[Arghkkk!... Fuck you!]
Eren gazed upward, surrounded by an enveloping darkness, with just a faint blur creeping in at the edges of his vision. He couldn't shake the feeling that his existence had shrunk to something tiny against the backdrop of the immense night sky. Yet, despite that overwhelming sense of smallness, he was captivated by the stunning beauty of the stars that twinkled like jewels scattered across the dark canvas above.
He firmly believes that the world is vast, and the walls surrounding the Eldian people are a testament to that freedom, a belief that remains unwavering. Eren found himself daydreaming about a future where he could roam that world freely without the constant fear of titans looming over him.
"I swear I'll take down every last titan in this world..." Even though he spoke with such volume, there was an undeniable weakness in his voice. Out of the corner of his eye, Eren noticed a tall figure making its way toward him with a relaxed stride.
It was that abnormal titan he had just battled a few moments earlier. After their meeting, things got a bit hazy for him. He couldn't quite recall how he ended up lying on one of the rooftops of the nearby houses.
Eren felt a sense of accomplishment as he skillfully dodged the abnormal titan's lethal strikes time and time again. Even though the titan's movements were a bit off and hard to predict, he had this strong feeling that he would come out on top in the fight. But the truth of the situation told a different story.
As soon as he spotted an opening, Eren didn't hesitate for a second; he quickly focused his attack on the nape of the abnormal titan. His blood was already boiling at the thought of taking down the abnormal titan for the first time. But what happened next was completely unexpected—the titan skillfully caught his iron wire and swung it with surprising force.
As a result, Eren's body was flung through the air, tumbling unpredictably for quite a distance. He bounced off the rooftops several times before finally ending up where he was now. He was pretty sure that some of the bones in his body were broken, yet somehow, his hands still gripped the sword tightly, refusing to let go.
Eren felt the urge to rise and dive back into the second round, but his body just wouldn't cooperate with him. What he received instead was nothing but excruciating pain, a torment so intense it made him groan and brought forth blood from his mouth.
"Don't mess with me; I'm not going to end things here!...Ughkk... I can still fight! I won't die before I can realize my dream!"
Reality can be pretty harsh, and no matter how much Eren yells or how strong his resolve is, he just can't mend his injuries, much less piece together his shattered bones.
As Eren pushed himself to the limit, disregarding any potential fallout, he face-to-face with an abnormal titan towering at 15 meters. Just like all titans, this one had its own distinct characteristics that set it apart from the rest. What this titan did by not directly eating Eren was really unsettling.
The titan decided to take a closer look at him, leaning in to examine his face more intently. As he opened his mouth just a bit, his large teeth pressed closely together, creating a striking image. Just by observing his expression, you could sense the anxiety and pressure the titan was trying to convey.
"What are you staring at, huh? You ugly bastard! Don't even think for a second that you can take a bite out of me just because I'm injured!" Eren shouted, desperately attempting to mask his fear. It hit him hard how utterly helpless humans were when faced with such a creature.
His self-confidence, which he had worked so hard to build up in order to confront the titan, began to fade away, giving way to a creeping anxiety about the uncertain fate that lay ahead. Despite this growing fear, his grip on the sword tightened as if it were the only thing anchoring him at that moment.
"Arghkkk!... Fuck you!" With what little strength he had left and a fierce determination, Eren could raise his right hand. Without a moment's pause, he plunged his sword straight into the enormous eye of the abnormal titan.
As the hot steam burst forth from the fresh wound, it cascaded down onto Eren's face, catching him off guard with what he discovered next. The abnormal titan remained completely unresponsive even when the sharp sword was driven into its eye.
Eren understood that titans were beings capable of experiencing pain, and it appeared that what he had discovered was truly bizarre. The big eyes kept watching him with a patient intensity, and he couldn't help but notice an unusual gleam in them.
Not long after that, the abnormal titan started to react again. He gritted his teeth so tightly that the sound echoed around, causing a sense of discomfort for everyone nearby. He started to move around restlessly as if something substantial had just struck him on the head.
The large mouth finally unhinged, revealing an interior strikingly similar to that of humans. Saliva dripped from the walls of his mouth and gums, a clear sign that he was eagerly anticipating the chance to devour Eren.
Eren attempted to raise his left hand, still gripping the handle, but it was no use. Even as he bit his lip in frustration, he knew the situation wouldn't change.
His entire body was engulfed in a sharp, stinging sensation as if millions of tiny needles were piercing his skin, when the abnormal titan suddenly grabbed him with both hands. He could sense each limb being pushed to its absolute limit, and his screams seemed to drift off into the distance.
As Eren found himself with half of his body caught in the titan's massive jaws, a wave of confusion washed over him. It was as if time had paused, leaving him suspended in the air. Amidst the chaos, he could faintly make out a voice drifting in from outside, adding to the bewilderment of his situation.
The thunderous groans of the monstrous titan were nearly enough to drown out Eren's senses, but at that moment, it hardly mattered—his entire body was now engulfed in the creature's mouth. He had to stretch his limbs out as far as they could go, trying to brace himself and prevent sliding further down into the titan's throat.
Eren's world was thrown into chaos repeatedly as he struggled to distinguish between up and down. This disorientation stemmed from the relentless movement of the titan, and at its most intense, Eren could sense a powerful vibration coursing through the titan's massive form.
His hands and feet, which had desperately clung to the titan's mouth cavity, finally gave way, and Eren plummeted. But instead of sliding into the titan's stomach as he had anticipated, he experienced a different fate altogether.
"Ughhh... There's no way I'm going to go down like this! Jjust wait, I'll definitely finish you off!"
Convinced that this was the right moment, he pushed himself to act despite the way his entire body seemed to protest with a cringing sensation. He kept on driving his sword into the soft wall above him, refusing to back down. Eren's actions created a significant tear, allowing him to escape. As he crawled out, it hit him. He had just been perched on the titan's neck the whole time.
"Just as I expected, someone showed up..." Eren felt a twinge of disappointment as he noticed that the abnormal titan, the one that had nearly devoured him, was now lifeless. His focus quickly shifted, and he began scanning the shadows, spotting several figures moving in the darkness.
This job definitely felt like it required more than just one or two people, yet Eren couldn't shake off his curiosity about who they were. He believed they would help him get to a safe place, but in the end, they just walked away.
"Damn it, there's no way they were from the Scout Regiment... Aghh..." Eren let out a sharp hiss as the pain shot through him once more, but he sensed something was off when he found he could actually use his legs to walk again.
Even though he felt a bit wobbly, he took a step back from the lifeless body of the abnormal titan, which was beginning to be enveloped in a thick cloud of steam. If he hung around long enough, he'd eventually see a massive skeleton. But with his 3D maneuvering gear broken, he had no other option but to stay.
As a few minutes ticked by, Eren began to notice a gradual improvement in how he felt, almost as if his body was mending itself. He had no idea what had just transpired, nor did he possess the energy to dwell on it. He was feeling completely exhausted at the moment, battling the drowsiness that was slowly creeping into his mind and tugging at his awareness.
"Eren, where are you!" A woman's shout echoed in the distance, and it wasn't long before she spotted the person she had been searching for.
"Are you alright? Why are you being so reckless?" The first thing the woman did to calm her nerves was to take a look at Eren's body.
Her slender fingers gently probed the bloody cloth, revealing no serious wounds beneath it—just a collection of bruises. Feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, Eren tried to stop what she was doing, only for their eyes to meet each other.
Eren, caught off guard by the sudden closeness, quickly averted his gaze and asked, "What are you doing here, Mikasa?"
"Isn't there something that matters more? How do you think your mother would react if she found out you were almost gobbled up by a titan today?"
Eren is at a loss for words. Today marked the closest he had ever come to death, so he figured he could handle it if Mikasa wanted to scold him to the bone.
Noticing his silence, Mikasa felt a swirl of emotions inside her. She took a deep breath to steady herself before saying, "I heard that you separated from your squad, and I immediately knew something was wrong."
Mikasa took a moment to look at the strange titan carcass, its white skeleton mostly visible and standing out in the surroundings. She really wanted to believe that Eren was behind all of this, but her hopes seemed a bit too lofty, especially given how rough of a shape he was in.
"Do you know who they are?"
"Who? The people that mentioned your situation to me? Looking at their cloaks, it's clear they belong to the Military Police…" Mikasa said with a flat tone, then turned to support Eren as she prepared to leave the area. "Come on, I'll fill you in on the details, but first, we need to take care of your wounds."