Chapter — The Weight of Memory
🌳 Armin's POV – The Weight of Eternity
Darkness hummed like a living thing beneath him.
Every second he remained as this colossal tree, Armin could feel the abyss gnawing at his roots—like icy fangs dragging him lower and lower.
He looked down through the void.
There it was.
A single black flower trembling in the dark, its petals burned and frayed, yet still trying—still reaching for the sky above.
"Eren…"
His voice didn't exist anymore—he hadn't spoken in what felt like centuries.
But his heart screamed that name.
He wanted to call out, to tell him he wasn't alone…
…but he couldn't.
"Not yet. Let him climb on his own. Let him find her first. Let him remember who he is when it truly matters."
Golden roots shifted, glowing faintly as they slithered downward.
Carefully, they curled around Eren's flower like a gentle hand holding a fragile bird.
🖤 Eren's POV – A Bird in the Dark
Somewhere inside that flower… consciousness stirred.
"…Where am I…?"
He felt weightless, broken, empty.
No sky. No ground. Only endless black.
Memories—blurry, shattered—flickered in his mind.
⚡ A red scarf.
⚡ A boy's laughter.
⚡ The sound of blades cutting flesh.
⚡ Her voice calling his name as he fell into darkness.
"Who… was that…?"
The flower trembled, unsure whether to reach upward or give in to the dark.
That's when he felt it—
A warmth. A pull. Like someone guiding him upward.
🌳 Armin's Silent Oath
Armin's roots tightened slightly, pulling Eren higher, inch by inch, toward the surface.
"Even if my roots are burned. Even if I'm dragged back into the abyss forever… I'll hold this curse back."
"Live. Laugh. Love. That's all I ever wanted for you, Eren. For both of you."
🥀 Annie's Voice – Sharing the Burden
Suddenly—a soft glow bloomed at the tree's base.
A single white flower.
It leaned against Armin's trunk, as if it had always been waiting there.
🥀 Annie (softly):
"You're trembling, Armin."
🌳 Armin (in his heart):
"I'm fine. This isn't something anyone else should bear. It's my job."
🥀 Annie:
"Then let me bear it too. You don't have to protect him alone anymore."
Golden-white light spread from Annie's flower into Armin's roots, making them glow brighter and stronger.
🌳 Armin (whispering):
"…Thank you, Annie."
And together—they pulled.
🖤 Eren's POV – Fractured Memories
As the flower rose higher, flashes of light burst in Eren's mind.
⚡ A titan's scream.
⚡ A boy crying as birds fly overhead.
⚡ A girl wrapping a scarf around his neck.
"Mikasa…?"
The name slipped out unconsciously—like an instinct buried across lifetimes.
His petals glowed faintly—responding to the memory of her.
⚔️ The Memory Bearer's Burden
But above the abyss, another battle was unraveling.
The battlefield was collapsing. Dust, rubble, and the echo of fading titans filled the air as the two versions of him stood face to face—
The man who carried the power of memory, and his counterpart from another universe.
For a heartbeat, time froze. Their eyes locked, two lives mirrored in silence.
Then the other self—battle-worn, blood soaking his chest—stepped forward.
"I'll hold them here. You… must carry the weight forward."
The team froze.
Armin's lips parted, words caught in his throat. Levi narrowed his gaze, already realizing what was about to happen but powerless to stop it.
"Wait—there has to be another way!" Jean shouted, his voice cracking under panic.
But the other self only smiled faintly, as if he had already accepted a truth no one else could.
"You are me. And if even one of us must vanish for the rest to live… then let it be me."
The clash erupted—blinding light, collapsing walls.
His counterpart took the strike head-on, shielding the group with his own body. The impact roared like the sky itself was breaking.
The Memory Bearer fell to his knees, clutching his head as waves of agony surged through him. The pain wasn't his, yet he felt every fracture, every fading heartbeat. His chest tightened, vision swimming with the dying breath of his other self.
"No… stop—" he gasped, fists digging into the earth.
Beside him, Mikasa pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, unable to breathe.
Armin's eyes burned, wide and disbelieving, as if his mind refused to accept the loss.
Even Levi, hardened beyond measure, turned his face away, jaw clenched so tight blood almost drew at his lip.
The silence after was unbearable. Dust settled.
The other self was gone.
The Memory Bearer rose slowly, shoulders heavy, his gaze distant.
His voice broke the quiet like a blade cutting through cloth:
"He's not here anymore."
His tone wasn't just grief—it was finality.
"I searched… I felt him. And now, there's nothing. He's gone."
The words struck harder than any blade.
No one spoke. The only sound was the faint whistle of the wind through broken stone, carrying with it the echo of a sacrifice none of them would ever forget.
🥀 Ending Cliffhanger
Far above, Mikasa stood silently beneath the great tree.
Her scarf fluttered gently in the breeze.
And then—
She felt it.
A presence. Faint. Fragile. Familiar.
Her hand twitched as if to reach for something that wasn't there yet.
"Eren…? Is that you…?"
✨ To be continued.