The Squad watched as Armin obliterated the Founding Titan. The Founder fell to the ground as the explosion disintegrated its bones. All their eyes widened as fierce gusts of wind blew and as they watched all the Colossal Titans fade away with the wind.
"Eren..." Jean said.
Falco descended as the wind grew too fierce. They could all fall or crash headfirst into the ground. Falco landed on the ground, and they all got off the Jaw.
The crowd of Marlyeans and Eldians ran toward their saviors. The Squad slowly turned around as the crowd surrounded them. Gabi's eyes widened as she saw her parents running up to her.
"Mom! Dad!" That was all Gabi managed to say before her parents engulfed her in a hug. Mikasa felt a faint smile grow as she watched the child.
Pieck looked around and she saw her dad. She ran toward him with her arms extended and the two hugged. Then there was Annie, she looked around in the hopes that maybe she might see her father after 9 years of not seeing him.
She vigorously searched until she saw him with a rifle in his hand. Like the others, she ran at him and hugged him tightly.
As the Reunion happened, Falco got out of his Titans with Reiner's help.
"How are you feeling, Falco?" Reiner asked.
"I'm fine..." Falco said then looked down.
"Did we do the right thing? I mean, after everything I've heard about Mr. Jaeger. And after how he spared both Gabi and I, I can't help but feel bad. He seemed like a nice man." Falco said.
"We did the right thing. Look... It was because of us that these people were spared...Eren was honestly either the best person you could meet or the worst."
"Reiner!" someone in the crowd shouted. Reiner looked back and his eyes widened.
"Mom..."
Karina, Reiner's mom walked toward him at a fast pace and hugged him.
"I'm sorry, son...All this time, I've used you as a tool for vengeance." Karina apologized. Reiner didn't say a thing. He simply tightened the hug as his mother wept.
The Squad just looked at the families reunited. They all then looked back to where the Founder used to be. Armin's Colossal Titan completely wiped it out.
"Damn it...." Levi muttered.
"That brat...He did all this for us."
Hanji was right beside him and she looked down. The others too looked down except for Mikasa who didn't look sad.
"Eren...I'll see you back home."
-
Eren and Other Eren walked around the Titan Realm. It was all over now; it was time for some explaining. Other Eren began explaining everything to Eren.
(To avoid confusion, Other Eren is the cannon version while Eren is the one in this book.)
"Let's start at the beginning..." Other Eren started off.
"This story first started over 100 years ago in your time when I used to walk the earth from which this all stems from. I too did the Rumbling. Like how I've told you before, I destroyed 80% of the world's population to allow my friends to live long, peaceful lives..."
"The Rumbling's purpose wasn't only to give my friends peace, but to rid off the Titan Powers and the Curse of Ymir."
"Curse of Ymir?" Eren asked.
"Yes. The Curse of Ymir was well...A Curse that limited the lifespan of the Titan Shifters. After 13 years, if the Titan Powers weren't inherited, it's powers were transferred to a newborn Eldian."
"I still have the Titan Powers...So does that mean, I have that exact Curse?" Eren asked.
"No. The Founding Titan was destroyed in similar fashion to yours. What I wanted was to rid off both, but I only managed to put an end to the Curse of Ymir. And that's where you came in...."
"When I saw the similarities between my Reality and yours, I knew you'd be the one to finish what I started. When I saw how strong you were and how clear minded you were, I knew you'd be the perfect vessel."
"Vessel? What do you mean by that?"
"When you inherited the Founding Titan from your father, I was able to connect myself with you. With that, I was able to bend your will to my biding."
Eren raised an eyebrow at him.
"What?"
"I was able to control whatever you felt, thought, and did at any given time that I needed you to do something. But there were times whe-" Eren said but was interrupted by a fist that met his jaw.
"You bastard! Do you have any idea how many times I could've prevented something from happening?! All those times I was kidnapped...I used to always blame myself for putting all of them through the trouble of bringing me back.... Why would you do something like that?!" Eren shouted at Other Eren as he lifted him by collar of his jacket. Other Eren didn't seem phased by the punch or the shouting.
"It was all for good reason. I was afraid that if you didn't go through all that, you wouldn't have done this. I needed you to do the Rumbling or else this Titan Curse would've continued...But worry not. I let you stay true to who you were."
Eren lifted him back up to his feet but looked down with his face shrouded in darkness.
"You're telling me that.... After all this time, I wasn't free? I was bound to your will from the beginning...."
"Yeah...But hey, look at where it got us. I can now seal the Titan Powers up for good which as a result close the Titan Realm....You're free." Other Eren said.
There was a long pause between the two. Eren just looked down with his hair covering his face. Other Eren just stood there with his hands in his pockets and waited for Eren to say something. After what felt like years, Eren let out a sigh.
"I guess I should thank you.... I'm free to explore the world just like I've envisioned."
"Yeah...Now, go." Other Eren said. Eren looked up with his mouth open ajar with shock.
"Go....Live the life that I never got to live. Cherish it. Live it to your fullest.... Make her happy."
Eren stayed quiet with the same facial expression. He couldn't find any words.
"Go." Other Eren repeated. Eren let out one last sigh and slowly walked away. Before he left, he put a hand on his other self's shoulder.
"You did well. You fought hard... No one could've gotten us this far...I'm sure all your friends are proud of you...Thank you." Eren said then disappeared.
"Yeah. This is the last time we'll ever speak...Take care...Me." Other Eren said and stayed quiet.
"Now then..." Other Eren said as he walked toward the Paths.
"You did well...Eren." someone behind him said. Other Eren immediately stopped with his eyes widened. That voice sounded familiar. The voice he hasn't heard ever since he said those cruel words to her.
"Mikasa...." Eren said as he slowly turned around. His eyes widened further when he saw her. She had a soft smile on her face. She had the same attire and hairstyle to when he last wrapped the scarf around her.
He walked and slowly turned to running. He ran toward Mikasa before hugging her tightly. Mikasa returned his embrace. This wasn't an apparition; she was actually there standing in front of him. Eren felt tears rushing down his face as he took in her scent.
"I'm....Sorry.... Sorry for.... Leaving you." Eren said between his sobs.
"It's okay...You did all this for us..." Mikasa said and gently pulled him closer. She pulled him close to her chest where he could silently weep.
It was hard to comprehend how hard it must've been on Eren. He confined himself to the barren of a place that was the Titan Realm. He was stuck there for over a century with no one there with him. Eren felt as if he was there for far longer than a century. His weeping was much needed. It was over 100 years of grief.
"You did well, Eren." A crowd of people said. Eren looked behind Mikasa and saw the Squad even Reiner and Annie where there.
Eren stood with Mikasa right beside him and wiped the tears from his face.
"You guys..." Eren said, but his voice was faint and had a slight crack.
"You did well, Eren." Another crowd said behind Eren. He looked back and saw the entire Survey Corps. Hanji, Levi without the scars, Erwin, Moblit, and many others. Eren just stood there not knowing what to say. His eyes were watery and it felt like he could breakdown at any time.
"You did well, my darling." A person behind Eren said. His eyes widened and they flooded tears.
"Mom..."
Eren slowly turned around, but before he could even take a step, he was already engulfed in his mother's embrace.
"I missed you, darling." Carla said.
"I missed you too... Mother." Eren said as he tightly held on to his mother. He was merely 10 years old when his mother died. The last memory he has of her was of that fateful day. Eren cried once more for what felt like years.
"I'm sorry....I'm sorry for never being that obedient little kid you so desired."
"It's okay...I still love you." Carla said then hugged him tighter. There was nothing like the embrace of a caring and loving mother.
After some time, Eren stood, and everyone surrounded. Mikasa tightly held his hand with a soft smile on her.
"Eren, can you come with us?" She asked.
"Yeah...Let me just finish this fight..."
"This was all thanks to him."