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Everyone says Eren has changed. I’ve thought that, too.
Mikasa looked at the clear blue sky, shattered by small clouds. Behind her, the team was getting ready for the coming battle at the ruins of Shiganshina.
A battle against Eren.
‘We’ve got one advantage: he’s coming to us. We’ll use it,’ said Captain Levi as he readied his Tridimensional Maneuver Gear. ‘We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Pretty simple. Definitely don’t wanna dance with this guy, okay? We just want the Gauntlet—’
The blonde boy laying on a little mountain of debris yawned.
‘Are you yawning? Did you hear what I said?’ Levi turned to him, raising his eyebrows.
Naruto Uzumaki shrugged his shoulders. ‘I stopped listening after you said “We need a plan.”’
‘Ok, Mr. Talk-no-jutsu is on his own thing.’
‘See, “not winging it’’ isn’t really what he does.’ Deku explained, pointing with his head at Naruto with his usually diplomatic tone.
‘And what exactly is it what he does?’ Todoroki asked, crossing his arms.
‘Kick names, take butt.’ Naruto answered, closing his eyes with self-approval.
‘Just stick to the plan and let the child-monk do his thing.’ The captain’s tone was as hard as always, even if he was talking to probably some of the most powerful beings in the six worlds.
A second after, the “child-monk” landed next to Levi with the soft sound of his airbending, a calm smile on his face. ‘Avatar is just fine. And technically I’m not a child, we’re the same height!’
‘That’s true, Levi-senpai! I think we three are more less the same…’ Deku said as he stood on the other side of the captain, calculating the man’s height with his hand.
Levi sighed and Mikasa couldn’t help but to smile. Even if smiling felt so wrong… She turned away.
But… maybe all of us are wrong.
And as she looked at the city that watched her grow up, her mind went far away.
Maybe Eren was this way from the start. And if this is the real him… I… I wonder what I saw in him.
When did it all begin? Back then?
Memories flashed on Eren’s mind. The tree. The first time he saw Mikasa. His father’s face.
No… It doesn’t matter.
Then, he remembered the pain. The loss. And the answers.
Everything happened by my will. Everything… comes after this.
The first time he entered the chamber where they guarded the Tesseract, alone. Years after its discovery. The words of Yelena tangled on his mind, so recent, so urgent.
Eren, both Eldia and the world can be saved by the euthanization plan. There is just no other way.
But what if there was? He knew what was going to happen, what he would have to do. Nevertheless, he had to be sure. The world depended on it.
He touched the Tesseract again, but this time, he let the Founding Titan embrace it. He felt the infinite energy of the cube inside him, and then… The portal opened.
And this time, Eren crossed it.
It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t easy either. The whole world seemed to vanish, to circle all around him, and then, Eren finally landed on solid ground.
What…. What is this place? he said to himself, looking at the ruins in where he just appeared.
Snow covered them, and silence was the only presence Eren could feel. He sat up and started walking, only to feel a disgusting crunch under his boot. He raised his feet and watched the broken skull he just smashed. It seemed to have a strange, pointy red helmet.
Eren frowned.
‘What are you doing here?’ A voice came from behind him.
The boy turned to see a bald man with yellow and orange robes. He didn’t look like anyone Eren had seen before, so… strange.
‘I… I don’t know. What is this place?’
The bald man stared at him with surprise. ‘Well, this was the Northern Air Temple.’
‘Was? What happened here?’
‘What do you think happened? The Fire Nation happened.’ when he saw Eren’s silence, he continued. ‘I’m an Air Acolyte. We are here to restore the temples.’
Eren took a step closer to the man.
‘Tell me everything.’
Konohamaru breathed the fresh morning air with a smile. It just felt as another day in the village, even if doom had come just weeks ago. There was so much work left to do… However, as he crossed both hands behind his neck, the young ninja guessed some things never changed. There was still hope.
Suddenly, a man sat on the bench, next to Konohamaru. He had long, black hair, with one of his eyes covered in white bandages. He had a missing leg and a dirty, ninja coat covered him. He didn’t look familiar to Konohamaru, but he guessed he was just another shinobi that had suffered the rage of Pain’s attack.
‘Hi.’ The young man smiled.
Konohamaru nodded at him. ‘Hi.’
‘I’m Eren.’
‘Um, it looks like you’re recovering pretty well…’ That was the only thing Konohamaru could think of saying instead of just being silent.
‘I guess,’ the man muttered. ‘I’ve been in the hospital. People come there to get treated for PTSD, but I’m faking it.”
‘Huh?’ Konohamaru frowned.
‘I guess I’ve been acting like I have amnesia, when really, I just don’t want to go home. I don’t think I can face my family anymore.’
‘So you are from other village?’
A sad smile crossed Eren’s face. ‘I guess you could say that. I’ve been on other… villages, too. And they are all the same. Destroyed, just like this place.’
‘We’re at war, after all.’
Eren sighed. ‘It seems like it.’
‘I wish I could’ve gone to fight with my partners. But they didn’t let me.’ Konohamaru complained with a frustrated voice.
‘That’s a good thing.’
‘Why?’
The young man kept looking at the horizon.
‘You’re a good person. I’m glad you’ll be able to live a full life.’
Konohamaru didn’t know what to answer. The young ninja sighed. ‘I just wish I could be like Naruto…’
‘Who?’
‘He’s like my older brother. He is… The greatest ninja I’ve ever met, the hero of Konoha. But I guess I’m also worried for him.’
Silence came upon them, interrupted by the wounded man.
‘Every day since I came here, I’ve been thinking.’ Eren muttered. ‘Why did things end up this way? To kill, to suffer. Anyone who knew they’d end up this way would never set foot on a battlefield. But something pushes them onward. And they all walk to hell anyway. Usually, that something isn’t their own will. The conditions and people around them leave them with no choice.’
Eren took a second and closed his eyes.
‘But people who push themselves onward see a different sort of hell. They’re looking at something past that hell. It might be hope, or it might be yet another hell. Only the people who keep moving forward can know for sure.’
Konohamaru stared at the young man, puzzled. Eren turned to face him.
‘I’m going to end your hell. I’m going to end all hells and bring balance to this universe.’