The Birth of Freedom

Salute

ARMIN

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the sight before me, the blinding light followed by the searing heat had made it impossible to see what had happened but if I had any doubt before as to what Eren had done, I didn't now.

Encasing Mikasa and me from the outside world was a sizeable grotesque meld of raw flesh and bone, or more precisely the open ribcage of a monster. I couldn't help the fear that was rapidly escalating because I couldn't see Eren anywhere, in fact, I couldn't see anything besides this horror show.

"I know I heard them fire their cannon at us and then there was a tremendous crash and a blast of heat" I rambled, the words from falling out my mouth "Apparently, we are now in the innards of a giant skeleton-"

"Eren did this for us Armin," Mikasa said with conviction "That's all we need to understand for now"

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded. She was right, if he hadn't done this then we would be dead, I needed to remember that. I ran my hands through my matted hair in a nervous gesture when a splash of purple caught my eye.

Those flowers weren't there before. How did they?

"Armin! Mikasa!" Eren's shouted and pulled my thoughts from the flowers "You guys alright?"

 His usual tanned complexation was slightly pale and sweaty as he ran around the steaming bones and kneeling before us. He has saved us, but what I don't understand is how he had saved us.

"Eren how did you...?" I muttered and his eyes snapped to mine.

"I don't know! But look its already started to evaporate, just like a titan corpse" Eren stared at the disintegrating bones for a moment before jumping back on his feet "Let's get out of here."

Go where?!

"Hard to tell if there watching and waiting or just totally dazed. Suppose it doesn't really matter much either way. I'm sure once the smoke clears, they will resume the attack. After seeing this, I think we've blown any hope of reasoning with them" Eren sighed in defeat. He was right, if they were scared before, then they would be terrified now and one thing humans always could be counted on to do was to act irrationally in fear.

"The cellar I'm starting to remember" Eren began "This key, our house in Shiganshina. My father said I have to go back there and that everything hinged on it. Remember when Rian and Aurora told us that their grandfather was hiding secrets from us, I think they were right; Dad knew too, and it's in the cellar. I think that's why he gave me the power to transform, so I could make it back to the cellar and learn the Titan's secrets" 

Clutching the key in his hands, Eren's face began to twist in rage as he paced back and forth. I could understand why, everything we had suffered could have amounted to something more than just pain and senseless death.

"Why did they keep this a secret!" He snarled as he slammed his fist into a steaming rib bone, "How many thousands of scouts have died because my father and Rowan didn't share this information? It could be the last chance humanity has, and the answer has been hidden away under our house this entire time. Were they insane? Rowan's own grandkids face that danger every day because they kept this to themselves! Damn him! Damn them!"

"Where have you been these past five years dad-"

"Eren" Mikasa cut him off mid-rant "We have other business to deal with."

"Right" Eren nodded before kneeling in front of Mikasa, and I once again "Listen, I'm getting out of here."

"Where and how?" I asked before thinking. There was only one place he could go to find answers, and if he was right, they would be in Shiganshina. That was no small task, even in Titan form, he would encounter Titan's everywhere, and there was no guarantee that he would be able to transform again never mind maintain the form long enough to battle his way to Shiganshina. He would need help, the help of someone experienced in the lands beyond Wall Rose and adept at being able to handle Titan's. That only left one option.