[Part 1: Final Words]

Marcel sighs as behind him stand Marco and Armin. Behind them sitting on chairs inside the flying boat Mikasa Jean and Connie on one side and on the other are Levi and Pieck with Reiner and Mina looking outside the window. Miche stands by the explosives making sure nothing happens with them.

"Our fuel." Armin says softly noticing how much fuel is in the plane.

Onyankapon nods softly. "Yes... we were only able to fuel halfway."

"Will it be enough to get to Fort Salta?" Marcel asks.

"I promise you I will get us there. This flying boat that Hange got us was the commanders final hope. I will get us to that base. No matter what. So please promise me that you will stop the rumbling. No matter what it takes." Onyankapon says determined causing Marcel to smile lightly.

"Of course. We're counting on you, Onyankapon." Marcel says placing a hand on Onyankapon's shoulder. He then stands up straight and turns to everyone else. "Okay. Let's discuss our plan." Pieck first describes to them how Eren looks and as such they make a drawing of Eren from the side. "Captain Pieck. Is this what he looked like when you saw him?"

Pieck nods. "Yes... though it's not as if I got a good look at it. Basically it's a stupidly big pile of moving bones like a bug. Normally the body controlling it would be in its nape."

"But we can't be sure anymore since we know for a fact that he has some capabilites of the Warhammer." Marcel comments.

"In other words we don't know where 'Eren' is." Armin says.

Marco hums. "Even if we don't, we could always blow the whole thing away."

Pieck nods looking at Armin, "Just like how you flattened Liberio's navy port and left nothing behind. Your Collosal titan could do it."

Armin gulps. "True... that would be our most effective way to do it." He inhale deeply. "But only if we've tried and failed to have dialogue with Eren. It's our last resort."

"I'm fine with us having a last resort but Eren's controlling the founding titan through Zeke, right? Can't we stop the rumbling if we went and killed Zeke?" Levi asks.

Marcel nods. "You're right."

"I'm not certain but that's what Hange predicted." Levi says.

"I don't know Zeke's location either." Pieck admits.

"Then we just have to find that furry bastard inside those bones. I'll stop Zeke. Just lend me your strength." Levi says lifting up a blade.

"His final order." Marcel says softly. "You still intend to carry it out?" He asks Levi.

"Yes." Levi says.

"Of course. We had to kill hordes of our allies to get this flying boat in the air." Jean says. "We can't allow that to be meaningless slaughter. This is all in order to stop the rumbling. I'll do anything it takes."

Reiner stares at Jean. "Jean..."

"I... I shot and killed Samuel and Daz... I sliced up those faces I knew until they were unrecognizable." Connie says with a haunted look in his eyes. "All while they called me a traitor. While they kept telling me they were saving the world. Hey, Reiner. You... Bartholdt... Annie... It must've been awful for you."

Reiner stares off into the middle-distance. "My sins are beyond redemption. I doubt I'll ever forgive myself for what I did... even if I manage to save what's left of humanity. So... well... Let's at least save the rest of humanity."

Connie nods. "Yeah, Reiner. You're right. We can't be redeemed. We've still got to do this, I guess."

"That's right. We're the same. Reiner." Jean says. "I never had any right to blame you for a thing... I became a murderer in order to save others."

"Yeah... Eren told me the same thing... the night of the raid on Liberio." Reiner admits. "I... I feel like I kind of understand what Eren's thinking... Eren... might want us to stop him, no?"

"What do you mean?" Mikasa asks.

"Eh?" Reiner realizes Mikasa didn't understand him. "That's just how it feels to me."

"I've always wondered the same thing. Eren is able to affect the actions of every titan and Eldian. But we're still able to use the power of the titans the way that we always could." Armin says.

"Are you saying that Eren is choosing not to interfere with us?" Pieck asks.

"Yes.... he's letting us act freely." Armin says.

"He's testing us...?" Marcel asks quietly.

Armin nods. "Exactly."

"Why? Even though we might be able to stop the rumbling?" Mikasa asks.

"It's the same for him. It has to be painful for him too... slaughtering all of humanity isn't something you can just endure. If it was me... I'd probably want someone else to handle the power of the founder by now. And if I couldn't. I'd want to be stopped. By someone." Reiner explains, his eyes fall on Mikasa, as do Marcel's however a moment later all of them are suddenly in the Paths dimension and everyone turns to the big glowing tree in the center.

"Not again." Jean murmurs.

"Just us?" Marcel asks looking at who's inside the dimension this time. "Those of us in the flying boat?"

Levi looks around. "What? He hear us or something?"

Armin steps forward shouting. "Eren!! Please, listen to us! You've done enough! I'm sure that no ones going to put a hand on Paradis for centuries to come now!" Armin says taking a deep breath. "That's just how much fear and destruction you've brought! You can still agree to a non-aggression pact and end this now! We're the ones who forced you to this point."

Jean stares down at the sand beneath his feet. "Eren... Eren! We'll figure out the rest from here! So don't you keep slaughtering people for our sake!" Jean roars.

Connie nods. "Yeah that's right. Eren! I hated you over what happened to Sasha and Nanaba... but I know you must have been as sad as the rest of us, right?! And yet... I never even considered what it must've been like to be in your position."

"Eren... I... want to share the burden of your sins with you." Mikasa says softly. "We're all guilty of the same sins. So please... stop avoiding us like this. So please... come back to us."

"Please, Eren..." Mina mutters.

"Hear that, Eren?" Levi asks. "Stop now and I'll let you off with an ass kicking."

"And maybe a few reconstruction jobs. Why don't you speak up for a change?" Marcel asks.

"Eren?!" Armin shouts.

"The rumbling will not stop." Eren says his voice ethereal to the group. "I won't let fate decide Paradis' future. I will keep moving forward."

Armin's eyes widen. "Wha...?"

"Hey." Marco points towards the tree in the center where standing before it is Eren. Many of them rush for him, Marcel takes a few steps before stopping himself.

"Huh? Isn't that a kid?" Jean asks.

"But that's Eren." Armin says

Mikasa runs ahead of everyone. "Eren!"

Marcel slowly walks forward."Why not, Eren? Are you saying you can't trust them? Why still let them use the power of the nine? Why not have a talk, Eren?"

"In order to gain my own freedom... I will take freedom away from the world. But... I won't take anything from any of you. You are all free. You have the freedom to defend the worlds freedom. And I have the freedom to continue moving forward. So long as we both have our unbreakable conviction we will collide. There's only one thing for us to do. Fight."

"What? Then why? Why'd you call us here?" Armin shouts.

"So I could speak to you. And tell you there's no need for us to speak. If you want to stop me... then try to stop me from taking another breath. You are all free." Eren says. A moment later everyone is returned to the plane,  with Marcel sitting on the floor he sighs.

"Well... it looks like my prediction was right." Reiner says.

Jean stares down in despair. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"There goes any chance for negotiations." Levi says followed by a 'tsk'. "Now what? Commander?"

"Back to plan A. We'll get Armin to the nape of Eren and he'll blow him to hell. If we can find Zeke beforehand you and I will carry out father's last order and kill that furry bastard. If that fails, then I'll find his real body, and use my last vial. I'll inherit the founder." Marcel says.

Reiner nods. "Right."

[Part 2: Fly.]

"Where To now?" Annie asks leaning on the rails of the ship as Kiyomi stands next to her.

"We'll be spending the next few days traveling to Hizuru. I believe that Miss Mikasa and the others will stop the rumbling. However... my homeland is surely in no condition to operate as a country any longer." Kiyomi says.

"Sounds like fish is the only thing I'm going to be eating for a while." Annie mutters.

"Hizuru's seafood is exquisite." Kiyomi says warmly.

"That's good. Oh. Guess we can eat birds too." Annie comments.

The pair look into the distance an awkward silence slowly setting in before Kiyomi speaks again. "I am the one who brought Zeke and Eren together. I doubt there is any way for me to atone for the sin of bringing about this mass slaughter."

"Okay... Then... say you could do it over again. Would you never get involved with the Eldian's. Just watch as Paradis died?"

"We can never turn back the clock. However... my regrets will stay with me forever. I cannot claim to have searched for every possible way to ensure that the Eldian's did not die. I acted with the profit and the honor of my clan first and foremost. I wonder. Why can't we notice until we've lost it. The feeling... not of profit and loss but only of respect for others."

"But... it's too late." Annie says.

"Miss Annie." Falco says running up to the two adults. "I... I had a dream."

"A dream? Galliards?" Annie comments.

"Mister Zeke's, no. A memory."

"Isn't it true that the female titan can take in parts of other titans and manifest those abilities herself?" Gabi asks.

"Well... it's particularly easy for the female to do that. It's why they made me choke down all kinds of things. What about it?"

Falco turns to Gabi. "See? I knew it!"

"Okay! Okay... so... maybe. Maybe it'll work out! No... but there's no way..."

"Shut up, you dumb kids!" Annie shouts. "Go lug some coal or something! Did you say you saw Zeke's memories?"

"Yes. I became a titan because of his spinal fluid. "

"It seems like that's why he's showing some of the characteristics of the beast titan."

"Oh. And?" Annie asks.

"The most clear memory... is one of flying above the clouds... and... It feels like that's something I can do too." Falco says.

Kiyomi stares at Falco. "What do you mean?"

"Well... in other words there used to be a beast titan with wings." Falco says unsure of himself.

"Yeah, I mean... there was something kind of bird-like about your titan! It wasn't like master Galliards jaw titan at all." Gabi says.

"And so... we're... going to leave." Falco says.

"You're going to transform into a titan here?! If the ship can't take it, it's just going to sink on the spot and kill us all." Annie protests. "And anyway! Why are you so confident that you'd be able to do something like that when you couldn't control your titans power at all?! Listen! What's lost... isn't coming back..! It's too-!"

"Miss Leonhardt." Kiyomi says softly. Annie is brought out of her hysteria by Kiyomi placing a hand on her shoulder before she looks to the three Eldian's before her. "I do not mind if this ship sinks. Not if... the alternative is living with anymore regrets."

Meanwhile on a train hundreds of people sit in silence as a single man sits in a corner with a gun aimed at the conductor. "So that's Fort Salta... are there really airships in there?"

"Who knows... we won't know until we climb up that Rocky Mountain. But do you really think you'd be able to steal one and get away?" The conductor asks his voice laced with venom. "You Eldians?"

"Watch your mouth, Marleyan. Remember who you have to thank for nor being a flattened stain on the ground right now. If the airships are a bust, your family is dying in the rumbling too, If you betray us, we'll shoot you. This is the only chance your family has at surviving it as a whole. It doesn't matter how low your hopes are, we're surviving this."

Also on the train sit Reiner & Gabi's families, what remains of Falco's, Zofia's and Udo's. Also on board are several Marleyan's with M's pinned on their clothes two of which with Golden M's on their clothes. Unfortunately as they approach they watch as several of the airships launch. But also at the same time approaching rapidly behind them Eren Jaeger, and the Rumbling. Once they reach the top they're horrified to find that every airship was launched in the attack. They all must watch the attack. If it fails they all die. They're made to watch as the airship fleet is destroyed by Zeke's titan. However, someone notices it, the flying boat approaches. And directly in the cockpit watching everything Marcel Zoe and Reiner Braun.

Chapter End.