The Birth of Freedom

We Rise only to Fall Part Two

MIKASA

Trees raced past me by as I threw myself forward with everything I had following the sound of the familiar primal roar that had moments ago echoed through the forest.

Hold on Eren, I'm coming.

My heart clenched painfully as my mind raced ahead to all the dark possibilities that awaited me because if Eren had needed to transform it was either for one of two reasons. One was to defend himself and the other was to protect Aurora and Rian, both of which suggested something terrible had befallen the Levi squad and my redheaded twin siblings.

Please be alive...

Another roar tore through the forest, and I immediately corrected my course through the trees and it wasn't long before I came across the source of the noise. Flying into a clearing, panic laced through me as I saw Eren's Titan form in wild hand to hand combat with another strangely feminine looking Titan that was clearly the more injured in the fight, with her arms hanging loosely by her sides, as she dodged Eren's powerful strikes causing him to scream in unbridled rage before he crouched down defensively.

I don't understand, she can't use her arms so why isn't he pushing his advantage? What is he protecting?

"SHES ALIVE! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE FIGHT!" A familiar voice boomed through the clearing, and my heart soared as I spotted Rian's strawberry blonde hair beneath Eren's Titan form only to plummet again as I saw what it was he was protecting in his arms.

"RIAN?!" I cried out, and his head snapped up towards me as I grappled myself towards him, tears springing to my eyes.

Please no... not again...

"HELP ME!" Rian begged as I landed on the forest floor and running towards them, I collapsed to my knees in front of Aurora, who was deathly still but for the slight movements of her chest, cradled in her brother's arms. Blood ran down her face and stained her uniform from dozens of cuts and shallow slices across her bruised and swollen face as her eyes rolled into the back of her head every-time she tried to move before she finally closed them, unconscious.

This is all my fault. I should have stayed with them, I should have protected them all.

Another scream ripped from Eren's throat as the Female Titan continued to test his defences and losing himself to his rage, Eren dived at her and tackled her to the forest floor causing the earth to shake violently. We were far too close, one wrong move and Eren or the Female Titan would crush us and judging from the look of fear on Rian's face he had figured this out too.

"Aurora wake up!" Rian shouted as he forcefully jostled Aurora in his arms to rouse her, "We've got to move!"

"Er..eennn." Aurora groaned as she tried to open her eyes again and lift her head only to fall back and crying out in frustration, Rian hauled his sister in his arms and stood to his feet before running for the cover of the trees with me hot on his heels as Aurora's bruised and bloody head rocked back and forth, her mismatched grey and green eyes open slightly and fixed on the Titan battle behind us which was quickly turning in the Female Titan's favour as her arms began to regenerate.

Throwing his fist towards the Female Titan, Eren ploughed all of his power into it only to have his hand broken clean off as the Female Titan's elbow shifted into a crystal-like surface and I watched in horror as she jumped backwards and swung around in a roundhouse kick, taking Eren's head clean off, exposing Eren's real body in his Titan's nape.

NO!!!

Grasping his body, the Female Titan leaned over Eren's human form and forced her jaw open so wide that the sides of her face split before biting down on his Titan nape and tearing him from its flesh and pulling him into her mouth before standing and tilting her head slightly back. Ice cold dashed through my veins as I watched Eren's legs disappear into the Female Titans mouth as she devoured him whole, leaving me alone in this world.