Souls Of Sorrow || 𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑋 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Chapter 45 - You

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I know it's strange, that the red sky looming overhead is peaceful, that the carnage of the wall titans is music singing in my ears.

But that's what it is, peaceful. Beautiful even.

I close my eyes as I lean back where I'm perched on the exposed muscle of the founding titan's shoulder.

A half circle of crystal is partially wrapped around me, as Eren gave me something to rest against so I could relax. I take a deep breath, but all I can smell is the steam coming off the titans.

A wave of tiredness washes over me, but it's not as big as the one of relief. We started the rumbling, Paradis is free, and my revenge will finally be complete. Marley and the rest of the world will be flattened under our feet.

Though my thoughts drift as I recall everything from yesterday. All the information that Pieck gave me about my mother and the million questions that it brought on. Questions that will forever go unanswered.

My father... I still don't want to believe that he's gone, the grief would be too overwhelming.

There's a part of me that still hopes that Mikasa was lying just to get me to make Eren stop the rumbling. Another part though, almost wants it to be true. At least that way he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of my betrayal.

It burns hot beneath my skin, the feverish desire for destruction. Though when that fire dims, will guilt come crashing down?

Will it come down like the hundreds of buildings that have been crushed, and the many more to come?

No, guilt is for people who have regret. I haven't regretted a single decision since I returned from the treachery Marley forced upon me. I won't allow weakness to overpower my thoughts.

When I open my eyes again, I'm no longer seated on the founding titan's shoulder, but standing in the midst of a vast field of wildflowers. It's pretty, the grass even looks a little purple. Eren's standing at the cliff edge that marks the border of the field with his back turned.

I look around, my brows furrowing slightly before my gaze lands on him again. What is this place? A transformed version of the paths? No, if that were the case I wouldn't feel the breeze in the air. Then again, the founding titan is capable of a lot more than anyone really knows.

I walk towards Eren, the grass and flowers swaying with my movements. "What's this?" I ask as I stop beside him. Below the cliff, a river runs along its bed, crashing against rocks that line the cliffside.

We stand at least two hundred feet above the water, simply watching and listening. "Trying to see if you can survive the jump?" I muse dryly.

An amused huff leaves Eren's lips. "Not quite."

He turns his head to look at me, his eyes roaming over my face. "I needed someplace nice."

"Oh yeah?" I raise a brow slightly. "What for?"

He tilts his head, his lips parting slightly. He takes my hand, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. "I wanted to do this properly."

My gaze studies his as I turn to face him. He bends to one knee in front of me, and a certain flutter arises in my stomach. He takes something from his pocket, his eyes never straying away from mine.

"Y/n," he starts, his tone tinged with desperation. "I love you. More than I thought I could love anything. When I said everything I would ever do would be for you, I meant it. The world is burning at your command, and if you change your mind, I'll stop the rumbling in a second."