"No." You said. "I don't want to learn."
"But-" Armin tried.
"No. No 'buts'. I don't want to learn, and that's final." You turned around, facing the sand once again.
"Don't say we didn't warn you. Don't flip out when you see what's become of your home."
"I won't." You said firmly. "Let's go." You started moving forward before they could say anything else. You made fists with your hands. "Once I get home, you can finally be free of me, you can finally get rid of me, Eren."
Your shoes sunk into the sand, but so naturally, your regular habitat, this is where you belonged. Mikasa and Armin struggled to stay upright as the soft sand started swallowing their feet with each step. Eren walked as if it were an everyday thing for him, except it wasn't, but he somehow managed. You were so determined, you kept walking onwards, each step full of passionate determination as you put a great distance between you and the others.
"You should really take your time y/n, you don't want to waste any energy." Armin called to you.
You ignored him and continued.
You felt an arm being placed on your shoulder. "Armin I'm fine." You said turning around. But it wasn't Armin. It was Eren. You turned back forward, annoyed. He grabbed your arms gently, preventing you from walking any longer and forced you to face him. "What do you want, Eren? We have a whole journey ahead of us."
"Stop freaking out." He said. "You need to save your energy. And you're clearly in a disorganized state right now..I can sense it. So take a minute and breath."
"I'm fine."
~No, you're not.~
Eren began to communicate with you through your subconscious.
"So you could hear me the whole time?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Now I feel like an idiot."
"Don't. I should feel like an idiot for how I've been treating all of you. You were right. I need to rely on you guys. I can't do this alone..and neither can you."
"So you finally admit it."
He shortly laughed. "Yes, I admit it y/n."
"Finally, you were kind of being a jerk earlier."
"I'm so sorry." He begged.
"It's okay." You lightly pushed his arm. "I knew something was up." You smiled. "But why were you acting like that? Do you really not care about me..?" You said looking to the side.
"I-"
"We finally caught up to you guys. You're naturals at this." Armin laughed, putting an arm on Eren to help him keep balance. Good ol' Armin to ruin the moment.
"The village should be at least a few hours away, we actually made it pretty far, considering previous events." Armin continued. "Is everyone alright with continuing, because once we start again there's no turning back. We still have to worry about those men we interacted with in the forest, the other men who were traveling by carriage, and Captain Levi." He looked at everyones expressions. "Even after we do what we came here for, either way, we still have to face all of these factors at some point."
"No matter what happened to my village, I still need to see everything for myself. There might still be hope."
"Don't get your hopes up, y/n." Mikasa said.
"I won't." You ensured.
You grabbed Mikasa and Armin's arms and continued walking, they struggled to walk steadily, but used you as a balance.
Before Eren followed he let out a quiet laugh.
You reached the two enormous trees that were the gateway which protected the entrance and interior of your village. You stopped suddenly, Armin and Mikasa crashing into your back. You took in a shaky breath and held it there as it lingered.
It was only until Mikasa tapped your arm that you let that single breath out.
"Are you ready?" Armin asked. "Are you sure you're prepared?"
You nodded your head. "I'm just readying myself first."
~What if they're all dead? Sh*t what if I killed them, they called me a titan shifter, and titans are ruthless beings. They almost killed me too.~
~Just breath~
Eren said.
~Oh, right. I forgot you find enjoyment out of listening to my personal thoughts.~
~Just breath~
He repeated.
You took a few deep breaths in before you slowly started bringing your feet forward walking past the tree's barrier. You finally stepped into your home.
~Open your eyes~
Eren suggested.
You did as he told you, nothing was there. Literally nothing. You hesitantly stepped forward.
"W-what?" You took another step. "W-where-" You placed another foot forward. "All of it. It's all gone." You stumbled forward onto your knees. "How?" You stared ahead blankly. They all squat down beside you.
"How?" You asked again.
"You..you did this." You looked ahead still, but Armin, Mikasa and Eren instantly looked behind them.
"You led us right to here. And quite easily." One of the men from the carriage chuckled.
"Hand over the girl and this could be a lot easier on your part." Said one of them from the forest.
You could hear the sound of at least fifty people getting closer to your location.
"More are coming." You whispered. The three of them stood in front of you protectively.
"Leave them alone and this could be easier on your part." You heard Jean call out, as he flew down on his odm gear in front of the four of you. Hange and Levi following.
"What did you brats think you were going to accomplish." Levi asked plainly. "It would've been easier if you just stayed instead of getting personal feelings involved in the matter."
The few men that were surrounding you pulled swords out.
"What's a Scout like you gonna do about it?"
"Come closer and you'll find out." Jean remarked.
The noise you made out from the other 50 people, suddenly stopped.
You looked up. "They're here."
People approached you from all different angles, and fast leaving no time to think of an exit strategy, you were cornered. Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Levi, Hange and Eren pulled out some sort of a weapon, or even objects that resembled weapons.
"We'll stall." Mikasa said. "Do what you need to do. Then it's up to you..to save us all." As the rest of them charged at the men that tried grabbing you, you ran, and you ran fast.
Breathing heavily, you fell, hitting your head against the sand, and your palms as well as knees, slammed on the ground. You wiped the sand off of your body before turning around on your knees. There was a person. They stared blankly, their body partially decayed and cut in half, some of the blood was crusted and dried on the clothing, a few bones poked out of the skin. You looked at their face.
It was your dad.
You backed up quickly, turning around and throwing up. You coughed and gasped for air. As you looked up, you saw your house, the wooden planks lay on the bare ground, the furniture inside was crushed and body limbs mixed with the debris.
Three men stood around you, two of which restrained your arms, forcing you to stand upright, the other holding a blade before you.
It all flooded back to you. The MP officers screaming and running, scouts that looked exactly like your acquaintances back there, your father and mother, your people screaming as you towered over them, as you killed their family members, as you killed your father, everyone, everything dead..because of you. It's all gone, it's empty, because of you. Because you're the Goddess of the Sea.
He brought the blade near to your hand and sliced deep and hard, but then a familiar power surged throughout you, and you screamed. Calling upon the presence of your subjects. Your allies. The creatures of the sea.
