AUTHOR'S POV:
The two children walked in silence after Mieko got the old memories.
They soon passed by a small natural pond.
Mieko looked down at the pond to see her reflection. "Edric..."
"Hmm?" Edric said.
Mieko looked at him. "What are we... going to do once we find Eren Yeager's grave?"
Edric looked at her and grinned. "What do you think we're gonna do? We'll dig open his grave, pull out his skeletal remains and take home his skull." He bit his lips to surpass his laughter.
Mieko's eyes widened. "B-But..." She shook her head. "What if we get cursed?" She asked, scared.
Edric chuckled. "What worse could happen? The return of Titans?"
Mieko smacked his back. "Don't jinx it! What if it comes true?"
Edric chuckled and looked ahead. "Then... We all will die."
"Just like that?" Mieko said. "Edric, you're scaring me." She looked away. "I'm afraid you might get me killed someday."
Edric looked at her with wide eyes. "No! I won't let that happen, I promise!"
Mieko looked at him and giggled. "Who knows."
"So you don't believe me anymore?" Edric asked and playfully pouted. "I see." He looked away.
Mieko seemed to not take his joke. She got scared and quickly grabbed Edric's shoulders and turned him towards her. "No no! I trust you, Edric! I was just joking! Sorry!"
Edric chuckled, making Mieko confused.
Mieko tilted her head. "Huh?"
"Oh. I was joking too." Edric said and laughed again.
Mieko blushed in embarrassment. She smacked Edric's head. "You idiot! I got scared!"
"Scared of?" Edric asked, confused.
Mieko looked away. "Scared of losing my only friend."
Edric smiled and wrapped his arm around Mieko. "Don't worry. I won't leave your side."
Mieko looked at him, blushing. "Th-thank you..."
Edric chuckled and poked Mieko's cheek. "You're so-"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, two wild dogs approached them, growling.
Mieko gasped and stepped back behind Edric.
Edric pushed her further behind him. Then he leaned his bicycle on a tree and picked up a stick from the ground.
Mieko clutched the back of Edric's shirt and squeezed her eyes shut, trembling. "Edric! D-Do something!"
Edric held the stick before him, clenching his teeth.
The dogs slowly approached them, growling.
Edric furrowed his eyebrows. "Stay away from us!" He yelled at the top of his lung.
Suddenly, many birds flew away and the dogs stopped in their tracks as if they sensed something.
"You bastards! I'll kill you!" Edric yelled.
The dogs whimpered and ran away in fear.
Edric let out a breath and threw the stick away. "It's alright now. Don't worry."
Mieko slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Th-They are gone?"
Edric turned around. "Yeah."
Mieko hugged him tightly. "Thank you."
Edric hugged her back. "It's ok and it's my fault anyways." He looked down. "I dragged you here."
Mieko pulled away a bit and smiled. "It's ok, Edric. Let's finish our journey."
Edric smiled. "Yeah..." He went towards his bicycle and held it's handlebar. "Let's go." He started walking.
"Hmm..." Mieko said and walked with Edric. Then she pulled the scarf up a bit.
After 10 minutes, they stopped before a giant bush.
That's when multiple crows flew away in the distance.
Mieko gasped and cluched to Edric's left hand. "Edric...?"
"Seems like... we are closer... closer than before." Edric said and pushed the bushes aside.
Mieko nodded and let go of Edric's hand.
After passing through the giant bush, they stopped as they saw a giant and old tree with countless branches in the middle of the forest, surrounded by Campanula flowers.
Edric pointed his right hand towards it. "There it is. The tree under which Eren Yeager was buried... 2000 years ago."
Mieko just stared at the tree with wide eyes as she felt nostalgia.
She brought her hand closer to her chest. "Why this place feels... so familiar to me..." She looked around. "...as if I've been here multiple times before..."
Edric looked at her. "Really?"
Mieko turned to him. "Yeah. Don't you feel like you have been here before too?"
Edric shook his head and looked at the tree. "Not exactly... But..." He stepped forward a bit. "It feels like... this is where everything started..." He walked up towards the tree.
Mieko walked with him. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure myself." Edric said and grabbed Mieko's wrist. "Let's go there." He started walking.
Mieko's eyes widened. She hesitantly nodded and started walking. "Edric, wh-what if we mistakenly awake the titan powers?"
"We won't." Edric said, still looking ahead.
"How can you say for sure?" Mieko asked.
Edric didn't reply and stopped before the tree. "Surprisingly this tree is still alive." He looked up to its branches.
Mieko looked around. "So, where is Eren Yeager's grave?"
Edric let out a sigh. "I don't know..." He began to walk around the tree to find any lead. "That has to be somewhere here." He looked around the area. "There is nothing here." He let out a sigh. "All of that for nothing..." He sat down under the tree, facing west direction.
Meiko came closer to him and kneeled in front of him. "So, what should we do now?"
Edric just stared at her. "I dont-"
Just then, a scenario flashed before his eyes.
.
.
.
The person Edric seeing the moment was laying under the tree, staring at a 10 years old girl with black haired girl.
The girl had kneeled before him, looking at him with a smile.
"Mikasa?" The person said with
confusion.
"It's about time you woke up." The girl said, still smiling. "We should be heading back."
The person sat up. "Your hair... Since when it's long?" He person tiredly asked.
The girl playfully punched the person's shoulder and giggled. "You were sleeping tight enough to spout that kind of nonsense upon waking up?" She stood up.
The person held his head. "No... it just feels like... I was having a really long dream."
The girl went to grab her firewood.
The person rubbed his forehead. "What was it again?" He looked away. "I don't remember a thing." He slowly stood up.
The girl hoisted up the fire wood in her back and turned to him. Her eyes widened a bit. "Eren, what's wrong?" She stepped closer to him.
"Huh?" The person said, confused.
The girl stood before him. "Why are you crying?" She asked with concern.
"Huh?" The person said and touched his face in confusion. "Why? I'm not sure..."
The girl gently wiped his tears with her palm. "Oh Eren."
.
.
.
"Edric! Edric!" Mieko called out, shaking Edric's shoulders.
Edric gasped and came back to his senses. "Mikasa?"
"Mikasa who?" Mieko asked with confusion. She shook Edric's shoulders again.
"Huh?" Edric said. "What... happened?"
Mieko stood up straight. "You spaced out all of a sudden." She turned to her left as a bird flew away.
"I-I did?" Edric asked, surprised.
Meiko turned to him. "Yeah you-" She stopped as she noticed something. She stepped a bit closer. "Why are you crying, Edric?"
"Huh?" Edric said and touched his tear strained face.
Mieko bent down and gently wiped his tears with her palm. "Did you see any kind of memory? And why did you refer me as 'Mikasa'?"
Edric looked down and held his head. "It feels like... I saw a memory... memory of someone who also had a... long dream like us..."
"Really?" Mieko asked, surprised.
"Yeah-" Edric said and gasped as suddenly a part of the trunk of the tree he was leaning against, fell off behind him.
Edric quickly stood up, grabbed Mieko's hands and backed away from the tree.
"Wh-what was that?!" Mieko asked, scared.
They looked at the broken area to see a entrance to go inside the tree.
Edric stepped forward a bit and let go of Mieko's hands. "It's an entrance... a doorway..."
Mieko looked at him. "Edric, let's go back-"
Edric grabbed her shoulders and looked at her eyes. "No we can't! Not when we're this closer to our answers!"
"But what if something bad happens?" Mieko asked.
"Then I'll protect you as I did before." Edric said and grabbed her hands. "Please Mieko."
Mieko just stared at him with mouth open. Then she looked at the tree. "Ok..."
Edric smiled and hugged Mieko. "Thank you!"
Mieko smiled and hugged him back. "But if I die, tell my parents that I loved the-"
Edric pulled away. "No! You won't die!" He held her wrist and turned to the tree. "Let's go!" He started walking.
"Hmm..." Mieko said, still scared.
Edric pulled out his phone and turned on the flash light.
They stood at the entrance and looked at eachother.
"Ready?" Edric asked.
"Ye-Yeah..." Mieko replied hesitantly.
Edric gave her a reassuring squeeze and looked ahead. "Let's go." He held his phone before him, lighting the area.
They slowly entered the tree.
The inside of the tree wasn't too big in the area.
Edric flashed his light ahead to see two perfectly cleaned stones, placed next to eachother.
"What... is that?" Mieko asked, looking at the stones.
"How is this perfectly cleaned?" Edric asked and let go of her hand. "And on top of that, how did it get here?" He looked around. "Did this tree obsorb it?"
"May be my uncle, Lyron lives here." Mieko said and giggled.
The two children stopped and bent down before the two stones.
Edric's eyes widened. "There is something written on these!" He flashed his light on the stones.
Mieko looked at the stone on the right. "'Here lies the broken lover, the love of his life, forever drifting off into sleep, beside him.'" She looked at Edric. "Huh? What does it mean?"
Edric looked at the stone on the left. "'Here lies my dearly beloved, the love of my life, forever drifting off into sleep." His eyes widened at the realisation. He looked at Mieko. "It's the gravestone of Eren Yeager and his lover!"
Mieko gasped. "R-Really?!"
Edric looked back at the gravestones. "Yeah... I don't know why but..." He looked at Mieko. "You touch that gravestone..." He looked at the gravestone. "I'll touch this one."
"Huh?" Mieko said, scared. "Wh-why?"
Edric looked at her. "I've a feeling that... Something wants us to do this..." He put his phone down on the ground, screen first.
Mieko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok..."
Edric nodded.
Both of them interwined their fingers and looked back at the gravestones.
Slowly, they brought their hands forward and made contact with the gravestones of Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman.
They gasped as small sparkle of purple electricity crackled around their hands.
Their eyes widened as the entire life of Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman flashed through their eyes.
While Edric saw the life vison of Eren Yeager from his birth till his last promise which he made to the dead Mikasa, Mieko saw the life vison of Mikasa Ackerman from her birth till her death.
After what felt like an eternity, the memories flash finally ended.
Both of them fell to their knees as that was too much to handle.
Edric held his head while tears rolled down his face. "That was... hell..."
Mieko covered her face with her palm, leting out muffle cries. "Does that mean..."
"We're the reincarnation of Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman..." Edric said, still holding his head.
Mieko began to cry, knowing the fate of their past versions. "Why! Why did they have to be separated at the end!" She sniffed. "Why this world has to be so cruel! Why!" She took a shaky breath. "Mikasa Ackerman. She lost her parents at our age!" She sobbed again. "She saw the cruelty of the world from a young age!" She sniffed. "She did everything to protect Eren just so that at the end she could..." She chocked on a sob.
Edric broke out of his trance and took a deep breath.
He turned to Mieko and sat her down properly. Then he kneeled before her and caressed her back.
Mieko suddenly hugged Edric tightly and sobbed in his chest. "Edric! Why! She must had to..."
Edric hugged her back, crying. "It's their destiny, Mieko. They could have done nothing..." He continued caressing her back.
"But still..." Mieko said and chocked on a sob. "That was... unfair... for her! For Eren Yeager!"
"Don't cry, Mieko." Edric softly said. "Look, they're reincarnated as us to fulfill their unfulfilled promise." He pulled her away a bit and wiped her tears. "I know we're just kids but let's do what we once promised eachother in our previous life."
Mieko nodded and her sobbing slowly died down. "Yeah..." She stared at his eyes.
Edric smiled. Then he leaned forward and gently kissed Mieko's forehead.
Mieko blushed and her eyes widened. "Eh?"
Edric chuckled at her blushing face and poked her cheeks. "You get so easily embarassed!" He joked, trying to distract her from the bad memories.
Mieko shyly smiled and looked away. "Shut up!"
Edric poked her nose and chuckled. "I won't!"
Mieko looked at him, smiling. "Then, take this!" She grabbed Edric's shoulders.
"Huh?" Edric said, confused.
Mieko suddenly leaned forward and kissed Edric on his cheek. "This."
Edric blushed heavily and looked away.
Mieko giggled and poked Edric's cheeks. "Now tell me who is embarassed!"
"Uh..." Edric said.
Mieko laughed at his reaction, making Edric laughed too.
After some moments, Edric turned to her and smiled. "So, we met again..." He looked at the tombstones.
"We did." Mieko said with a smile and looked at the tombstones. "After 2000 years... we met again..."
Edric gently grabbed her shoulders and stood her up. Then he smiled. "Let me do what I promised to do in our past life." He began to remove his scarf from Mieko's neck.
"Huh?" Mieko said, confused. "Why are you...?"
Edric fully removed his scarf and held it.
"Edric?" Mieko said.
"Don't you remember?" Edric asked and began to wrap his scarf around Mieko.
"Eh?" Mieko asked, confused.
"I once promised you to wrap this scarf around you as many times as you want." Edric said, blushing. "Now and forever... as much as you want." He tossed the last of the scarf over her head, leaving only her left eye visible.
Mieko smiled and blushed. Then she looked down at the scarf and gently held it. "I remember it..." She looked up at him. "You wrapped this scraf around me, Thank you Eren."
Edric chuckled. "It sounds so weird to be referred as 'Eren." He looked back at the tombstones. "Not to mention to know that we are basically reincarnated..."
"Yeah..." Mieko said and looked at the tombstones.
Edric looked at her. "In our past life, you were always there to protect me. Now, it's my turn to return the favour." He smiled.
Mieko looked at him with a smile. "Thanks."
Edric looked back at the tombstones. "That book was right. It was actually Mikasa Ackerman who freed the world from the curse of titans."
"Yeah..." Mieko said.
"Let's leave some Campanula flowers for them." Edric said and smiled. "Mikasa Ackerman's favourite flower."
Mieko smiled. "Yeah." She held Edric's hand and interwined her fingers with his.
Both of them left, holding hands to bring flowers.
After bringing some flowers, both of them gently put the flowers before the gravestones.
That's when a small glowing centipede creature with multiple tentacles came crawling towards them from a small hole.
Edric and Mieko gasped and backed off a bit.
"It's the creature that gave powers to Founder Ymir!" Edric said with a terrified expression.
Suddenly, the creature began to glow and turned into glowing particles that soon dissolved into the air.
"Huh?" Edric said and brought his hand towards the glowing particles. Some particles fell on his palm and vanished.
Mieko stepped forward and looked at the particles in amazement.
Edric smiled. "So, this creature was waiting for us... to come here..."
"For 2000 years..." Mieko said and smiled.
"Yeah..." Edric said and turned to the entrance. "Let's leave before night falls." He picked his phone up from the ground and put it back in his pocket.
Mieko's eyes widened. "Right. Let's go!"
Both of them looked at the gravestones one last time and left the tree.
.
In the distance, Founder Mikasa was looking at them, leaning on a tree with a smile. 'You did it, Eren. You got to meet your Mikasa again.' She closed her eyes. "It's now my time to meet my Eren..." Her body began to glow and turned to glowing particles which soon went up to the sky.
.
Edric held his bicycle handlebar. "I think there is a short cut from here."
"Really?" Mieko asked, hopeful.
"Yeah..." Edric replied. "I saw it from someone's memory." He started walking towards the south. "This way."
Mieko caught up to him. "Today was exhausting." She yawned.
Edric looked at her. "Yeah... I never imagined I'd be the reincarnation of Eren Yeager..." He looked ahead and let out a sigh. "It's not that I like what he did but he had no other choices..."
"Yeah..." Mieko said. "He saw his own future through his father's memories. Right?"
"Yeah..." Edric said and yawned. "Let's keep our discovery a secret."
Mieko looked at him and smiled. "Yeah... But it's not like anyone will believe us anyways." She giggled and looked ahead.
"Well, Aart sure will believe us." Edric said.
"You mean Armin?" Mieko asked and smiled.
Edric chuckled. "Yeah... Armin."
"Everyone has reincarnated. Huh?" Mieko said.
"I guess." Edric said and looked at her. "How many of them have you met so far?"
Mieko looked at him. "Mine and your parents? Well, I can't recognise some of them but, I think my uncle Lyron Amster was Levi Ackerman."
"Really?" Edric asked, surprised.
"Yeah..." Mieko said. "Both of them have some kind of obsession with cleaning." She giggled. "And both of them are short."
Edric chuckled. "Well, I know just two or three of them."
"Really?" Mieko asked with a smile.
Edric looked ahead. "I'm sure that my half brother, Zaccary Yachmann was definitely Zeke Yeager."
"You have a half brother?" Mieko asked, surprised.
Edric looked at her. "Yeah. He is my Dad and his first wife, Daniele Fritsch's son." He looked ahead. "And you probably know about Dina Fritz. The titan who ate... Eren's mother."
"Yeah..." Meiko said and looked ahead. "So, anyone else you know?"
"Um..." Edric said, thinking. "I think my Dad's friend Hanssen was Hannes."
"You think so?" Mieko asked.
"Well, both of them love to drink and get waste." Edric said and smiled. "And may be, our national defence Commander, Edbert Sampson was actually Erwin Smith."
"Really?" Mieko asked. "I've never heard about him." She looked ahead.
Edric looked ahead. "Well, both of them are calm and determined person." He looked at her and smiled. "Both of them have thick eyebrows." He chuckled.
Mieko looked at him and giggled. "Really? You take note of people's eyebrows?"
Edric blushed in embarrassment and looked away. "No..."
Mieko giggled at his blushing face. "Do you think the famous Titan researcher Ms. Halena Zancarol is actually Ms. Hange Zoe?" She smiled.
Edric looked at her and thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "Yeah. She definitely was Ms. Hange. The crazy Titan lover from the past." He chuckled.
Mieko giggled. "I guess some things never change."
"Yeah..." Edric said and looked ahead. "I hope this time we all live a long and happy life..."
Mieko smiled and interwined her fingers with Edric's. "I hope so too." She looked ahead. "All of them suffered so much." She looked at Edric. "This is why..."
Edric smiled and looked at her.
"We deserve this new life..."
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