(Annie's POV)

What makes this world so... Beautiful? And yet... Devastating with cruelty?

Do I deserve a felicitous life? A peaceful new beginning?

I cannot answer these questions, and yet I always wonder if death is what will truly bring me peace.

I am hoping that I will find out the answer today.

One of my friends was stabbed. She is in the operating room as we speak. The perpetrator is after me and struck her to send me a message. His name is Adrian. A man who worked alongside my nutcase of a father. He played with my emotions, planned on using me for his evil schemes and now, he wants to face me for one final showdown.

The titan powers, the curse that flows through my veins is his true desire. He wants them for himself and will stop at nothing until he gets his hands on the last vial in my possession. It was given to me by a mysterious man, named Max, and wants me to use it as bait. I can say with confidence that it worked like a charm. 

I arrived at the showdown location, an abandoned port just far enough from my home that no one will be able to bother us as we fight until one of us takes their last breath.  I expect him not to fight fairly and with honor, and I expect him to also bring his team of hooligans to come and fight me as well. There is a high chance that I will not make it out of there in one piece.

But I am aware of all of that, and I seek to end this regardless of the outcome. If I were to die, then so be it. It would be the price to pay for my past mistakes.

I entered the port, expecting them to have arrived way earlier than I did. I walked around for a short while, examining the area and trying to get a sense of it and where the lunatics can be hiding by any chance. I looked at a derelict cargo ship that was in front of me and to no one's surprise, there was Adrian. I could clearly Identify him from the way he was walking in circles. The way he took his steps and moved around back and forth, and judging by his height, I was easily able to Identify him. 

But before I can make my way towards the ship, I started to hear the sound of footsteps running towards me from behind. The sound got louder and louder until I turned around and spotted a figure jumping towards me. My self-defense instincts kicked in and I leaped out of the way of a familiar pair of claws. 

The girl that was the first that Adrian sent to hunt me down got back on her feet after a failed attempt at slicing my head off. She stared at me with a smirk that shows her to be impressed. 

"So... You want to finish this, huh?" She asked.

"Natalia, right? Yes. It's enough. You people nearly killed my friend!" I barked.

"And it's your turn!" She said before leaping towards me and trying to slash again, only for me to block her attack by a crystallized left arm. I followed that with an uppercut using my other arm. I crystallized my entire limbs and got ready to kick some ass. 

I charged at her, trying to punch her in the face, but to my surprise, she got on her feet and backflipped away from the punch and tried to hit me with a backflip kick. I placed my arms in front of my face, protecting it from getting smacked. Then I tried to punch again, hitting her on the right side of her face. She followed her attack by scratching my face, nearly clawing my eye out. I then punched her in the chest and then used my elbow to strike her in the back, making her fall on the ground. 

I followed my attack with a stomp, but she was quick to roll away and then tried to leap at me, which ended up succeeding. She tried to pummel me with her fists, but my quick reaction time made it easy for me to dodge some of her attacks. But once punch managed to hit me, which made me furious. I kicked her off me and then jumped back to my feet. 

"What made you decide that a faux-hawk ish cut looks great on you?" I asked.

"Who are you to judge?" She responded.

"But I gotta say, those bangs make up for the shitty style." 

She tried to claw me twice, but I was able to dodge her while staying in place. I then grabbed her left hand once she tried to slash me a third time. I followed that by punching her in the stomach. But before I could realize it, she stabbed my back with her claws.

I instantly pushed her away and started pulling the claws out of my back one by one. At this time, she was grabbing her right hand and waiting for her claws to regrow back as she panted and breathed heavily. 

"That... Was good." She stated.

"Let's end this." I said before getting back on my feet and letting my back heal itself. 

I quickly charged at her with a superman punch, hitting her in the face. In turn, she slashed my face once again. I punched her and she slashed me. We continued doing so for a full minute, exhausting both of our bodies in the process. I hit her and she slashed me in every part of each other's bodies. 

After the constant slashing and pummeling, I was so exhausted that I went on one knee and tried to catch my breath. But unfortunately, I was completely unaware of her ability to heal quickly. She immediately ran at me, pushing me to the ground and driving her claws in my stomach. 

"AARGH!" I cried in pain.

"You know, I really respect your power. You truly are my strongest opponent. I've never faced someone with such ferocity. I'll never forget you and the challenge you posed for me. Maybe I'll even visit your grave one day and lay some flowers in honor of my dead adversary." She stated.

I got tired of the constant fighting and wanted to finish the confrontation as quickly as possible. I underestimated her abilities and took her for a girl with claws. It was a foolish mistake. 

"I wonder what your boyfriend will say once he sees your dead body!"

The second she said that I was overwhelmed with rage and my wrath knew no equal. I grabbed her hands and broke the claws that were impaling me. I then pushed her off me and got back on m feet, pulling out the claws in the process.

I then charged at her once again and proceeded to inflict an unforgiving pummeling of her entire body. I left her no chance to recover and kept hitting her with the only drive being my unparalleled rage. I then finished off with a punch that was so strong it made her hit the ground with force.

Once I noticed that she was completely down and not getting up, I de-crystallized my body. I then walked towards her ailing body and knelt next to her.

"This... Is unexpected..." She said.

"I've seen lots of strong people, but you... You're something else..." I stated.

"You're not so bad yourself... Too bad I had to find out the hard way."

"You forced my hand. You just had to hurt my friend, hadn't you?" I asked.

"She did not deserve what happened to her. I tried to stop Adrian but he wasn't having it. He wanted you to take you down so badly that he would stop at nothing to get to you. Once he knew you're so close to Sasha, he decided to see what you'll do once you knew she'd be at death's door."

"Well, he's gonna see first hand what I'll do to him once I get my hands on him." I replied.

"H-Hey... How is Sasha doing?" She asked. I was taken back by that question

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"She's a nice person. She probably didn't tell you this, but she was the one to show me around the high-school of yours. We became friends after that." I was bewildered by what I heard. I got even more bewildered once Natalia covered her face and started to cry.

"She's in the operating room. I'm pretty sure she'll make it. You owe her an apology." I stated.

"I do. And I guess I owe you one too. I hope if you make it out alive, you and I can get along. And maybe we can spar together." She proposed.

"Great idea. Oh, and once you heal, don't get in my way. I won't be so gentle if you do." I threatened.

"I knew you were holding back." She said before chuckling. "Trust me. I will not interfere. Godspeed, Annie. You'll need it."

I got back on my feet and made my way towards the ship. I used the stairs that were to the side so I can get to the deck. Once I was up there, I tried to look for any of the remaining three of Adrian's group.  

Suddenly I heard the tapping of feet coming from the direction behind me. When I looked, I was greeted with the sight of one of the twins. The girl had her hands wrapped and was tapping her feet while looking at me. She then used her index finger to gesture me to come to her before she walked to the left, disappearing behind a container. 

I made my way to the forecastle, which was where she was located. Her brother was there too. He was staring into the horizon and watching as the day neared its end. When they noticed that I made it there, they both stood next to each other and stared at me blankly. 

"So you defeated Natalia, I see?" The girl asked. 

"I did. But here's the thing. She had the decency to introduce herself. You two, on the other hand, I never got to know your names." I replied.

"We have no name." The boy replied. "We are the product of the cruel and inhumane experiments conducted by the same people responsible for your suffering as well."

I stayed silent out of my shock and disbelief by what I heard.

"My father?!" I asked.

"Not just your old man. But the people who hired him and made use of his work."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Despite our long and arduous search for answers, we found nothing. That's when Adrian took us in and made us part of his own family." The boy replied.

"But he didn't give you names?" I asked.

"That decision was left to us. But to this day neither of us have decided on one. Can we ask you for an inquest? When it comes to names, is the choice up to the individual? Or is it a forced upon you by the people who bestow you with life?" The girl asked the first while the boy asked the other.

"Okay, so can I name you? Let's go with... Uh... Adam and Eve!" I suggested.

"Naming us based on religious figures? That is quite interesting... But for now, we'll have to put an end to you and seize your powers for us!" 

"Okay then. We'll discuss names later and see what'll be written on your tombstones."

Both of them ran at me at the same time. They both jumped at me with the purpose of striking a kick on my face. But before they were able to strike me, I ducked and rolled forward, dodging their attack. 

But what I found amazing in their attack is the incredible coordination and synchronization of their technique. They both ran at me at the same time and jumped in sync. Plus their kick is coordinated perfectly. 

They have decided to perfect their technique since the last time we met. Either that or that the fact that last time they were fighting against Eren and me simultaneously made them decide on a different technique. One that made them fail. But now that in this encounter I am by myself, It's easier for them to fight me with the coordinated and synchronized technique.

As I expected, my theory was proven true when they tried to punch me at the same time. The girl who is on the left of me used her left hand, while the boy used his right. I held my arms in front of me and crystallized them in order to block their attacks. Then they tried to punch me with their other fists, but I grabbed them.

"I like your techniques! But there's only one problem. I too, know how to coordinate my body!" I said before throwing them away. 

When separated, one of them stands no chance against me. And they seem to acknowledge that fact. My plan was to separate them and take them down one at a time. It is much easier that way. And if done correctly, I could end this confrontation swiftly. 

I rushed to the boy and punched him as soon as he got back on his feet. Meanwhile, his twin was trying to get up herself. I took this opportunity and tried to get 'Adam' into a choke hold. Unfortunately for me, it ended up being a failure. I got kicked in the face as a result.

Before I could regain any form of posture, she started stomping me and kicking the living H E double hockey sticks out of me. 

"DO. NOT. TOUCH. MY. BROTHER!" She snapped at me. 

Before she could kick me one last time, I grabbed her foot and threw her away. But when I got back to my feet, I got tackled by the twin brother. He got on top of me and pinned my hands to the forecastle floor.

"You are one gorgeous lady." He said as he eyed my body, scanning me with his eyes, up and down. "You are so pretty that I now understand why Adrian is so fixated on you."

I started to feel his boner pressing against me. It felt really disgusting and sickening to be in this position. I started to understand what rape victims feel like, even though it is not as horrific as what they experienced. However, I had the feeling that he is not planning on raping me, only that I am so sexy that he got a boner. But it is still a revolting experience to have. 

"Stop thinking with your ding dong and learn to cover it!" I said before striking his sensitive area with my knee, which resulted in him letting out a pained cry and rolling to the other side while still holding his crotch.

When I was getting back on my feet, the girl rushed at me once again and tried to hit me with her foot once again. This time, though, I grabbed her foot. I gave her a moment to realize her mistake and watch in bewilderment as I threw her away.

She flipped backward in midair and landed on her feet. At that instant, I was already standing and striking her with a punch to the face. Unfortunately, she dodged it, dodged the second one and then the third. She tried to grab my back and throw me with a German suplex, but my body was too heavy for her. I took that opportunity and pushed her down. We both fell on the floor, with me on top of her.

I got back up and tried to come down at her with a punch, but her twin got back on his feet and punched me when I wasn't looking, taking me by surprise. When I tried to punch him back, the female slid her foot, tackling me like a soccer player. I fell on my face, and it was embarrassing. 

I rolled away from the danger before either of them could try to attack me further. I then got back on my feet and followed that with an attack of my own. I struck the boy with a corkscrew kick that landed on his face and made him fall to the ground. The kick was so hard that it knocked him out cold. 

The remaining twin tried to punch me but I grabbed her fist and punched her back. I then followed that punch with another punch before grabbing her by the head and smacking her with a headbutt. 

She couldn't keep her balance and so she fell on the ground, tired and unable to continue. When I noticed how beaten she was, I stopped fighting and grabbed her. I then laid her back on a machine part that was rusting away. 

"So... What shall you name us?" She asked.

"I haven't thought of that. I guess I'll call you... Uh... Axel and... Claire. Is that ok?" I suggested. She smiled at the names and nodded.

"I like these names..."

"Tell me. What do you know about the people responsible for our suffering? I need as much information as you can give me." I stated.

"I've never seen them in person, neither did my brother... Axel." She informed. "We only saw scientists that experimented on us with painful drugs and myriad tests... All I am aware of is that we are nothing but weapons... Deployed as experimental prototypes of sorts... The rest is beyond my ken."

"How did Adrian find you?"

"After we were sent to execute a number of people, we were to commit suicide. They believed that we were obsolete... They believed that after long exposure to the real world, we would become tainted with 'free will'. And they were right. As soon as our last target was eliminated, we found a warehouse where we took knives to our throats. But when I saw the look of fear in my brother's eyes, something snapped inside of me. I hastened over to him and took the knife from his hand as I did with mine. Then we wandered the general area around Ukraine until Adrian found us." She explained.

"He taught us a lot about life. How to play, laugh and even how to love. He taught me how to express my feelings of desire towards a male counterpart, and even taught me myriad methods of pleasure." 

"Wait a sec. So you're saying Adrian taught you how to pleasure yourself?!" I asked.

"He also made love with me and gave my suppressed feelings of pleasure release." 

"Oh my god..."

"Natalia was already his love interest and still is. She does not know about us. I beg of you, do not reveal to her what I just informed."

I was shocked beyond belief. What Claire revealed was beyond believable. I cannot tell whether I should be furious or afraid. Without saying a word, I got back to my feet and pressed on towards the next target.

The only thing that was left standing between Adrian and me, is a giant beast that can easily crush my skull with one hand. The only problem is that I cannot find him. But as I was walking around the deck, I started to hear the sounds of giant footsteps coming from the cargo holds. 

"So that's where you are!" I stated before running into an open hatch and used a conveniently placed ladder that took me down towards one of the containers that were stacked on top of one another.

The ship was massive and the holds were gigantic. But what truly baffles me is the complete abandonment of this entire port. It was like a ghost town, completely empty and not a sign of life anywhere.

The giant's footsteps were already getting louder when I made it down to the area itself. But as soon as I made it inside, the footsteps started to echo loudly and didn't stop at all. I used the sound to determine where the giant was exactly and if there is a way I could finish him quickly. 

the entire vibe was that of a horror game. A horror game with me as the protagonist. The sound of the footsteps made it even more horrifying than it already was. Not to mention the fact that the cargo holds are not lit, with the sole source of light being the hatches that are open and barely illuminate anything. 

When the footsteps got close enough, I looked down from my container, only to see the figure of the giant dude walking past me, not even noticing me. I took a very deep breath and crystallized my limbs and ran in his direction. I then jumped on his back and then punched him in the head several times. 

From his reaction, he was startled. I took that as a sign of a good start and continued pummeling the side of his head. However, the edge I had with that surprise attack did not last long, as he grabbed me and threw me off of him.

When I landed in front of him and got back up, I managed to get a somewhat accurate measurement of his horrifying height. Standing around 7 feet tall, this giant is walking with a trench coat and a fedora. His eyes were gazing at me with pure and unbridled rage. I felt that my heart was about to stop at any moment. 

With the fight or flight response kicking in, I chose the flight and immediately hauled ass away from the hulking giant that was chasing after me. He tried to grab me with his hand, but I jumped away from his grip and continued sprinting away from him. 

When he couldn't grab me, he tried throwing things at me. Anything that was there was a potentially lethal projectile that was going to either crush me or impale and pierce through me. But when I found a wider area where I can comfortably navigate, I turned around and tried to slash at him with a sharp end of my crystalized hands. I slid on the ground and sliced his right leg. He seemed to be hurt by it as his response was one of pain. 

But that is when I committed a grave mistake. I tried to slash at his nee again, only for him to grab me and pin me to the ground before picking me up again and smashing me against a nearby wall. 

I fell on the ground with my chest broken to pieces and the pain so overwhelming, I couldn't move an inch. I lied there, screaming in pain as the giant man thing walked towards me, intending on squashing me with his foot. He looked at me and gave me a look of contempt before raising his foot over my broken and ailing chest. 

Suddenly, two bullets struck him in the forehead.

"Hey, let her go, you giant meatsack!" A voice spoke. When I looked at the perpetrator, I saw the guy Eren referred to as Levi.

Then, a sword materialized from light in front of me, and out of nowhere, Noctis was there.

"I'm in the mood to bash some heads in." He said.

Immediately after they came for my aid, a pair of hands grabbed me and set me aside. When I stared into her face I saw Mikasa Ackerman in her full glory, looking back at me with a smile. 

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I've seen better days." I said before getting back up on m feet as my body healed in its entirety.

"There is only one person that's left. And I want to see this through myself. If you three can handle this brute, I'd be in your debt. Even more than I already am."

"Go. We'll be fine here."

I made my way back up to the deck and then traversed it as I'm heading to the bridge. I entered through the accommodations and passed through all the rusty rooms and corridors. The stairs did not stand the test of time either, as every flight I went up using is rusty and a few jumps away from falling. Soon, I arrived at the top where Adrian was waiting.

He stood there, his back turned towards me as he watched the sunset. I knew that he noticed I was standing behind him. And he knew full well that it's time to end this.

"Adrian..." I called out.

"So... This is it." He said.

"It is."

"You know... I was kinda hoping it would end differently." He stated.

"How so?"

"I wanted to flee all of this... With you." He said. "I wanted both of us to have a happy ending together." 

"After what you did to my friend?!"

"You forced my hand."

"You came here, trying to hunt me down!" I yelled.

"Wasn't it you who came after your father, deceived us both and landed him somewhere where the sun can't reach?!" He asked.

"He destroyed my life! He took everything from me! I had to watch my brother take her last breath, and all of that was his fault!" I yelled. He stayed silent, nodding.

"My parents tried to kill me, you know... Everything I told you about my past is a lie... It was because of your father's decision to take me in that I'm alive to this day..." He revealed. 

I did not know how to respond. My mind was conflicted. My father is the source of all the misery in the world, but he took this kid in and raised him as his own. Why? Why would he do such a thing? If he doesn't care about his own flesh and blood, then why would he go out of his way to save a stranger?

"Your father, he... He told me that in raising me, he felt that he was trying to make up for destroying you. He felt extreme remorse. I had to talk him many times out of suicide, and yet that didn't stop him. He probably doesn't even know his wife passed away."

"SHUT UP!" I barked at him. "Don't you try to pretend to be a good person! You nearly killed my friend!"

"I'm not. I acknowledge that I am a bad piece of work, but are you a good person? I highly doubt it."

I pulled out the vial of the titan that miraculously survived the entire onslaught of superpowered humans. When I flashed it in front of him, his eyes went wide with shock.

"So you DID have it!" He stated.

"No, you idiot! I made a trip all the way to my old home to bring it for you! It's a shame you don't know how to use your brain." I said, lying to him. "Now let's finish this, Adrian! Once and for all."

He cracked his knuckles with a smile.

"May the better fighter emerge the victor." He said before we both rushed at one another. 

His hardened fist clashed with my crystallized ones. We started punching and kicking each other like angry gladiators. He punched me so hard he sent me stumbling into the edge, but I quickly recovered and kicked him back in the chest. 

"I am not losing to the likes of you!" He stated.

"We'll see about that!" I replied.

He tried punching me, but I blocked it and tried to return the favor, only for him to do the same as me. That's when I tried sweeping his legs and make him trip. He fell but instantly started to do a windmill, kicking me in the face.

I was sent flying away, hitting the edge once more. I then rushed at him with a superman kick, resulting in him getting punched while I got another kick to the face. My punch made him lose balance and fall to the ground, but he immediately got back up and hit me with a punch to the stomach just when I was recovering.

"Someone's holding back!" He noted.

"I'm trying to go gentle on you."

"Can you believe that I was inside you at one point? Oh, and let's not forget! You loved it!" He said, mocking me for the time he manipulated me and my vulnerable emotions.

I replied to him with a righteous kick to the face, followed by a series of punches to the stomach. But before I could react, he grabbed me by the neck and slammed me to the ground. 

"Now, about that serum." He said as he tried to take the syringe from my hoodie pocket. I struck him with a well-timed punch as soon as I spotted an opening.

When I got back on my feet, I saw him laughing maniacally. That is when I spotted the syringe in his hand. 

"And now... The power is in my hands... As thy powers mix with mine sins, maketh me a monstrosity from within!" He said before jamming the syringe in his neck. 

I watched as the power of the titan fused with his body, making his veins glow and his eyes do so as well, in an unnatural golden hue. All the while he laughed like a total psychopath. He then stared at me with a devilish grin on his face.

"Power... This... Is... POWER!" He shouted.

I crystallized my entire body and got myself ready to charge at him at any moment. When he saw me do that, he did the same. I crystallized my body as much as I can and watched him as he hardened his skin.

And then, we charged at one another, intending to end it all with one final strike. With everything culminating into this final moment, I placed everything that I had into this one, final, definitive strike. Our giant leaps got us so close to each other that our attacks were merely inches away from impacting!

But suddenly, I heard a deafening roar from the sky as a large amount of lightning struck at exactly the precise spot that was between Me and Adrian. And that's when I felt a hand at my chest, halting my attack and canceling it completely. The same was for Adrian as we both stared in bewilderment at the person who got between us.

However, the biggest shock was to me, as I instantly recognized the man who stood between me and my arch nemesis. His brown hair, his white skin... The eyes that were glowing and burning in blazing green color.

"Eren?"

Lol, sorry for the shit edit. But anyways, how was this chapter? Tell me your thoughts in the comments down below and don't forget to vote and Keep On Reading!