Pieck is still out there-" Carlos's words were silenced when he was punched in the face, falling on the floor; he tried to stand up when he was kicked in the stomach, his breath was knocked out of him, blood pouring from his nose.

"Hey, what's your problem?" But the soldier ignored them as he looked down at Carlos, who tried to crawl away but was quickly grabbed by the tunic, raised in the air, with his feet no longer touching the ground.

"Lady Pieck, she's a devil, you moron. Did you forget what these devils did to us, did to the world? Are you sympathizing with this race of devils?" The man shouted accusingly; Carlos trembled under his gaze. Magath was ready to tell him to let go of Carlos.

"Commander Magath, someone is approaching!!" They all quickly ran upstairs. The moment he reached the platform's top, he saw three riders approaching; the soldiers quickly aimed their rifles in case they were enemies.

"Hold It." Magath ordered as he used his binoculars to look at the approaching figures.

"It's Zeke, Pieck and Annie Leonhart." He shouted for everyone to hear. The Eldian Soldiers and Pieck's Panzer Unit celebrated, but Koslow quickly ordered them to keep quiet. While Magath was secretly relieved to see them, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss.

Taking the other route that led to the sea, they quickly joined the others on the dock. Everyone rushed downstairs. Magath smiled as he walked in front. The three horses must be ones they had taken from the devils.

"Pieck, you are alive!!" The Panzer Unit shouted in joy, trying to run up to her, but they quickly were stopped by the other Marley soldiers. Magath noticed something off right away.

Pieck had guilt written all over her face, a little paler than he remembered, looking down at their feet, while Zeke and Annie seemed completely fine, especially Leonhart; the maniac smile on her face made him flinch; he almost got hold of his handgun.

"How did you escape the Devils?" Magath demanded. He expected them to salute him like they always did, but neither did anything. Zeke started telling them a story, but after five minutes, Magath noticed something that made him turn as white as snow; Annie's little finger was dripping blood.

BOOM!!

"What was that?" They all turned to see a green flare soaring through the sky; Magarth's blood went as cold as winter.

"It's a Trap!" he shouted as three bolts of golden lightning hit the three Shifters. Magath had jumped away to create some distance, but many were caught off guard, and some were scorched by the heat.

"Open Fire!!" Magath ordered, shouting as loudly as he could, creating more distance from them before the Cannons could even aim. Annie quickly used her kicks to crush the soldiers with a wide grin on her face, their bodies splattered against the wall.

"Miss Pieck!!" The Panzer Unit shouted in complete confusion and feeling betrayed, but the Cart Titan ignored them; she didn't even utter a word. One soldier fired his bazooka right at Annie's face; her face exploded in blood, but her right eye glared down at him furiously.

"To the Ship," Magath shouted, knowing deep down there was no way they could get away in time. Bullets and Bazookas were fired all around him, but many missed, and those that hit didn't do much; the soldier who injured Annie now was nothing but a blood stain on the floor.

Another golden lightning struck down, and Magath knew they were done for as another Titan with the face of a Devil appeared, standing on top of the platform; he seemed twenty-seven meters tall and loomed over them like a god of death.

"Soldiers of Marley. Give up, you are surrounded." A new voice rang in their ears; they all looked up, and standing on top of the platform, right at the foot of the fourth Titan, was a blonde man with a strange weapon in his arms.

Magath knew there was no way for them to win; he knew he would get tortured most likely, but as long as his soldiers were kept in good condition, then he would surrender just as he was about to throw down his gun and order his men to do the same.

"Like hell, we will. Go to hell, you Devils-" His words were silenced when Annie stepped on him, his blood splattered everywhere.

"Oops." Annie said with a gleam in her eyes, looking at everyone else, almost wanting someone else to try and do something stupid.

"Soldiers, Stand Down," Magath ordered, and to show that he meant that, he threw the gun on the floor. The other soldiers quickly followed his example. Magath watched as more soldiers appeared, all of them jumping down and using a strange device attached to their hips to slow down their landing.

They all were holding guns, aiming them at the soldiers who surrounded one after the other.

"Go to hell, Devils!" One Eldian soldier shouted, and he was about to aim his gun at one of the soldiers when Annie's giant quickly grabbed him. Magath looked away as he heard bones snapping, followed by something falling on the sea.

"Which one of you is in charge?" a short soldier asked firmly. Like the rest, he had the same strange device on his hips, swords, and four strange weapons that looked like metallic spears.

"This is Commander Magath, Levi." Zeke said with a wide grin, pointing his giant finger at Magath, who was on his knees with his hands behind his back.

"Good Job, Monkey," the soldier named Levi said dismissively. Soon, he was joined by the blonde man, and both approached him.

"I'm the Commander of the Survey Corps. My name is Erwin Smith. You all will be imprisoned, but have no worry. As long as you all cooperate, your soldiers will be treated well." Magath didn't know what to make of the man in front of him; he couldn't tell if he was lying, but at this point, he knew he had no other choice but to do what he was told.

They had lost this Battle. But not the War.