Chapter 93: A Shattered Future
Mitras, the Royal Capital, Council Chamber.
Not long after the conclusion of the battle to retake Wall Maria, the air here was heavy, almost suffocating. A long-overdue award ceremony was about to begin, honoring the Survey Corps soldiers who had survived the hellish battle. It was they who had reclaimed the lost territory for Paradis Island.
The surviving members of the Survey Corps, dressed in neat uniforms, stood in formation in the center of the chamber. Most faces showed a hint of relaxation, but their exhaustion was still palpable.
Eren Jaeger stood among them, his gaze somewhat distant, his mind still reeling from the discoveries made during yesterday's training: Soul Gems, bodies as vessels, pain suppression… and that really unflattering Magical Girl dress. It all felt like an absurd dream.
But the cool touch of the gem against his chest, and the strange energy flowing within him—so different from his Titan power—were stark reminders: this was not a dream. A power beyond his comprehension had intervened in their world. For what purpose? What was that creature calling itself Kyubey really after?
"Silence!"
At the far end of the dais, Historia Reiss, the newly crowned Queen of Paradis Island, dressed in her royal robes, slowly stood up. Her expression was dignified, fitting her status, but deep within her golden eyes, hidden sorrow and nervousness lingered. Her gaze swept over the soldiers below, over the comrades who had once fought alongside her.
The award ceremony officially began.
Historia descended from the dais, followed closely by an honor guard carrying a velvet-lined tray laden with medals. The medals were of a unique design, featuring a carefully polished piece of emerald-green agate, meant to be worn around the neck, symbolizing rebirth and hope.
The Queen personally bestowed a medal upon each recipient. The first was Erwin. The commander who should have died on the battlefield was now standing here, miraculously alive. His face was still pale, but his eyes held their usual sharpness. Historia's fingers trembled slightly as she placed the medal around his neck.
"Thank you for your service, Commander Erwin."
"For the future within the Walls, Your Majesty," Erwin replied, kneeling on one knee and kissing the back of her hand as protocol dictated.
Next was Levi. The soldier lauded as humanity's strongest knelt emotionlessly, completing the ritual with crisp movements. His gaze lingered on the Queen for a moment, as if assessing something, or perhaps seeing nothing at all.
Then it was Hange's turn. She seemed somewhat distracted, her eyes constantly darting toward Eren and Levi, apparently still pondering the Soul Gems.
"Section Commander Hange, please focus," Historia reminded her gently, a hint of exasperated amusement in her voice.
"Ah! My apologies, Your Majesty!" Hange snapped back to attention, giving an awkward laugh.
The procession moved slowly forward. Mikasa, Floch, Sasha, Connie—each name called evoked memories of bloody battles.
Finally, it was Eren's turn.
"Eren Jaeger."
Eren took a deep breath and looked at the Queen before him. She was the Krista he knew, yet not entirely. The weight of the crown seemed to rest heavily on her still-young shoulders.
Historia picked up a medal, preparing to place it on Eren. He knelt on one knee according to custom.
However, the instant his lips touched the back of Historia's hand—BOOM!
A violent shockwave shot through his brain. Eren's body froze. Everything before his eyes began to twist and shatter. Countless chaotic, fragmented, yet vividly real images flooded his consciousness like a broken dam.
Grisha, kneeling in a cold cavern before the Fritz family and a black-haired woman, roaring in agony, pleading, accusing.
A world-blotting shadow covering the land as countless Colossal Titans crushed mountains and rivers, their devastating steps grinding screaming humans into pulp. Is that… the Rumbling?! Did… I start it?!
The images kept flashing, showing completely different trajectories. Blood-stained blades. The desperate eyes of his comrades. Armin, transforming into the Colossal Titan, a blinding light of destruction… After the battle for Wall Maria, Commander Erwin was supposed to have died, never to be heard from again… More, incomprehensible fragments… destruction, sacrifice, betrayal, freedom—
Were these memories of the past, present, and future? Visions seen through the power of the Attack Titan? Or was it the cruel fate of this world, forcibly awakened by the Founding Titan's power coming into contact with royal blood?!
"Nngh—" Eren let out a choked groan, his face instantly turning deathly pale. Cold sweat soaked his back.
"Eren?!" Historia was startled by his sudden reaction. The surrounding comrades also looked over, confused.
"What's wrong, Eren?"
"Hey, are you okay?"
"I—I'm fine—" Eren managed to force out the words. "Sorry, Your Majesty… Maybe just… a little overwhelmed—"
No one pressed further at that moment, perhaps accustomed to his occasional "dramatic" episodes. After all, he was known to solemnly mutter things like "the Attack Titan" even when alone in his cell.
Historia hesitated for a moment, then gently placed the medal around Eren's neck. The cool touch of the green agate against his skin couldn't quell the storm raging within him.
Eren kept his head down, not daring to look at anyone. The images were still replaying madly in his mind. The Rumbling… the destruction of the world… the deaths of countless lives… Is this… the path I'm going to choose? Is this… the price of pursuing "freedom"?
But—why? Why was Commander Erwin dead in those memories? Why did Armin inherit the Colossal Titan? Why were there no Magical Girls? No Kyubey? No Soul Gems?
Commander Erwin was alive right now. Floch had the Colossal Titan's power. And he, the Captain, and Armin had all become those strange "Magical Girls"!
Had the future changed? Or were the visions just one possibility among many? Or… had some power, for some purpose, forcibly twisted their original destiny?
Kyubey…
Eren's gaze suddenly became fiercely determined. The image of the white creature surfaced clearly in his mind. Was its appearance the catalyst that changed everything? Could it bring a turning point to what should have been a tragic ending?
He didn't know. But at least, they had gained greater power now.
The heavy sense of the future still weighed on him. But compared to the lonely, desperate path of destruction he had glimpsed in his memories, he seemed to be on a different fork in the road now. A path also filled with unknowns, but one that might lead to a different outcome.
Only I saw it… But my magical abilities… they seem incomplete… What am I missing?
Eren slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his comrades. Mikasa's worried eyes, Armin's confused stare, Levi's scrutinizing look… No one knew what he had just seen. No one knew what a heavy future he had glimpsed. And no one knew that the reality they were currently in might have already deviated from its "original" course.
He had to be sure. He had to figure this all out.
The award ceremony continued. But Eren's mind was already far away. Until he found the answers, until he confirmed where this new path truly led, he would bear this burden alone.
…
In the shadows of a corner of the hall, a small white figure crouched silently. Its round, ruby-like eyes watched everything unfold without a flicker of emotion.