Chapter Text
Eren had always imagined death as something final, a dark and bitter end to life. The unfortunate boy had only lasted nineteen years before the decisions of his ancestors caught up to him.
When he was younger, he had imagined his death a million times: between the jaws of a Titan and the torture of his bones being crushed between its teeth. Then, he had learned of his ability to turn into a Titan, and his time was now slowly but surely ticking away.
The boy had fought hard and passionately to achieve freedom for his fellow people, which often resulted in people’s fear and hatred, all because of his brash approach.
He had always considered life as something tragic where only a few moments of happiness were allowed. He had watched his friend, once standing in the salty waves of the ocean, his face relaxed, happy, and tilted to the sun. That same smile had faded away throughout the years.
Eren had never been awarded that same level of happiness until his death: looking into the gorgeous eyes of his love as a blade sliced through his spine.
Despite everything that Eren thought, he woke up to find himself in the sandy terrains of the Path. The man’s brow creased in confusion at the sight of the young blond girl, Ymir, hunched over a lump in the sand.
“What are you still doing here?” the man asked. This time around, his words seemed to register and the girl turned to look behind her shoulder. The two of them maintained eye contact as the man repeated his question.
“You freed me…. I wanted to watch over you,” the girl answered, her voice cracking from disuse. There was a short silence before she stated, “She’ll miss you.”
An unreadable emotion passed over his face as his mouth pulled down into a frown. His mind played over the last events of his human life, of the despair in Mikasa’s eyes.
“I’ll wait for her…” he softly murmured in response as Ymir’s brows creased.
“Waiting will take forever. A second in their world feels like hundreds of years in our time.”
“I don’t care about something like that,” Eren responded as Ymir shook her head.
“You claim that you are free. Yet, you are trapped in the prison that love creates.”
“I am free. My love for her is something freeing. It’s like home…” Eren glanced down at the little girl that only stared at him blankly. “You might not understand it, but I do…”
“I was blinded by ‘love’ for thousands of years. Are you sure that you want to lock yourself into something like that?”
“For her, I will do anything. She is my freedom.”
“If you loved her so much, then why did you leave her?” This question warranted a sharp look from Eren.
“I wanted to protect her and everyone I care about. I couldn’t have just sat on my hands and watched as everything unfolded.”
“I saw the dream that you and Mikasa had. You could have done just that… Run away and live in the wilderness for your remaining four years.”
“I was considering that, but Mikasa would have still been in danger,” the man responded as his fists curled. “She’s free to do as she pleases now.”
“In that fantasy, you had a son, a daughter, and a child on the way, right?” Ymir asked, hands moving to build a pillar for her sandcastle. “That could have been your future.”
“Look, I know that you don’t understand, but stop bringing that up. I would not have left Mikasa alone to raise a child,” the man irritably responded as Ymir’s movements slowed. “Why are you so keen on building that thing?”
“Titan Shifters are doomed to walk on the Paths. I have the ability to listen to their dreams and now that I am free, I can build whatever they wish for.”
“Whose dream would that be?” Eren asked as Ymir’s lips turned down in contemplation.
“A girl with the same name as mine. As selfish as she thought she was, her last thoughts were focused on the well-being of someone. She wanted to marry this girl and live in luxury. It even seems that they have a daughter together.”
“Would that person be Historia?”
“I believe that was her name. It’s hard to remember so many people and their dreams. Now, should I begin making a paradise for you?” Ymir finished the sandcastle, which soon materialized. The girl stood on her tip-toes to peep into the windows. Eren stood rooted to his spot, disinterested in looking at the happy scene that would probably be playing in the house.
“I have one more question,” Eren stated as he pushed his hands into his pockets. “What will happen to the ordinary people that die?”
“They wake up on the Paths, and they are given two choices: wait here for someone or be led by one of my daughters to the Afterlife.”
“What’s the Afterlife?”
“I only know that it is a thing. I am trapped in this state, and I am not an omniscient being. Are you ready for me to make your dream?”
“Can you look out over the happenings of the world? I want to see Mikasa.”
“I suppose so…” the girl hollowly replied as she bent down to draw a circle in the sand. In seconds, the insides of this circle had faded into a bright blue sky. “Life is very tragic. Are you sure you wouldn’t want to experience your dream?”
Eren did not answer Ymir’s question. Instead, he moved to his knees and looked down at the unfolding scene.