The Empire of Titans Chapter 86 (The Enemies Beyond the Sea) (Patreon)

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' "Next time we see each other, I will be the Hero of the World. And all three of Us will Live Happy Together."

Is it night or day out there? Reiner wondered as he looked at the impenetrable darkness of his tiny, gloomy cell. The absence of natural light had disoriented him to the point where he couldn't even distinguish between day and night anymore. Sleep had been evading him for hours, and he had lost count of the number of times he had unintentionally dozed off and woken up. He wondered if people had forgotten that he existed; he wondered if his mother was still waiting for him. Was she crying? Reiner didn't know. The thought of her crying made his eyes bur.

Reiner could hardly handle the immense urge to vomit that had been plaguing him. However, he reminded himself that this would be the fourth time he would have thrown up on this very day. As he pondered this, he realized his stomach was utterly devoid of anything left to expel. Even with an empty stomach, Reiner did not experience any feelings of hunger. 

Reiner wanted to know where everyone else was. The guards never told him anything, so he wondered if Pieck was still alive. What happened that day with Pieck coming to rescue him felt like a fever dream, so he wondered if any of that was real. 

Did Pieck really come to save him? Reiner remembered the pain; it felt too real, as was the sunlight on his face. Did he imagine all of that? What about Armin? Did he really visit his cell, or was that too a dream? Reiner wished he knew, but he couldn't anymore.

In a desperate attempt to steady his rattled nerves, he sucked in a deep, trembling breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs, only to be quickly expelled as the door swung open before him. His heart thrummed in his ears, the rapid palpitations lending a sense of urgency to each passing second. An overwhelming dread took hold of him, coercing his gaze downward towards the worn, faded floor as if afraid of the encounter that awaited him.

The creaking sound of footsteps echoed ominously, announcing the arrival of someone. The finality of the clanging iron door reverberated throughout the small, desolate room, its resonating echo mirroring the solemn blast of a resounding horn.

Reiner's gravelly and fatigued voice emerged from his parched throat as he timidly posed the question that echoed through the desolate space: "W-who's there?"

"Reiner." The voice was swift, and he wasn't sure who said that word.

"Why are you here again? What do you want Armin? I'm not sure anymore if I'm really dreaming or not?" Reiner's raspy voice came out from deep within his throat; it felt dry, so dry that his tongue felt like a brick inside his mouth.

"I'm not Armin, Reiner." He sucked in a breath, slowly, he lifted his face upwards, and just beyond the bars stood...Annie. She seemed a little different; her hair was a bit longer, but he would recognize that face, and especially that nose, anywhere. He felt dread growing in his heart, he felt the cold, and his face started sweating. He wasn't sure yet if he was dreaming, but Annie had never been in his dreams before. 

Slowly, he mustered the strength to lift his face up. "Annie! Why are you here?" Reiner asked bemused, looking right at her eyes, cold and emotionless as they always were, but a flash of sorrow passed through her eyes.

"It's time, Reiner." That's all she said, her voice quiet, so quiet that Reiner almost didn't hear her, but they were the only people in this place, and the words easily echoed.

Reiner felt his heart skip a beat; he knew what she meant. He felt a growing dread in his heart; he felt like he was choking on air. Reiner wanted to say something, he wanted to beg, he wanted to live, but just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, he remembered what Eren had promised them. 

'I will destroy all my enemies.' 

"...Annie...Please...I need to speak...with Eren...Please....give me that much..." Reiner muttered weakly in a choked voice.

"...I will try Reiner..." It wasn't a promise, but it was better than nothing, Reiner thought when he heard a sniffle from beyond the bars. He wondered if she really felt bad for him.

"...Where is Pieck? I remember seeing her. What about Berholdt?" Reiner asked more, looking at Annie with expectations, hoping she would answer his questions; he deserved to know the truth.

"Pieck is safe, Reiner." Annie answered right away, and from her tone, Reiner knew she wasn't lying to him; a sigh of relief escaped him when he remembered that she had yet to mention Berholdt.

"Where is Berholdt?" Reiner asked in a quiet voice. His voice was quivering and weak, and he almost didn't want to hear her answer. 

Annie looked away from him, her eyes burned as she swallowed thickly. "He is gone, Reiner." 

She heard a silent gasp from Reiner, whose expression shattered; tears he had been trying to hold back ran down his face, reaching his jawline before dripping into the cold floor below.

Annie couldn't face him as she heard quiet sobs coming from Reiner. She had never liked him; she always found him annoying, and throughout the years of being in Paradis, she had found herself loathing him, but now, at this moment, she felt for him. A part of her wished things could have been different, but she knew that wasn't possible. Not anymore. 

Reiner's head slumped down, his forehead touching the floor of the cell. Tears burned on his cheeks like hot iron. He wished he could have wiped them away, but his arms were no more. His tears were visible to everyone.

"It will be quick, Reiner. I'm sorry." Annie's apologies were quiet, but he still heard her.

"Annie. Can you write a letter for me." Reiner requested with a pleading voice.

"What letter?"

"For my family. I will never see them again, but I want them to know what I would have said. I want them to know my last words." 

"I will. Just wait a minute," Annie said quickly, rushing out of the room. Within five minutes, she returned, holding a parchment and a pencil. She sat on the floor right next to the door of his cell and watched as a smile grew on his face.

"Thank You. Annie-" Reiner said wholeheartedly before telling her what to write. 

After twenty minutes of writing, Reiner fell quiet, and Annie looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "That is the End," Reiner added after a moment of silence. 

Annie sighed; a part of her wished he had more to say as she stood back on her feet, holding the parchment under her left arm. "Reiner, I promise I will deliver this to your mother. Not now. But one day, I will," Annie promised in a soft voice—the first time she had spoken to him so softly.

"I believe you, Annie...You know...right now. I really wish I hadn't kissed Marley's ass as much as I did. Annie. I know you hate your father, but our families deserve a second chance. Protect them." Annie gave him a nod, which was more than enough for him, as a tear rolled down her face.

"Goodbye, Reiner." With that, she left the room, and he was alone once again.

One hour later. He heard the door opening, creaking loudly as it did; his body felt weak and stiff, breathing was difficult, and he could feel a wet sensation on his entire body, cold and warm. He felt both.

"If there's a hell, then you will spend your eternity suffering." One told him with a murderous gaze, gripping him by the throat a little too hard. He choked on his own spit, but the man holding him was forced to let go of him by those around him. 

He gasped, his head leaning down, and he started coughing out spit; he heard the sound of the locks being unlocked, and before he realized it, he was no longer chained to the wall. The metal plates that were held against his stumps were removed, not that it helped much; he knew it wouldn't really matter; he was too exhausted to transform, even if they allowed his limbs to fully form, to the last fingernail, he knew he wouldn't be able to do even a half transformation, let alone a full one. 

Despite the metal plates no longer covering his stumps, no steam came out of his limbs. 

The rest of the small journey felt like a fever dream. He heard voices around him. He fell asleep too many times; sometimes, he couldn't even tell if he was still sleeping or awake. 

When they brought him to a new place, the light almost blinded him. He closed his eyes, yet his eyes still burned; his body was now lying on a metallic surface, his hands touching the smooth surface like crystal. His eyes slowly opened just enough to see where he was, but he couldn't understand where he was; it seemed as if he was on a platform of some sort when his eyes found Eren standing below the platform with a woman he had never seen before.

She was a small woman, petite in frame and relatively short. Her eyes were large and light in color, as was her fair skin. Her blonde hair passed her cheekbones but did not reach her shoulders and was kept parted down the middle. She reminded him a little of Armin.

It suddenly struck him; he knew where he was when his eyes looked at the syringe with yellow liquid inside. He knew this was it. This was the End. He would never see Gabi. He would never see his mother. He was a Dead Man. 

"Eren." He didn't know how, but somehow, he found the strength to talk. His friend stopped talking with the woman and instead looked up at him. 

Only now did Reiner notice the fancy clothes that Eren was wearing, did he become a King when he was locked in that cell. For a brief moment, Reiner wanted to tease him about the clothes, but he quickly remembered.

They were no Friends. Not anymore.

"Reiner. Annie told me you wanted to speak with me. What do you want?" Eren's voice was emotionless, but his eyes showed the rage that Reiner had seen inside him for so long.

"...The Eldians beyond the sea..." He choked out weakly. "Please show them mercy, Eren. My family, they are waiting for me. Annie allowed me to write a letter to them. Please. Give them my letter. Promise me." Reiner pleaded, his vision turned foggy from the tears. 

"I have no reason to promise you anything, Reiner. But I will keep that promise, unlike you. I don't lie to my comrades. Your family will receive your letter. It might take a while, but they will."

Reiner didn't remember the last time he had smiled this much. His mouth hurt, but he ignored the pain, happy tears leaving his face. "Thank You, Eren. If things had been different, we could have been good friends. I'm sure of that."

"You are right. Goodbye, Reiner." With that, Eren turned on his heels and walked away. 

Reiner took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his lips trembling. For three seconds, nothing happened, when he heard the familiar sound of lightning strike. Reiner felt his heart beating faster, almost wanting to come out of his chest. His eyes hurt, and he closed them so much that he felt like they were bleeding. The smell got him first before a growl reached his ears. Reiner kept his eyes closed. 

It will be over soon, it will be over soon, it will be over soon... The giant hand gripped his chest, he gasped, the air escaping his lungs, but his eyes remained closed.

Don't look, don't look, don't look... Reiner repeated over and over until he felt the large bottom teeth pressing against his face.

Mother, Gabi, Falco. Everyone. I will see you all later...

Annie

"I know you're the one who called the Titans before Berholdt broke the wall that day."

Annie remained frozen, her eyes almost coming out of her eye sockets when her body moved on her own. Before she realized what she was doing, she jumped him, getting his head into a headlock. With a quick kick of her leg, she made him lose balance, slamming his head against the floor. She tried to pin his arms down, but when she realized what she was trying to do, her eyes widened, and she staggered away from him, letting go of him, backing away in fear, while Armin stood up slowly, looking at her with a hint of wariness.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it." She said quickly, with a hint of panic. Armin chuckled nervously, but that did little to help her calm down.

Silence fell over the two, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do. It was over. She knew there was no way for Armin to keep this a secret; he would tell Eren the truth.

"...Right..." Armin said, uncertain, as he rubbed the back of his head, keeping his distance from her. She knew he was afraid of her, but Annie spoke before he could say anything.

"Please, don't tell Eren," Annie pleaded, her eyes red. Armin was shocked by her voice; he had never heard Annie talk like that. The same person who had no problem killing people sounded so vulnerable.

"Annie, he is my friend. I never keep any secrets from him."

"But you have to keep this one, Armin. We both know what Eren is like when it comes to his enemies..." Annie fell quiet as she looked down at her feet, almost ashamed.

"I Love him, but you cannot look me in the face and tell me that he will...keep me around if I tell him that I'm responsible for what happened to his mother," Annie said, feeling ashamed of saying that; she loved the moron and hated herself for saying such words, but she wasn't like Mikasa; she had seen it, she had seen the rage in his eyes, while now it had faded away, it was simply sleeping, she knew the same rage would return, and all she had would be lost.

"Annie," He walked closer to her, but still not close enough in fear that she might attack him again. "Eren will not...kill you. I know him better than all of you."

"Then why do you sound so uncertain about it." Annie said with a hint of accusation in her voice.

Armin looked down. He had tried to sound as convincing as possible, but it seemed he could not lie to himself. "Annie. I know Eren, and trust me when I say that...well, he will be furious, but. He will not have you killed. You have become one of us. You are part of our military. I'm sure even Commander Erwin will not side with Eren in this one, and put up a good word for you." Armin said reassuringly with a gentle smile, but it seemed his words didn't have the desired effect.

"You really don't get it, do you, Armin?" Annie asked, hugging herself and looking away from him. Instead, she stared up at the sky, the countless stars glittering and the full moon illuminating the world around them.

"My father never loved me, Armin. He used me for his own goal. On my sixth birthday, he pulled me outside, and told me that we would start training every week, four times a week until I was 'Ready to become a Warrior,' according to him. I wanted to make him proud. I wanted to give it all, but it was never enough for him..." Annie's voice quivered the more she talked, her arms around herself, her fingers digging into the jumper she was wearing, almost tearing the fabric. Annie had told this only to Eren and Mikasa, it happened a month ago after they slept together.

Annie had asked Mikasa where she got the scarf and why it mattered so much to her. She told her that Eren had given it to her, but Annie already knew that. She asked how it happened, and Mikasa told her what happened to her parents. Annie never really liked Mikasa much, but at that moment, she felt bad for her. After Mikasa told her the whole story, Annie started telling hers, and before she knew it, she had told her everything about her father.

"You don't have to tell me all that," Armin quickly stopped her, seeing that this topic wasn't something that Annie wanted to talk about, and even if she wanted to, he knew he wasn't her closest friend.

"Armin, I was alone in Marley. I hated him for so long, and even when I became stronger. I still felt that I was weaker. Even after I got the Female Titan. I was still weaker than him. But then, I met Eren here. I will be honest: at first, he was very annoying, but I grew to love the bastard, but without him. I will be alone again, Armin. I don't fear his wrath. I don't fear death. I was ready to die since the day I became the Female Titan. I'm afraid of being alone because even if Eren somehow doesn't kill me right away. We know he will NEVER forgive me. He will never love me again, and without him...I will be alone again." Annie's voice cracked, becoming fainter, until the end, she merely whispered the last words.

Armin wanted to say that she was wrong, that Eren would still find it in his heart to love her, but he knew that was wishful thinking; he knew that Eren was still angry with Marley for what happened to his mother that day, the only reason he was not doing something drastic now that he is the King, is because that he feels his personal anger, and emotions are in second place when it comes to the good of his people. So, despite his anger, Eren can see the bigger picture and ignore all his anger for the good of his people. The chances of Eren allowing Annie to live were slim, but loving her again... Armin was sure that would never happen.

"Please keep it a secret, Armin. Please. Just this once," Annie pleaded in a tiny voice, sounding like a scared little girl. She looked at Armin, her eyes widened and red from unshed tears.

"I..." Armin fell silent. He didn't know what to say, but he eventually sighed heavily.

"I will keep it a secret. But I cannot keep it forever. I feel that Eren will somehow learn this one day, and if he does...I think when you are ready. You have to tell him yourself." Armin said, smiling gently and with a resigned expression.

Annie doubted she would ever be ready to tell him the truth, but she couldn't keep the sigh of relief from escaping her lips upon hearing his answer. "Thank You, Armin. I will tell him myself. One day I will." She promised uncertainly, something that Armin seemed to have noticed but decided to ignore.

"That's all I ask."

The Ocean

"This is boring!" Sasha moaned for the tenth time tonight, and her voice echoed through the emptiness of the sky above her. When she accepted this job, she thought this was a perfect opportunity; after all, she would spend her time right next to the ocean. Other Shifters could have accepted the job here beside her, like Petra and Nanaba, but Sasha had taken the job, thinking it would end her boredom.

With the power of the Founding Titan, all pure Titans helped build a small base near the docks, carrying cannons and other supplies and weapons. The HQ was named:

Yeager

Yeah, It wasn't really that difficult to understand who this building was named after. Ymir and Annie were busy training the new Shifters. Eren and Historia were busy ruling the Island, and Mikasa occasionally visited, but it wasn't that often.

Sasha had accepted this job, thinking it would be fun, but after a whole week of just staring at the waves, it became quite boring, really fast. Connie wasn't around anymore. A week after they reached the ocean and returned to the Walls, Connie had left the Survey Corps and joined the Garrison.

"I want to be close my mother. I know being in the Survey Corps isn't as dangerous as it used to be, but it requires me to be away from home. After losing everyone. My mother is...she is not alright, so I need to be near her as much as possible."

That was what Connie had told them, and everyone had accepted this decision. Since Eren was his friend, his transfer only took a week to complete.

Sasha couldn't blame him. Marco was keeping guard with her, but he had fallen asleep an hour ago. Sasha was sure she was the only one awake in this base right now. She and Marco occupied the second tallest tower of the base. There was a room near them with two beds, including radios they had taken from the Marley ships. There was a balcony surrounding the tower from each side, with iron plate railings that could be used for cover against bullets.

Maybe I should take a nap, she mumbled, her back resting against a pillow she had grabbed from the room. Her eyes felt heavy, but just as she thought of closing them, she heard a noise coming from the sea.

In an instant, the drowsiness disappeared. Rushing to her feet, she grabbed the Sniper rifle mounted on the iron railing before her; looking through the scope, her fears were proven right when she saw the smoke rising from the ocean far away.

"Everyone The Enemy Is Here!!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. She knew she couldn't allow the enemy ships to know they were here, so she quickly started ringing the alarm bell instead of firing the flare gun on her hostler. Within seconds, Marco woke up with a startle, quickly followed by everyone else, and more alarm bells started ringing around the Headquarters.

"Sasha, what's happening?" Marco shouted as he, too, stood up with a little difficulty. She pointed towards the ocean. He quickly used his own sniper rifle, and his expression changed to one of disbelief and wariness.

"They are here!" Marco said with a hint of disbelief. She knew she had to wait for them to get closer. Once the ships were almost at the dock, the red flare flew high in the air. 

Sasha grabbed the iron railing before jumping over it with her legs forward. As she fell down, she quickly bit her hand, and a bolt of golden lightning engulfed her.

Everyone watched as a Semi-War Hammer Titan formed before them, holding a giant iron bow, including a stack of fifty arrows behind her back.

"Prepare to Fight." Sasha ordered through her Titan.

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