《Universal Hope》


 Chapter 1: A beacon from the stars

    <u>I do not own Attack on titan nor Ben 10. They belong to their respective owners. Hajime Isayama, Man of Action and the rest. Enjoy!</u>


    Far away in the infinite vastness of space, a starship darted through the darkness, pursued by a larger, more menacing vessel. The smaller craft, sleek and silver, zigzagged between asteroid fields and planetary rings, desperately evading the red beams of energy that screamed past it.


    Inside the ship, an alien scientist frantically worked at his control panel. His pale blue hands trembled as he guided the ship through dangerous terrain. His name was Azmuth, the creator of the most powerful device in the universe¡ªthe Omnitrix. The device, meant to be a force for good, had now become the object of a relentless pursuit by the warlord Vilgax, a tyrant who sought to control the universe with its power.


    The communication panel lit up, and a holographic image of an alien appeared in front of Azmuth. "You cannot run forever Galvan." The hologram¡¯s voice rumbled through the ship, vibrating the very walls. "This is your last warning. Surrender the Omnitrix now, and Lord Vilgax may grant you mercy." Azmuth didn''t respond. Instead, his fingers flew over the controls, firing an attack of his then speeding up his ship to get farther distance away from the galactic warlord.


    ¡°Hull damage 20%, but the system¡¯s still operational. Lord Vilgax, it seems our intended target refuses to relinquish hold of the omnitrix.¡± An alien servant said as he turned to face his master. Seated on a high throne was a massive and monstrous being, having a muscular physique and crimson eyes that brimmed with power and seething anger. This was Vilgax, the warlord known throughout in the entire galaxy, a galactic warrior known to vanquish and conquer planets as he saw fit to establish his dominance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that ship get out of sight. I have come too far to be denied. The omnitrix will be mine, and there is not a being in the galaxy that dares stand in my way!¡± Vilgax said as he slammed his fisted hand on the armrest of his throne, prompting his minions to get back at work. With a gush of more power, the warlord¡¯s ship accelerated at blinding speeds in high pursuit of the other spaceship.


    __________


    Wall Maria; Shiganshina district


    Late Year 844


    ¡°Eren, wake up. We are almost there.¡± A man with brown mullet hair said as he held unto the reigns of a horse that was tied to the carriage he was currently on. Inside the carriage, a young boy with the same tone of brown hair lay asleep. This was Eren Yeager, son of Grisha and Carla Yeager. Beside him was a boy with blonde hair who looked at the sleeping Eren with slight exasperation, seriously why did Eren fall asleep when they were almost there. Grisha craned his head from the front to take a look at Eren as well. A sigh escaped his lips, turning to the blonde haired boy beside Eren. ¡°Armin, can you help wake Eren up?¡±


    Armin gave a curt nod as he scooted closer to Eren¡¯s side and began shaking his shoulder. ¡°Eren it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± The jogging of his shoulder¡¯s only made Eren smack the hands responsible for that. ¡°Five more minutes mum.¡± He mumbled in his sleep. Armin blinked at the statement and attempted to wake Eren up a second time. All it did was give a second response of Eren turning his body the other side, still sound asleep. Just like Grisha, Armin released a sigh at his futile attempt of waking a sleeping Eren. He knew his friend was a deep sleeper, but never realized the extent of it till now. For all their 4 years of friendship, this was still one of things he would never understand about his friend.


    ¡°Is he awake yet?¡± Grisha asked while keeping his eyes peeled to the road ahead of them. They were passing through a forest within wall Maria, the place Grisha often passes to get to some of his clients. Back in Shiganshina, he is a well known medical doctor as he had cured the town of a deadly disease some years back. This made him respected among many.


    The lack of response can only conclude to one thing. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately so Mister Grisha.¡± Armin said in defeat. A chuckle escaped the older man¡¯s lips, there¡¯s not really much he could do right now. The journey went on until they had reached their destination, coming to a stop near the side of the dirt road. The sudden bump of the carriage had it come to a halt which jostled Eren from his sleep, disorienting him. ¡°Armin, where are you going?¡± He asked as he saw his blonde friend jump out of the carriage. ¡°To assist your dad.¡± Armin said. Eren flopped back to the carriage, a groan guggling from his throat. To begin with, why did he even bother coming in the first place? ¡­oh, that¡¯s right; his bookworm of a friend had asked his dad if he could follow as he heard the doctor wanted to get an important sample for medicine. Lately he had been reading a book concerning health, so this garnered his attention. As fate would have it, his dad thought of it as a good opportunity to show Eren and his friend a thing or two about his work. Eren at first had opted to stay home, but hearing his mother ask for assistance in house chores prompted him to go with his dad.


    Now he was stuck here. ¡°You go ahead, I¡¯ll catch up later.¡± Eren said as he went back to sleep. A frown found its way to Armin¡¯s brow, his friend really was stubborn. A thought popped up in Armin¡¯s head making him smirk. Feigning surrender, Armin raised both hands in defeat and began assisting Grisha in packing items off the carriage. ¡°Too bad, Mr. Grisha had told me that he had wanted to tell you a thing or two about the basement. But if you insist-¡± The news perked Eren¡¯s interest as he sat up abruptly from his sleeping position looking at his friend in bewilderment. ¡°Really?! Dad, is that true?¡± The boy excitedly asked as he gained his father¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­Could be.¡± Grisha said as he flashed Armin a thankful glance. It was no wonder the young lad was Eren¡¯s one and only friend; given his attitude. ¡°That is if you promise to behave.¡± That didn¡¯t need to be told twice, as Eren hastily got up from the carriage and began offloading his father¡¯s medical tools from there. ¡°Armin what are you waiting for! Help me out here!¡±


    Armin shacked his head. At least he was up.


    _________


    Back in space, the battle continues. Vilgax grits his teeth his annoyance, no matter how much attacks he had sent towards Azmuth¡¯s ship; the small vessel only surprises him by evading every last one of them. That was until one successfully made a good hit.


    ¡°Their propulsion systems have been destroyed.¡± A well hidden cruel smirk flashed Vilgax¡¯s face. Good. ¡°Prepare to board. I want the omnitrix now!¡± Vilgax demands. Just as his bioids were about to be on their way, an alarming voice cut through the air.


    ¡°My lord! There¡¯s an incoming attack heading our-¡±


    ¡°What is it?!¡± Vilgax practically growled, making the subordinate beside him flinch. In near instance, the entire control room was up in flames not before a destructive laser had shot from the escaping ship and hit the sensitive control panels resulting in a resonating explosion. The tyrannical warlord was engulfed in the fiery explosion, cries of pain swallowed by the roaring inferno around his ship. Despite being on fire, Vilgax crawled his way to the barely functional control panel, pushing away the burnt corpse of the personnel there before, as his crimson eyes set themselves on the escaping spaceship.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°YOU IMBECILE!¡± Vilgax roared as he slammed a button on the panel. In retaliation, his ship destroys the smaller ship with a giant blast. Azumth knew this was bad, but he had come in preparation for this. The Galvan¡¯s fingers flew over the controls, initiating an emergency protocol, releasing a pod that falls away from the ship. ¡°Not today Vilgax, the omnitrix will never fall into your hands.¡±


    Meanwhile the pod holding the Omnitrix hurtled toward its destination, leaving a trail of cosmic light in its wake. Streaking toward a blue and green planet farther in the milky way galaxy¡ªEarth.


    ______


    Eren didn¡¯t want to admit it, but escorting his dad on his business trip hadn¡¯t been such a bad idea or as boring as he thought. Aside from learning a bunch of strange terms in science (Which for sure he wouldn¡¯t be bothering to remember anytime soon), his dad had actually kept to his word and told him that there was something he would like to show him when the time was right.


    But what does that even mean?


    Sea green eyes stared into the sky, watching as the evening clouds change color before setting to a more darker theme. Armin was trailing behind him, helping him carry a bundle of sticks. It seemed he couldn¡¯t escape the plans his mother had for him, because immediately he got home his mother had given him his luggage bag for him to go get some firewood. Eren would have been home a long time ago, but was caught up with trying to ¡°teach¡± some bullies a lesson. Just a few minutes Armin had left them upon arriving, he was surrounded by those good for nothing teens that begun bullying him. Good thing Eren was making a short cut to get to the forest, because his eyes caught sight of the horrendous sight of his friend being helpless against those three. Eren had tried the best of his abilities to fight them off, but he still ended up with a nasty bruise by his cheek and an aching body.


    Anger burned at the young boy as he recalled the previous hour events.


    ¡°Gahh!¡± A pained shout escaped Eren¡¯s lips as one of the hoodlums kneed him in the stomach. Only for more assaults to be rained down on him, until he saw an opportunity to right hook one of them in the nose. Blood escaped the supposed leader¡¯s nose, and he was obviously pissed off.


    ¡°Why you little runt!¡± He growled in anger as he grabbed Eren by the head. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Eren didn¡¯t care, as long as he stood up for what was right, as long as Armin didn¡¯t have to be preyed upon by these goons, it was worth it. ¡°Do your worst.¡± Eren sneered as he flashed a cocky smile at the leader. Taking that as an invitation, the leader threw a nasty punch to his teeth seemingly knocking out a tooth in the process. Pain clouded Eren¡¯s face as he collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Look at you. Not surprised that the bookworm have friends like you, afterall weaklings attract weaklings.¡± He said as he crouched down to Eren¡¯s level, looking the furious boy in the eye. ¡°But I¡¯ll give it to ya. You do have some guts. Now then, where were we¡­¡± Turning his attention back to Armin who was currently being held by one of the bullies.


    ¡°Leave Armin alone you pig! Stop being a coward and fight me like a true man!¡± Eren yelled as he shakingly stood back up, his fists raised in a local fighting style. Stiffening quiet seconds passed until a fistful burst of laughter passed by the mouths of the three goons.


    ¡°Wanna play hero huh? Alright then, have it your way.¡± The leader signaled for the lackey holding Armin to let him go, then he took striding steps towards Eren while cracking his knuckles. ¡°You want me to fight like a man, then come at me.¡± With an angry war cry Eren ran at the leader.


    The fight didn¡¯t even last a minute, as Eren was bombarded with blow after blow from the bullies all at the same time, leaving him an injured heap on the ground.


    ¡°Boss, maybe that was a bit too far today.¡±


    ¡°Nah, the kid needs it. To jog that hot head of his before diving to a fight he can¡¯t win. His dad is a doctor right, he¡¯ll surely have some bandage to wrap up his fallen pride.¡± Laughs escaped from the three individuals, walking away without sparing a glance at Eren who was attempting to get back up albeit painfully.


    ¡°Damn¡­you. You good for nothing bastards¡± Eren gritted out as he managed to get up halfway. The leader stopped in his tracks to give Eren a one side over look, a mock pitiful look throwed at the downed boy.


    ¡°The weak have no right in say. If you even want to help someone next time, at least have the power to back it up.¡±


    Those were the crushing but sadly truthful words the leader said before leaving Eren and a worried Armin who immediately rushed to his side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Armin quietly said as the duo wandered through the dense forest near the Shiganshina District. The late afternoon sun had earlier filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the ground. Now it was getting dark. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that you know? Coming in to save me.¡± All Armin got for an answer was Eren gritting his teeth and his hands fisted tightly around the straps of his luggage bag. ¡°I had to. Who else would?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s wrong Eren, you don¡¯t have to listen to him.¡±


    ¡°No, he was right about one thing though¡­I am weak. A weak person can¡¯t change anything if they don¡¯t have power. Everything gets taken away from them; even their freedom.¡± Armin paused his lips at what his friend was saying. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Eren questioned.


    ¡°Because I want to¡­this is my way of saying thank you.¡± Armin replied as he held unto his own bundle of firewood sticks. Eren kicked a rock down the dirt path as he thought about how cruel the world is. He hated feeling powerless, he hated being confined. All he wants to explore the world beyond¡­He wanted to be free. Little did he know, the universe was about to answer that desire in a way he could never have imagined.


    As he and Armin wandered deeper into the woods, something strange happened. ¡°E-Eren, Look!¡± Armin said, gaining Eren¡¯s attention. Above in the sky, a bright green light flashed, like a shooting star, but much closer. The object streaked across the sky making the two boys gaze in wonder. ¡°What is that?¡± Eren asked. ¡°From my grandfather¡¯s book, I think it¡¯s called a shooting star¡­¡± Armin said in marvel, surprised how he is able to see one up close in person. That was until the shooting star suddenly veered course and began falling towards their way. With alarming speed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a shooting star is supposed to do that.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. Armin Move!¡± Eren said as he tackled the blonde boy out of the way, the exact moment the ¡°Shooting star¡± crashed right at their location. It landed into the forest with a loud boom, sending birds scattering into the air. Eren¡¯s heart pounded with excitement and curiosity. "What was that?" he muttered to himself, and without a second thought, he dashed toward the source of the crash. Ignoring all the firewood sticks littered on the floor along with his luggage bag.


    ¡°Eren!¡± Armin tried to call out but his friend was already sprinting towards the very thing that had almost killed them just now. He skidded to a stop in a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a smoldering crater. Eren cautiously approached, the heat from the crash still warming the air around him. He could near Armin¡¯s approaching footsteps as he too halted in his tracks, looking at what was inside the crater. Inside the crater, half-buried in the dirt, was a strange metal object. Trying to get a better look, Eren crouched down on his knees, his mind racing with thoughts of what it could be. ¡°Eren. I don¡¯t think it is a good idea to lean on the edge.¡± Armin warned, something about this¡­thing was giving him a bad feeling.


    True to Armin¡¯s words, before Eren could get away from the edge, it gave way resulting in Eren taking a nosedive into the smoking warm crater. ¡°Eren!¡±


    Sitting up to clear the dirt off his head, he gave a thumbs up to Armin saying he was okay. That was when a strange thing happened again as a hissing sound caught the two boys¡¯ attention. The strange metal object gave way, revealing a similarly strange item as well¡ª it was small, round, and glowing with an eerie green light. Eren¡¯s eyes widened. He had never seen anything like it before.


    "What... what is that?" he whispered as he bent down to get a better look. His left hand instinctively reached out, wanting to touch it out of curiosity. He didn¡¯t here Armin¡¯s voice shouting at him to get away from the strange object, but it was too late for that. Suddenly, the object beeped, its glowing intensifying. Startled, Eren jumped back, but as he did, the device leaped up, shooting out of the supposed pod case and attaching itself to his wrist with a metallic clamp.


    Eren yelped in surprise, instinctively trying to shake the strange object off, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. He tugged at it with his other hand, but it felt like the device had fused with his skin. "What the¡ªget off!" Eren yelled, panic rising in his chest. He frantically pulled at the device, but nothing worked. The Omnitrix beeped again, and Eren looked down at it, confused. The face of the device had a strange symbol¡ªlike a green hourglass. It glowed brighter, and the symbol spun before popping up a dial. Eren stared at it, bewildered, his young mind unable to process what was happening. What caught his attention was the image portrayed on the popped up faceplate. Curiosity got the better of him once again, pressing the faceplate down.


    Suddenly, the dial flashed, and before Eren could react, his body was engulfed in a bright green light. His form shifted, his skin morphing into something tougher, more solid. His arms elongated, his muscles bulged, and his height shot upward. When the light faded, Eren looked down at his hands¡ªexcept they weren¡¯t his hands anymore. They were massive covered in thick red rocks and were on fire. His entire body was covered in the same rocks with open linings that seem to be on fire as well brimming with strength, and his body felt unbelievably powerful.


    "Wha¡ªwhat is this?! Ah! I¡¯m on fire!" Eren shouted, his voice deeper and more resonant than before. He stumbled backward, trying to process the sudden transformation. Accidentally he had sent a surge of fire towards the nearby trees, alighting them on fire. He looked at the nearby trees that burnt to the ground, their weight failing on them as they turn to ashes. Eren blinked, staring at the fallen trees. "Did I¡­ do that?"


    His mind raced. He wasn¡¯t just afraid, but he was exhilarated. This power¡ªit was incredible! ¡°Eren!¡± Turning his burning head he saw Armin running up to him, but coming to a halt as he sees the appearance of his friend. They were both silent as they both looked on at each other in silence.


    ¡°E-Eren?¡±


    From that day forward, Eren''s life would never be the same. The strange device, the Omnitrix, had chosen him, giving him the ability to transform into powerful alien beings. But with that power came mysteries, dangers, and responsibilities Eren could not yet comprehend. And somewhere, far across the galaxy, a tyrant named Vilgax had begun his hunt.


    This is the tale of how Eren Jaeger, once just a boy dreaming of freedom, had unknowingly become the key to saving not just his world¡ªbut many others beyond the stars.


    <hr>


    Author¡¯s note:


    Am I insane? Most likely. Is this a risky choice to make a fanfic as this one? 100% yes. Do I regret it? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I¡¯ve been thinking of this idea for a while now, at first I dismissed the idea saying that was crazy. But when I thought about it¡­I switched from Nuh-uh! to Uh-huh! Turns out writing the beginning part of this story is harder than I thought. Crazy how it took me 3 FREAKING MONTHS to write the first chapter! Anyways I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you¡¯re loving this, be sure to like, follow and favorite. Till next time.

 Chapter 2: Close bonds

    Wall Maria-Year 845


    A little girl wearing a pink overall gown with a red scarf wrapped securely around her neck s she packed bundles of firewood into a carriage bag on strapped behind her back. Her long raven hair swayed in the air, looking at the view from atop the hill she was on. She turned back to walk towards the tree standing tall at the top, where a certain boy was sleeping under. Just as she reached the top, she found out that he wasn¡¯t there, the only evidence being the parchment of grass that had taken the shape of a body.


    The girl¡¯s silver eyes locked down at the spot, ignoring the cool breeze and howling whispers of the tree. As sigh came out from her lips. ¡°Eren¡± She muttered quietly. The sounds of footsteps; or rather foot stumps; gained her attention. A massive red figure stomped through the trees, carrying what could only be described as an obscene amount of firewood in its upper arms. Its lower arms were the only things that weren¡¯t carrying anything so as to balance its footing, and it was heading towards her way. This anomaly of a creature that could even be described as a titan but on the smaller size should have made any person quake in their boots or run away, but not her. All she did was set her stoic gaze on it as it kept approaching her. ¡°Eren. What are doing¡± She asked unamused.


    Eren, now the identified creature, was grinning proudly as he approached Mikasa, his chest puffed out in sheer self-satisfaction. His outfit had changed along with him in this form. Unlike his usual green shirt, brown jacket and black pants, this version made Eren¡¯s cloths a stitched-together version of it¡ªhis brown jacket was now wider to accommodate his muscular frame, his black pants were now longer and reinforced, and his shirt? Well¡­ it was now much larger to fit his extra set of arms. Overall, most of the outfit looked like it was slim fitted to fully show his muscular frame, it does kind of make his clothing look cool¡­ And maybe a little ridiculous.


    Eren grinned and smugly presented the logs as soon as he reached her. "Mikasa, Look at this! Look how much I got in just a few minutes!" He boldly proclaimed with a deep gruff voice as his lower arms folded around his upper abdomen in pride. Mikasa, however, wasn¡¯t impressed. She simply raised an eyebrow. "You¡¯re messing around with the device when your father told you not to use it recklessly." She said flatly.


    Eren¡¯s grin faltered just a little and the blunt jab, but he quickly recovered. He huffed dramatically, turning away with his arms still folded. "You¡¯re no fun." Eren muttered under his breath. He dropped the enormous pile of logs with an earth shaking thud, then stood back with all four hands on his hips, beaming at his amazing accomplishment.


    "Besides, why work harder when you can work smarter? Look at this! We¡¯ll have more than enough firewood for days!" Eren grinned as he rolled his upper arms like he had done a hectic amount of work, or was he flexing? Mikasa blinked at the massive stack of wood. Then she sighed, rubbing her temples.


    "Your mother¡¯s going to know you didn¡¯t gather all of this normally."


    Once again, Eren¡¯s smirk faltered slightly at Mikasa¡¯s remark. "...She won¡¯t if you don¡¯t tell her. Besides, that¡¯s why I borrowed one of dad¡¯s smaller wagons, she¡¯ll think we did this together." And once again, Mikasa gave him a long, deadpan look. "She¡¯s your mother, Eren. She¡¯ll know. And you never borrowed the wagon, you snuck it out without permission." For a moment, there was silence. Then, Eren frowned deeply, looking down at the pile. Until an idea popped into his mind. "Tch¡­ maybe if I scatter them around, she won¡¯t¡ª"


    "Eren." Mikasa said with an undertone in her usually comport voice, that was a warning saying: Don¡¯t even think about it. For all his powers, he still fears the quiet wrath of Mikasa Ackerman. It was rear for Mikasa to be angry, so all the more reason to be afraid. Grumbling, Eren¡¯s hands dropped in defeat. "Fine, fine. At least I can still carry this by myself before-" the sequential sound of beeps stopped Eren in his tracks, realization dawning on both him and Mikasa. Suddenly, Eren¡¯s hulking size was engulfed in a bright red light, Mikasa shielding her face to block the excess light. When she looked back, she was met with Eren who was now reverted to his normal form. The one she prefers to be more acquainted to.


    And now¡­ he looked very small next to the ridiculous mountain of firewood he had gathered. Mikasa simply stared at it. Then, she turned back to him with a knowing expression. ¡°And how exactly are you going to put those up in the wagon?¡±


    Eren¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Whatever, I can do this with or without Titanfist!¡± Eren said as he stormed to get the small wagon by the side of hill and begin his efforts to lift the bundles of fire wood¡­stack by stack. It¡¯s still bewildering to Mikasa, how Eren can act like a normal 10 year old and at the same time be a completely different person.


    Year 844-A few months prior.


    ¡°Now Eren, I want you to be on your best behavior when we get to there. Do you remember what I told you about their daughter Mikasa? She¡¯s coincidentally your age.¡± Grisha asked as he and his 9 year old son Eren made their way towards the outskirt side of Shinganshina. The winter season¡¯s freezing temperature gnawed the feet of the two individuals who were currently hiking towards the top of an isolated hill not too far away from Shinganshina inner district.


    ¡°Depends on her attitude if she could be my friend or not.¡± Eren said crudely. ¡°And that¡¯s why you only have one friend.¡± True, but that¡¯s just how he is. Finally reaching the snowy top, there was a small cottage standing alone, prompting the two to stop in their tracks as they reached the front door. Grisha knocked on the front door, ¡°Mr Ackerman, this is doctor Grisha. Sorry for the late coming, do you mind if we come in?¡±, there was no response. An uneasy feeling was pitting itself inside Grisha¡¯s stomach but he shacked it off instead knocked on the door a second. That was when he noticed something wrong. The door was infact slightly opened the whole time, but nobody was at the door. Now the uneasiness swelled more, only for it to get worse as Grisha opened the door. ¡°Mr Ackerman? Mrs Ackerman?¡± The sound of something squelching reached the quiet air, underneath the doctor¡¯s booth was blood, a pool of it amassed, and it was trailing from a body beneath him.


    Dread filled Grisha as he pointed his lamp to get a better look of the body, his eyes widening in fear and instant recognition. On the cold floor lay the pale deceased body of Mrs Ackerman, her dead eyes opened from unspoken horror, her head split in half; and not far away was the slumped body of her husband on the side of the wall. Instantly Grisha checked the inside of the cottage, calling out the deceased parents¡¯ daughter in hopes of her being alive. After several minutes of yelling the girl¡¯s name and no sort of response, Grisha stopped his futile attempt. This was likely the work of armed robbers or kidnappers, his assumption on the latter as the girl is not on sight.


    Eren however, wasn¡¯t filled with fear or terror, no he felt the opposite. Absolute burning rage, but his face was blank as he stared at the deceased body. He was brought out of his internal conflict as his father shacked him by his shoulders. ¡°-ren? Eren! I want you to listen and listen to me good. Run to the foot of the mountain and  don¡¯t leave there until I get back. I¡¯ll get the military police to see if they can track the culprits down. In the meantime, I want you to stay put.¡± Eren nodded to his father, but his mind was still replaying the images of the corpses. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t use that thing no matter what. Do you hear me?¡± Grisha said in panic, leaving immediately to get the military police. He was worried about the casual way his son answered him without making any sort of complain or emotion, it was very troubling but he didn¡¯t have time for worrying about that. He had a crime case to report right, he just hopes he won¡¯t be too late by then.


    Eren waited till his father¡¯s receding footsteps left the hill, his gaze once again back to the corpses in the house. He didn¡¯t realize that he had made crescent shaped dent marks on his palm till it drew blood as both hands were fisted. All he was seeing was red. Not only had some set of low lives killed an innocent family, but they had the galls to kidnap their daughter.


    Unacceptable.


    Eren¡¯s heart pounded against his ribs as he ran through the frozen forest, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. He wasn¡¯t thinking¡ªhe couldn¡¯t.


    All he could see was Grisha¡¯s frantic face as he stormed out the door.


    All he could remember was an innocent girl; Mikasa; being taken.


    Her parents were gone.


    Her parents were killed.


    In other words; Stolen.


    And the world had no right to take her parents from her.


    Now she was going to experience the same fate if no action is taken.


    His small hands clenched into fists, nails digging further into his palms as he sprinted deeper into the woods. He didn¡¯t care about the cold, the burning in his legs, or the growing ache in his lungs.


    All he knew was that he had to find her.


    And kill whoever took her. But how?


    Then, a flickering green glow caught his eye.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The strange device that had latched onto his wrist a few days ago¡ªwas humming, pulsing with a rhythmic energy as if it could sense his emotions.


    A single thought crept into Eren¡¯s mind.


    What if it could help?


    He stopped, panting heavily, and raised his trembling wrist. His fingers hovered over the dial as he flipped through the alien silhouettes, their strange, distorted figures glowing in the darkness. Then, one of them stood out.


    Perfect for the job.


    Eren¡¯s other hand slammed the dial down.


    A green explosion of light engulfed the snowy landscape, and the boy¡¯s small body began to twist, stretch, and warp into something inhuman.


    His bones snapped and reshaped, muscle tearing and reforming at unnatural angles. His fingers curled inward, morphing into razor-sharp claws, his feet stretching into powerful, bestial paws. Thick orange fur erupted from his skin, covering his body like armor, as his face elongated into a monstrous, fanged snout. The world shifted.


    This creature was shaped like a dog.


    It had no eyes.


    It definitely doesn¡¯t look like it has the voice to speak.


    But it could smell.


    His eyes were gone. Yet, he could see everything.


    A million scents flooded his mind, layering on top of each other¡ªtrees, frozen blood, the stale breath of something unwashed, the metallic tang of knives.


    And beneath it all¡­


    A young girl¡¯s scent.


    She was close.


    And she was afraid.


    He could also pick up three foreign scents around the girl¡¯s location, and one had the metallic smell of blood on them. No doubt about it, those are the perpetuators, the evils disguised as humans.


    A low, guttural snarl rumbled from Eren¡¯s throat.


    Then, he ran.


    ______


    ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡±


    Unmoving grey eyes set straight at the locked door. Her small frail hands and feet tied beneath her back as she lay on the cold unforgiving floor. She doesn¡¯t know how it has gotten to this; all she could remember was her mother telling her to run before she too met the same fate as her dad. The kidnappers had dealt a fatal blow to her mother¡¯s head with an axe, blood flared everywhere as her mother slumped to the ground unmoving. She had tried fighting them off with a scissors, but in the end it all proved useless as the was put down just as easily. All she could do was tremble in fear as the kidnappers came to her and knocker her out. Small bloody bruise had formed on her cheek, but she didn¡¯t care.


    Her parents were gone, and now she was next.


    The cabin smelled of rotting wood against the pristine white snow. The kidnappers had made themselves comfortable, two siting down while the other went to the back to get something to drink. She could hear what they were saying, but she had long since resigned to her fate.


    "Stupid brat''s more trouble than she''s worth," one of the men scoffed. "Rich bastards will pay, though." A displeased grunt followed, clearly not happy. ¡°Idiot, the mother would have fetch us more money but you just had to kill her out of panic. You better hope this hideout can hide our cover before the damn MPs do.


    ¡°Garold, you worry like a growing infant. It¡¯s not like anybody is out there hunting us down. Besides the girl must also have the rare blood too. She¡¯ll fetch better money than her dead parent ever will.¡± A small tear slipped down Mikasa¡¯s cheek even if her face looked blank. So she was going to be sold. Guess this is the end of the road for her.


    A sickening laugh followed. "The kid''s pretty, ain''t she? Maybe we should teach her some obedience first. break her in before¡ª"


    Suddenly, the door burst open.


    The first man closer to the door; Garold; barely had time to register the shape lunging at him before claws ripped across his throat. He gurgled, falling back, hands clutching at his torn-open neck as blood sprayed the walls.


    The other scrambled, eyes wide. "WHAT THE FU¡ª"


    A deep, guttural growl filled the room. The other kidnapper turned and scrabbled to his feet, and got a full view at what he was looking at. Standing in the doorway was not a human.


    It was a monster.


    A towering beast of muscle and fur, standing on all fours, its head low to the ground. It had no eyes, but its face was twisted into something far worse¡ªrows of jagged, gleaming fangs, glistening with the blood of his fallen comrade.


    It exhaled sharply, steam rising from its mouth.


    The man stumbled back, his entire body trembling. "Wh-what the hell¡ª?!" The beast didn¡¯t give him the pleasure to complete his sentence, as it moved, locking on him for its new target. He tried reaching for the gun sitting against the table near him, but he was too slow.


    Teeth sank into his leg. The man screamed in pain, falling to the ground as the creature dragged him back, twisting violently. A sickening crack echoed as his knee snapped the wrong way. The last kidnapper; most likely the leader; came out from the back of the cabin hearing the ruckus. ¡°Oi Garold, Claven what¡¯s with the fucking nois-!¡± The words died in his mouth as he saw the what exactly was going on. There, on the floor, was the deceased body of Garold his mouth and eyes opened wide in horror as excessive blood flowed from his cut opened throat. Next was Claven; who had his left leg twisted to an unrecognizable pose; then there was the anomaly: It looked like a big dog, but it had no eyes, and looked like the devil¡¯s reincarnate. Jagged canines protruding from its black lips, claws too sharp for a regular dog and unequal shape for the front and hind legs. It might not have a face, but the boss certainly knows this thing has its ¡®eyes¡¯ on him.


    Claven had his hand outstretched to him. ¡°B-boss. H-help me¡± That was all he could say before this beast-no; this demon caved in his already mangled leg further under its mighty paws then ripped it off. A shrill cry escaped Claven before he slumped to the ground. Satisfied it strode its way to him, like he wasn¡¯t a threat, like a seasoned predator stalking its prey.


    Out of instinct, the boss grabbed his knife, his rugged face pale. "STA-STAY BACK!" He trembled out. Hoping it would scare the demon. The beast growled. But this time¡­ it sounded like a laugh. A distorted, deep laugh as it if it was making fun of the man¡¯s feeble attempt of intimidating it. It even has its thickened black lips curled upwards, like a sickening smile.


    Then, it pounced. Teeth tore through flesh and bone. Screams turned into gurgles. Blood stained the wooden floor. The leader twitched beneath him, body jerking in a violent spasm before going still.


    But the beast didn¡¯t stop.


    It kept tearing.


    It kept ripping.


    It kept killing.


    Because it wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    Because they deserved it.


    Because it felt good.


    Mikasa had been silent the entire time, frozen in the corner. She had watched everything¡ªthe blood, the bodies, the horror. And now¡­That thing was turning toward her. She barely registered what she was seeing. A hulking beast, its mouth lined with rows of jagged fangs. Its powerful limbs were still stained with blood, steam curling from its mouth in the cold air.


    Mikasa¡¯s breath hitched as the monster stepped forward. She flinched violently, pressing herself harder against the floor despite the biting cold. But instead of lunging¡ª It hesitated.


    Then, slowly¡­ it crouched. The beast sniffed the air, its head lowering toward her. Mikasa''s breathing was ragged, chest rising and falling unevenly as the creature reached for her. Its claws came close, making her recoil as a sharp, broken gasp left her lips. The beast froze.


    Mikasa¡¯s heart was hammering so hard she thought it would burst. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to run, to fight, to get away. Then a strange beeping noise filled the air until a flash of red illuminated the room partially. Kneeling in front of her, was not a beast¡­


    ¡­It was a boy.


    A boy about her age, panting heavily, his face was blank. And his hands were covered in blood. His eyes looked at her, and for the first time. He spoke ¡°¡­I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± he whispered, his voice hoarse.


    Mikasa didn¡¯t move. Eren¡¯s gaze dropped to her bound arms. ¡°¡­Let me help.¡± He reached forward again, much more carefully this time. But Mikasa flinched again. Eren¡¯s hands froze mid-air. His heart clenched her reaction. She was scared of him.


    Of what he was, of what she had seen him do. A lump formed in his throat. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± His voice caught. His hands shook. ¡°I just¡ªnever mind.¡± He swallowed hard as she sighed, off course she would be scared of him. Gently; so, so gently; he reached for the ropes binding her arms and this time, she didn¡¯t pull away.


    ¡°You must be Mikasa. I¡¯m Eren Yeager, son of Grisha Yeager. You probably know my dad since he visits you a lot.¡± Eren had purposely omitted the word family, knowing it could rupture her current condition further. With a few quick tugs, the bindings loosened, falling limply to the floor. Mikasa rubbed her sore wrists, eyes still locked on him. Mikasa stared in shock. Her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend it. How could this monster be a child?


    Eren avoided her gaze. His hands, still stained red, trembled slightly from adrenaline. He shook his head, those animals deserved everything that was coming for them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before-¡± Just as Eren was about to complete his statement he saw Mikasa pointing at something behind him; the sound of clicking metal pierced the air. Eren turned just in time to duck both him and Mikasa down as a bang rung out with a bullet flying through the air, barely grazing Eren¡¯s head. Picking himself and Mikasa back up he got to see who was responsible for the shot. Claven, one of the kidnappers, by some miracle was still alive. His face contorted to pure hatred and anger as he grinds his teeth, and a smoking gun held tightly in hand. He has managed to drag himself into a half standing position, using a chair as assistance. ¡°You. I¡¯m going to fucking kill you!!!¡±


    Wasting no time to understand their situation, Eren grabbed hold of Mikasa¡¯s hand and headed for the nearest door. ¡°Run!¡± Claven however isn¡¯t going to give them that chance as he shot a well precise aim at Eren¡¯s leg, resulting in the boy falling and letting Mikasa go. Eren hadn¡¯t realized that he had been shot, as he attempted getting back up until he felt a jarring numb pain around his ankle. His eyes widening at what this implies for him, his predicament only worsening as he hears dragged out footsteps and scraping heading his way. ¡°I¡¯m going to end your worthless life!¡± That was all Claven said as he pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. Ammo ran out most likely. This made the kidnapper click his tongue in frustration and discard the gun, instead walking closer to Eren¡¯s position. Eren¡¯s gaze settled on Mikasa who was currently wobbling back on her feet. ¡°Mikasa! Get out of-¡±


    Claven picked up the downed Eren by the neck, raised him up in the air and slammed him to the wall, then began choking him. He didn¡¯t bloody care if he was missing a leg, he didn¡¯t fucking care if he was losing excess blood. All he cares about is killing this brat in his grasp. ¡°You¡­You are that demon, aren¡¯t you?!!¡± Claven roared in fury, adding immense pressure on the boy¡¯s neck. Eren was lacking oxygen, and fast. The corners of his eyes brimming red as he tried to pry the full grown man hands off his neck, but to no avail. That was when he saw something that caught the peripheral of his vision; a discarded knife. And there was only one person who was the closest to the object.


    Mikasa was shaking where she stood, her thoughts spiraling at a dizzy rate at what had occurred today. She just lost her parents, got abducted, watched as a beast came in and killed two of the kidnappers in cold blood, only for the beast to be someone of her age, and now¡­her rescuer is about to be killed right in front of her. This-this was just too much for her to take. ¡°T-Take it!¡± Eren¡¯s constricted voice tore through Mikasa¡¯s mind. ¡°The knife! Take it!¡± Mikasa spun her head and saw what he was referring to; there a few feet away from her; was a discarded knife beside the lump of flesh that was once the boss. Not knowing what to exactly do, Mikasa just picked up the knife, her hands shaky as she held unto the knife weakly.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Kill him!¡± Eren cried out as his esophagus was squeezed tighter; drool escaping his lips from the lack of air he badly needed. Mikasa¡¯s eyes widened in terror. Kill him? ¡°I-I don¡¯t know how!¡± She screamed her grip on the knife weakening by the second. ¡°You have to fight! Fight for your rights Mikasa! You won¡¯t kill him but think about what these people had done to you! Don¡¯t let this opportunity go to waste! Only those who fight in this cruel world get to survive, SO FIGHT!!!


    Those words had triggered something in Mikasa, and in that moment, she just knew what to do. With new found resolve she gripped unto the knife¡¯s handle so had it had nearly broken in two, her feet dug into the wooden floorboard and cracked it as well. And then she ran at full speed towards Claven with the knife drawn back, the man barely having time to turn his neck back before Mikasa had impaled him from the back straight into his heart, Claven died instantly.


    Present day


    It still scared Mikasa how Eren coldly took out his actions that day, but she was glad he did so. He had done it to save her. Her hands instinctively held unto the scarf around her neck, reminiscing how Eren had gently wrapped it around her. It was sort of a bittersweet day for her, although she had lost her family, she had found a new one as Eren¡¯s dad said she could be living with them. Now it¡¯s been over a year and things have been going about peacefully.


    ¡°Hah! Told you I can do this ALL on My own!¡± Eren punctuated as he stood proudly beside the outrageous heap that was loaded on the small wagon. Mikasa just watched him with a blank stare, a small well hidden amusement etched on her face. "So. How exactly are you going to explain this to your mother?"


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. I-¡­.I¡­.¡± Eren proudly raised his finger to give his point, only for him to pause in his thoughts. ¡°You have no excuse to come up with don¡¯t you?¡± Mikasa casually told Eren.


    And for once in his life, he had nothing to say.