The Fight for Mankind

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

EREN

The Screaming of my mother rang through my nightmares as image after image flashed behind my eyelids of things long ancient past and things that had yet come to pass.

A needle filled with a silvery liquid. A bronze key hanging from a chain. My father on his knees crying. Aurora lying unconscious on the warehouse floor with Mikasa and Armin tucked into her sides. A woman with fiery red hair and mismatched grey and green eyes dressed in old-world armour pointing her spear at a king on a throne, his purple eyes glowing with power and cruelty as his men surrounded her. My mother, face fresh with youth, greeting a little girl and boy with varying shades of red hair with a sweet smile on her face as they shyly looked up at her. Aurora on her knees in a courtyard, her long wild hair and nightdress clinging to her flesh from the sweat pouring from her feverish skin as she raised her hand to trace the night sky, eyes bright with awe. Mikasa dressed in a long pale blue dress with flowers in her hair as she pinned a white veil to Aurora's chin-length curls, a bittersweet smile on her face. The long-abandoned walls of Shiganshina at last insight over the crest of a hill as the morning sun began to rise.

On and on the images flashed as voices began to rise, demanding to be heard, but one voice stood out above the rest as he made his final words known once again before he disappeared from my life forever.

"Mikasa's life, Aurora's life, Armin's life, everyone's life hinges on your being able to control this power!" Grisha Yeager trembled, but soon another voice drown his out and the nightmare became too much to bear.

"Eren please!" Aurora's voice broke as the image of her standing with her short red hair dancing in the wind came to mind, and begging like she had never begged before, tears ran down her dirt-streaked face as she held her hands out pleading, "Don't make me do this..."

*********

My eyes flew open, my breath tearing from my chest in ragged pants as the last of the nightmare began to fade into nothingness but the reality was I was simply exchanging one nightmare for another, at least with a dream I could pretend it wasn't real, not like this.

Reiner...Bertolt...I can't...

Adjusting quickly to my surroundings, I took in the endless canopy of leaves up above and the hard texture or wood beneath me before sitting up and looking around at the countless trees, clapping eyes on the last person I ever wanted to see.

"Welcome back." Reiner greeted with a smile as he stood above me, picture of perfect health, on a nearby branch with Bertolt sat behind him on an even higher branch, his face hidden in his hands and I felt my blood begin to boil at the sight of the treacherous scum with heat rushing through my entire body ending at my elbows.

Wait... my elbows?

Daring to look down, my anger quickly turned to horror as steamed billowed out from under my Scout raincoat and pushing my arms out, I cried in shock as the stumps of what should have been my arms came into view.

No no no no...

"What the hell!" I screamed as I waved around my mutilated limbs, "My arms!"

What did they do to me?!

"Eren!" A voice to my right snapped and turning in shock my eyes widened as Ymir, looking far better than when I last saw her, waved her missing arm at me with a smirk, "I'm not in better shape here, seems were both having a shit day."

What the hell is she doing here?! Did they take her too?! Where are my arms?!

"Ymir, what did they do to me." I mourned as I looked down at my steaming limbs, but before Ymir could answer me, Reiner took the opportunity to move his damn snake lips.