Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 44: Intervention of the Divine

He was standing in the middle of darkness. As far as the eye could see, not a single color outside of black welcomed. With every step he took, there was a splash like he walked onto a puddle. Looking down, he could see the faint ripples of water beneath him. Then, there was light streaming all around him like teardrops as if the sky itself was crying. He dared to reach his hand towards the light, yet it passed through his palm, briefly filling it with warmth.

"What is this place?" the young Psion asked, transfixed at the wonders before him.

"A place of rest for the weary souls, young one." The distinctly feminine voice had spoken once more, echoing all around him and inside his mind. He could not see the source, but he knew the voice could see him.

"Who are you?" Dillon demanded, his trepidation as clear as the water beneath him.

"I mean you no harm, Dillon Amsdale," the ethereal voice said in a voice that could soothe even the largest monsters. "I seek only to give you guidance in your world."

"Well, forgive me if I don't take your word for it," the teen replied, his caution up at full strength. "Too many betrayals ensured that."

Barely decipherable, melancholy pierced into the gentle tone. "You have been through so much."

The sky crackled with bright-colored energy, the Psion jumping in surprise of the unnatural event. Above, shapes began to take form, almost like waves merging into clouds. The colors helped morph the thick, disorganized shapes into images. Familiar images. Before him, a man with silver eyes choking the life out of a young boy. Across from that, a short, angry man with a look that spelled disaster for any unfortunate soul that dared to cross him. Nearby, a horrific Titan with its jaw open seemed to be coming for him, yet it was frozen in time. He would not get eaten twice. And in between, the image that completed it all. A blonde girl looking down at him in pity, but behind her, a gigantic monster with a petrifying grin awaited.

Goosebumps covered Dillon's skin as he averted his gaze from those horrors. "How am I seeing these things? How do you know all this?" A theory crossed his mind, gaining more and more traction until it was voiced. "Is this my mind?"

"Yes and no." There was a touch of mirth now, almost as if she had been waiting years to say that. "You are in your mind, but you are much deeper than ever before, a place you never knew existed."

A scowl distorted his face. "Do you have to be so cryptic, lady?"

"When people understand my words, is it still cryptic, or just common reasoning? And if it is the latter, then what does that make you?"

Dillon glared skywards, hoping that the voice could see his expression. "I'm not in the mood for games, whoever you are. Either give me answers or release me from this place."

"The answers you seek about my identity and this place pales in comparison to your desire to solve your plight within the military," she responded firmly.

The images shifted once more, forming the faces of three people.

"The mad scientist who would mutilate and torture live specimens if it meant furthering research and knowledge," the voice went on in a neutral tone. "The rage-filled captain who seeks to solve problems with the blade or his hands. And the commander who sends soldier after soldier to perish all for the greater good. Apt descriptions, are they not?"

"You took the words right out of mouth," Dillon replied with a nod.

"These three are your greatest adversaries in this world," she said as the images floated to Dillon's level, surrounding him. "Titans, Marleyans, you can kill them, but these three? Compared to you, they are invincible. They carry the weight of humanity on their shoulders. Every action made by them or against them can change everything that you know. Soldiers are powerless to resist their will. The Female Titan is no different, and you are no different."