This world is cruel…

Yet…

It is very beautiful…

The flowers painted red from the blood of our comrades…

You can't help but stare at them for a moment…

Appreciating their beauty…

It may seem heartless to say such things.

"That blood once kept a human alive."

But much like how the brighter the light, the darker the shadow, the same can be said for this:

Beauty can be found in the cruelest of things.

The Titans are such an example.

They were meant to be such a greater existence.

Immortals.

That was what they tried to achieve, but we got the Titans instead.

Well, there were two other sub-products, to be exact.

We had her.

And we had the Ackermans.

The story went a little like this.

A government of a nation long forgotten funded a project to create the perfect super soldier. Of course, this was only on text. The true purpose was to create immortality. And it worked…

Well… just not the way they expected.

The first "batch" contained her.

Of course, there were many like her, but she was the only survivor.

This first batch could use the sunlight as energy and regenerate. Records showed that some could even manipulate the light and enlarge themselves. But there was a glaring flaw.

They were not immortal.

Sure, they could heal from critical injuries, but if they were decapitated or lost too much blood, they would die.

The first batch was put into an icy sleep, for they were powerful on their own, but not what the leaders of the project wanted.

That is where the second batch came in. Much like the first batch, the second only had a few survivors. The Ackermans. They could channel the energy they had into their bodies, increasing their strength, agility, and overall combat performance. However, they were considered much more of a failure than the first batch.

They could not regenerate.

So, they too were soon put into an icy sleep.

The third batch is when it all went to Hell.

They did it. They created immortality...

In the form of a monster.

The horror the citizens must have felt when they opened their windows to breath the morning air... only to come face to face with such large monstrosities.

They ate humans. No one knew why. They just… ate.

They kept devouring, and devouring, and devouring.

Many tried to fight, but they were immortal.

Cut off their head? They would grow it back.

Bleed them to death? Even the blood evaporated, so it was useless.

It wasn't until later that humans found out why they ate their kin.

It made them more intelligent.

Funny… those monstrosities were once humans, perhaps they wanted their humanity back? And the only way to do that is to devour it?

There was one Titan that rose above the others. He regained his sanity. Well, most of it anyway. He could manipulate his power so well that he could even disguise himself as a human. How a creature that used to be 15 meters high can become a 6-foot being is beyond human comprehension.

It was around this time when two major events happened. They found that Titans were not immortal. And they found her.

Her name was Ymir.

Scavengers found her in an underground research facility. She was frozen in cryo-sleep, among many others. However, when the scavengers released them, she was the only one to survive.

That was when she told us the Titan's weakness.

She gave us a brief history lesson. When she manipulated the light and "transformed", she resided within the nape of her "Titan".

This was the core of the Titans weakness. Weapons were being massed produced on the idea that the Titans weakness was their nape. It was one such inventor that confirmed it.

His name was Angel Aaltonen. He created a device that allowed for humans to move in all directions to combat the Titans.

The vertical maneuvering gear was created.

It was a success. With this invention, humans could now take to the front lines and battle against the Titan. It was said that most died. However, the Titans were now taking casualties, so it was deemed worth the investment.

Naturally, the Titan who had regained his sanity wasn't pleased. The Humans were numerous, but the Titans? Soon it would be clear who the winner was.

So he set about trying to find a way of reproducing what the scientist created. He wanted to create more Titans.

Around the time of the sane Titan attempting to creating more Titans, another research facility was founded. This one held the Ackermans.

They were strong. Superhuman, even. And they were led under Ymir, becoming her elite soldiers.

The sane Titan grew irritated at Ymir. He had succeeded in creating more Titans. A simple process of just injecting a human with a Titan's spinal fluid, however, those Titans were incompetent. Falling for the most obvious of traps. The sane Titan decided to take action directly.

He was given the name 'Demon of Ymir' for his exploits.

He didn't care about names, what he cared about was how Ymir was winning the war.

Her power to transform into a Titan along with the Ackermans led to crushing defeats for the Titans.

Sure, the humans suffered far worse casualties, but the fact that they just kept sending them was the reason why the Titans kept losing.

The Demon realized the current Titans were too dumb. Being baited into an easy kill could have been avoided if the Titans were at least intelligence.

Se he devised a plan. He would infiltrate human society and slowly feed humans to a selected few Titans.

With these new intelligent Titans, he was able to purge far larger cities than before, resulting in more Titans eating more humans which led to more intelligent Titans.

The human race was being pushed back.

But the worse came when Ymir was betrayed.

The person she had an affair with, the person she loved, betrayed her.

That person, was in fact, the Demon himself.

He had infiltrated human society in a manner that nobody had expected, by becoming Ymir's lover.

By causing her emotional grief, the Demon was finally able to push the humans back.

Back to Paradise Island.

Paradise Island was the last fail-safe in case we lost the war.

Titans can't swim.

Paradise Island was meant to be a safe haven where there was no presence of the Titan threat, however, the Demon was smart. He once again infiltrated the ships that were left to leave for Paradise. With him, a few vials of Titans spinal fluid.

The result was-

A misplaced foot on a root and a stumble.

"Ugh…" A groan of discomfort escaped the lips of a woman.

She had short black hair that was parted to the right side, lightly tanned skin, and gold-colored eyes with a small patch of freckles below each one. She wore the standard Survey Corps uniform and cape with a gray shirt underneath.

"I… I don't want to die…"

Tears fell from Ilse Langnar's eyes as she whimpered.

She had been in the scouts for four years, deeming her as a veteran. She was deployed for the front lines for this expedition.

Only to have said front lines obliterated by an intelligent Titan.

She ran.

What else could she do? Her gear was damaged, she was useless.

So she ran. And wrote.

She had always loved writing, so when a stressful or nervous situation occurred, she wrote.

It started out as something akin to poetry and then delved into humanities history.

She always wanted to write her own story. Inspired by the tragic love and betrayal of Lady Ymir, she aspired to write a love story of a similar tragic tale.

*Thud*

But it appears she wouldn't be able to.

The Titan poked its head out behind the tree she had just stumbled upon.

A six meter Titan with short blond hair.

So this was how it all ended?

She gave a bitter smile as she sat there, tears streaming down her face.

As the hand went to reach for her, her only thoughts were of her parents.

And regret.

Regret was the only emotion that Ilse was feeling.

Regret that she couldn't give anything back to her parents.

Regret that she couldn't write her love story.

Regret that she could do nothing as the Titan picked her up.

It was gentle as if she was a flower. The Titan opened its mouth, revealing the rows of teeth and the dark abyss that led to its stomach.

Time seemed to freeze for Ilse as she inched closer to the maw of the Titan. She saw it before she heard it. A flash of green behind the Titan and then the sound of crackling electricity.

The Titan released its grip on Ilse as it fell down, steam erupting from its nape.

"What's with that pathetic look on your face." A voice spoke up.

She turned to her savior. It was revealed to be a boy of average height, brown disheveled hair with gray eyes. He wore clothes battered in dirt, the only notable thing being his red scarf.

"Well, look on the bright side," He stated as he waved his hand in a nonchalant manner. "At least you didn't piss yourself."

Whatever the girl was thinking was halted as a ting of red formed on her cheeks.

"You… That's not a Scout uniform, and the gear you're using is not standard equipment!"

"I would hope it's not. I made it myself after all."

"That's… That's… You're a civilian?!"

"... Your point?"

"My point?! You are not suppose to be out here! A boy your age should still be in training camp and not fighting Titans! Did you go AWOL just to join the fight!?" At this point, Ilse had stood up, releasing all her frustrations that she had when she was about to die on the boy.

"AWOL? What? No! I am not even in the military. And I am eighteen, just for your information. Also, is this any way to treat the person who just saved you?!"

Despite the near-death experience, despite being in Titan territory with no form of protection, these two found a way to argue.

"Enough!" Ilse finally shouted after a little bickering.

She turned away from the boy, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"T-Thank you. You saved my life."

The boy stood there for a moment before he scoffed for a moment and looked away.

"Yeah, sure." He said with a light blush. This was the first time anyone ever thanked him.

Ilse turned and smiled at the boy. She held out her hand.

"My name is Ilse Langnar." She introduced herself.

The boy gave a hesitant stare at the extended hand.

"Eren… Eren Yeager…" He finally said as he grasped the hand.

"Hmm, well Eren," Her grip on his hand tighten. "Do you know Article Seven, Section thirty-eight of the military law?"

A look of grimace was found on Eren's face as his hand started to hurt from the pressure Ilse was putting on it.

"W-What?"

"The law clearly states that, unless called to action, no civilians can partake in military actions until they have the proper training." She said with a smile on her face.

"So, if you aren't an AWOL soldier, that is at least one to three years of imprisonment."

"H-How can you say such things with that genuine smile on your face?! And I saved you! Also, my hand! My hand!" Eren stated as he kneeled on the ground, face contorted with pain as he tried to pry Ilse's hand off, but the woman had an iron grip.

The girl only tilted her head with the same smile on.

'I shouldn't have gotten involved…' was Eren's only thought on the matter.


"So you're saying you are from the Shiganshina cultivation plan? But that was destroyed eight years ago! They hadn't even erected stone walls, only having those flimsy wood walls as a defense."

The Shiganshina cultivation plan was similar to a cultivating village. The plan was just to prepare land for farming and get people out of the over-populated main three walls. The three main walls were considered the capital of the land of Paradise. Most called it 'central'.

The geography was all based around the three 'goddess' walls. Sina, Rose, and Maria were the walls names. However, the walls only occupied a certain amount of land. So, new areas were needed to be formed due to the dense population. Trains that were powered by the same gas in vertical maneuver gear were created. These trains were made above the ground, and since there were no stationary humans near the tracks, Titans typically stayed out of the path. Of course, this isn't always the case, and maintenance is required frequently. These tracks led to different cultivating villages.

The first few were a success, leading to stone walls that were almost as high as the original three walls.

The ultimate goal of humanity was to continue to expand and eliminate the Titan threat.

"Yes, I was there. I saw all the death and destruction myself." Was Eren's response, taking a somber look.

Ilse sighed.

"Look, I won't ask details. However, I have to ask why you didn't return to the closest town? Surely you didn't have a death wish?"

"Death wish? Of course I have one. Can't you see I am doing a hell of a job trying to make it true?" Eren retorted sarcastically.

Ilse just gave him a glare.

"Alright, alright. I don't have a death wish. The reason I didn't go back to civilization is because I didn't want to."

"Why not? If you wanted to kill Titans, proper training, equipment, and comrades would get you farther than it has with you by yourself."

"That may be true, but the fact is that I don't necessarily want to kill Titans."

Ilse raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, Okay, maybe, just maybe, I want to eradicate them. But my first dream comes first."

"That dream being…?"

"To explore the world. See all the sights it has to offer. Like those giant triangle things, pyramids, I think they were called."

"The entire world? But everything has been lost to the Titans."

"That's why I would go by myself. I just need to figure out how to make a boat. I pretty much explored everything on this island. Expect near the mountain range. For some reason, that place is heavily populated by Titans."

"Well, of course it is heavily populated by Titans, that is where the Titan cult is."

Eren stopped and looked at Ilse with wide eyes.

"They have a cult?!" Eren asked with surprise.

Ilse looked at him with confusion. Then it dawned on her.

"That's right. You were without civilization for eight years. You don't know anything about the current times. The Titan cult rose to power around five years ago. Although rumor has it they were around since the first migration to Paradise Island. Anyways, it is suspected to be the Demon's work… You do know who the Demon is, right?"

"Yes, even I have heard of him. Some crazy bastard that is a Titan, right?"

"More or less. Anyways, their base of operation is somewhere in the mountain range. Those who think that Titans are some 'divine-retribution' or something have abandoned those of the walls and now follow the Demon as well as Titans. They're becoming more powerful by the day. Part of the expedition this time around was to establish a base of operations closer to the mountain range. The plan is, with the help of the Garrison, to purge the mountain tops of all Titans and even the Demon himself.

"This will lead to a world closer to what we dream of. A land without Titans."

"Seems like a pipedream."

"Says the guy that wants to travel the world that is infested with Titans."

Eren looked away at that statement.

"Say what you want, I have the bite to back up the bark."

"Well, in any case, I can see the walls of Gerald. We are almost home free."

Gerald had started out as a cultivation village much like all the cities outside the capital. Now, due to it being the closest and safest city near the mountain range, it was the current base of operations for the Scouts.

Eren had taken the courtesy of escorting Ilse to the city. He wasn't just going to abandon her.

"Damn, those walls are huge." Eren let out a whistle.

"Yeah, while they are only 10 meters less than the original three walls, they are still quite tall." Ilse agreed.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways." Eren stated as he turned to leave.

"Wait, what?!" Ilse immediately grabbed onto Eren as he tried to leave.

"Why would you leave?!"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I am going to explore the world. I just need to find a boat." Eren stated.

Ilse grimaced at the statement. For some reason, she didn't want Eren to leave.

'Alright, the man in front of me is very stubborn. For some unknown reason, I want him to stay with me a little bit longer. I have to use all logic and manipulative talking in my arsenal to convince him to stay! He has survived out here for eight years and must know the terrain well. Yeah! He would be a benefit for the Scouts! That's why you want him to stay!'

Ilse cleared her throat as she prepared for the task at hand. She crossed her arms, turning her head with eyes closed.

"It is quite obvious you are an idiot."

Eren stopped to look at her.

"How so? I lived out here for eight years. Can an idiot do that."

"Apparently so." She cast her gaze on Eren.

Eren's eye twitched a little at that statement.

"Okay, miss 'know-it-all', how am I an idiot?"

"There are no boats that can take you to the old world."

Ilse changed her posture to place a hand on her hip and one in the air as she waved it around nonchalantly as she explained.

"First off, all the boats that we took here are all destroyed, if you explored everything on this island then I am sure you have seen the wreckages. Second, were you planning to make a boat all by yourself? Creating a functional boat is quite difficult. And finally, do you know how to steer one?"

With the final statement said, Ilse smirked as she looked at the dumbfounded expression on Eren.

"Tsk, I will cross that bridge when it happens."

Ilse let out a sigh.

"Building a boat all by yourself would take a long time. Not to mention the failures you are bound to experience due to your lack of knowledge."

"What are you getting at?"

"I am trying to say it would be faster to eradicate the Titans on Paradise Island. Have someone experience build you a boat and learn how to sail in during that time period."

"...How long does it take to build a boat?"

"The shipyard masters can get it done in a few months. But by yourself? Not to mention trial and error, it could take you years. Years you don't have."

Eren stopped to ponder what Ilse had said. All the points she brought up were valid. Although Eren did think the hand gestures were a little over the top.

With a hesitant glance back at the forest, Eren weighed the pros and cons and then made his decision.

"Lead the way."

With that said, Ilse smiled for her victory.

Perhaps this was the deciding moment that led to the change for all of humanity on Paradise Island. Perhaps if Eren decline, the events that are about to unfold would never happen. For better or for worse, Eren was going to have a huge impact on the residents of Paradise Island.