"Hey—!" Smack!Smack! One loud slap after another landed mercilessly on Eren's face. His face was already a little swollen and red, yet Yago showed no intention of stopping.
This scene completely stunned Founder Ymir and older Eren not far away. older Eren even felt a bit of sympathy for this version of himself—after all, he had never been beaten like this in his entire life.
At that moment, Founder Ymir moved slightly. older Eren immediately loosened his grip and said,
"Sorry, Ymir, but you seem to know of my existence… and you were deliberately cooperating with me?"
Yes. Just now, older Eren actually had no way to deal with Founder Ymir at all. Hugging her was merely an attempt, yet before he could say anything, Founder Ymir had very cooperatively stopped everything. This left older Eren deeply puzzled.
But Founder Ymir only nodded, then pointed toward the distance. older Eren turned his head to look, his pupils shrinking slightly. Then he seemed to understand everything. The corner of his mouth curved faintly into a smile as he turned back to Founder Ymir and said one sentence:
"Thank you."
...
Immediately after, older Eren strode toward the distant desert. At the edge of the sands, a vague shadow appeared and disappeared.
Of course, Yago noticed none of this. Under his furious slapping, Eren's eyes finally regained clarity. As Eren slowly came back to his senses, the first thing he saw was Yago's face.
"Uh, Ya— … hiss— it hurts! It hurts so much!" Eren opened his mouth, about to say something, but when he tugged at the corner of his lips, a wave of burning pain spread across his face—pain so intense that tears almost came out.
Covering his mouth, Eren spoke somewhat unclearly.
"Ya, Yago, where is this? And why does my face hurt so much? And why are you holding your hand up like that?"
Faced with Eren's innocent gaze, Yago awkwardly tilted his head aside and hid his still-raised, slightly reddened hand behind his back.
Eren sensed that something was off, but before he could react, Yago suddenly grabbed him by the collar and said anxiously,
"Eren! There's no time! The Founder is right there—have the Founder calm the Titan chaos in the Shiganshina District and save the Survey Corps!"
Yago pointed in Founder Ymir's direction, then was shocked to find that older Eren's figure had vanished without a trace. He cursed inwardly that he was unreliable, yet also understood older Eren's choice—after all, two Erens could not be allowed to make contact.
Hearing Yago's words, Eren also turned serious. Enduring the pain on his face, he asked Founder Ymir,
"Y-you're the Founder? You can save the Survey Corps?"
Founder Ymir stood quietly without speaking. After a long time, that sentence once again echoed in Yago's and Eren's ears:
"Do you want all Titan power to disappear?"
Eren's face filled with shock. "You can make all Titan power disappear? Then that means all Titans would disappear too?!"
Founder Ymir nodded.
Eren's pupils trembled violently. All Titans would disappear? Th-this… wasn't this the very goal that made him join the Survey Corps in the first place? Could this goal really be achieved so easily now?
"No! Eren, you can't do that. We can't lose Titan power yet. Beyond Paradis Island, there are countless nations, and none of them are friendly to us Eldians. We need Titan power." Yago stretched out his arm, blocking Eren.
Eren's voice trembled as he said, "But… but this would make all Titans disappear. So many Survey Corps seniors gave their hearts for this goal, didn't they? Now, now we can—"
Before he could finish, smack! Oh—such a familiar feeling. Eren covered his face, tears welling up. Of course. It was you again!
"Idiot, don't think about things so simply. The seniors of the Survey Corps were never just trying to eliminate Titans. More importantly, they wanted to open up a new future for humanity within the walls. Besides, if Titan power disappears, I'll die along with it. Damn it, Eren—do you have something against me?" Yago roared as he yanked Eren by the collar.
Eren helplessly covered his face. The injuries on his face were inflicted mercilessly by you, Yago—so who exactly has something against whom?
But Eren also understood the consequences of Titan power disappearing. Would his companions disappear too? Would he himself disappear? He still hadn't seen the secrets his father left behind. He still hadn't seen the world from the books together with his best friend. He still hadn't confessed to the girl he liked…
Only then did Eren realize that he had always harbored some selfish desires.
"Yago… what should I do?" Eren looked at Yago.
Yago turned his gaze toward Founder Ymir and said in a deep voice, "Have the Founder calm all the ordinary Titans in the Shiganshina District."
Eren nervously repeated the request to Founder Ymir.
Founder Ymir did nothing at all—she merely lifted her hand slightly. Yago, Eren, and even Historia, who was still lying unconscious on the ground, all began to gradually turn transparent and disperse.
(Historia: So what exactly did I do?)
Watching helplessly as his body turned into points of light and dissipated, at the final moment, Yago suddenly heard older Eren's voice in his ear:
"Yago, the Founder's power has been temporarily sealed. Do your best—I'm really looking forward to seeing you truly change fate."
When older Eren finished speaking, Yago and the others completely turned into points of light and vanished.
Founder Ymir simply stood there, watching those points of light scatter into the starry sky.
...
A hand suddenly appeared above Founder Ymir's head. Founder Ymir showed a trace of displeasure and immediately sidestepped to avoid it.
"I don't like that you. His eyes are bad." Founder Ymir suddenly spoke. It was strange, because according to legend, Founder Ymir's tongue had been cut out by the first King Fritz.
"There's nothing that can be done. The current power of fate is still attached to him. That power has been influencing him all along, hasn't it? Let the Founder's power be sealed for now. Oh, right—want some? I hear kids all like this kind of candy."
That hand conjured three lollipops as if by magic.
Founder Ymir: "I haven't eaten anything in 2,000 years."
"Ah… this is awkward…"
But Founder Ymir still accepted the candies.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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