“That isn't funny Drake.”
A warm voice sipped into Eren’s ears pulling him out of his head. He looked up and standing before him with cherry red hair and enthralling violet eyes was Tiana Taylor, his long-time crush. 'Damn it.' There was a difference between getting humiliated before a couple of dozen mindless students and getting humiliated before the only girl you could ever see yourself with. Eren would have preferred to be shot a hundred times over rather than to have been in his current situation. 'What was she even doing here?' "I don't understand, and what exactly have I done?" Drake said feigning ignorance with an eerie grin. He had his hands held up in innocence like he had nothing to do with the situation. "Listen red-hair, Eren and I are just having some harmless fun, right buddy?" Eren raised his head at the mention of his name. Drake had a wicked grin on his face as he searched Eren’s eyes for any form of defiance. Eren stared right back immediately reading the bully's thoughts like he had spoken them out loud. 'Speak out of line and I'll hurt you even more.' It was written clear as day on Drake’s smile, it seemed all he had to do was not answer and he'd get to keep his head. It didn't matter if Tiana– his crush was there or not, it wasn't like she would be there when Drake and his goons would beat him, it would be better if he simply just went along and saved his skin. In anger and humiliation, Eren dropped his head unable to answer. There was a short pause in the hallway as Tiana searched for Eren’s eyes, wondering if he was truly going to sit by and watch them mock his mother's memory. "Yeah, we're just playing around." Tears threatened to fall out of Eren’s eyes as he uttered those words. He had let these bastards trample on his mother's memory just so he could save his skin, it felt like his heart was about to split in two. Involuntary tears escaped his eyelids. "You hear that Tiana...we're just kidding around. And besides what did we say that was so wrong did you not see his mum. Damn she was smoking hot, both before and after the explosion." As Drake said that there was another eruption of laughter, the hallway breaking out into hysteria once again, while Eren stood at its centre tears falling out of his eyes. He hated them for that. He wished nothing than to make them beg for mercy but there was nothing he could do. He was weak and powerless, he had learned a long time ago that the weak would always be nothing but the soil beneath the feet of the strong. All he could do was watch in pain while he suited himself and his weakness. Tiana stood watching as Eren released whimpers, his silent scream shrouded by the roars of laughter the hallway made at his expense. Standing there while they mocked him all Tiana could feel for him was disgust and pity, knowing she had at least tried her best she walked away not turning to face him even once. Eren watched as she walked away with teary eyes, wishing the earth would come alive and swallow him whole right at that moment. But unfortunately, he was left to deal with Drake. When the brute had gotten enough, he and his goons dragged Eren out of the school premises. After some time, Eren desperately asked; "Where are you all taking me?" It was only natural. They had never taken him this far from the school premises just to beat him up. "If I were you, I'd be memorizing the way back so you can drag yourself home when we're done with you." One of the goons said as they snickered. It wasn't long before Eren could see a massive metal gate slightly opened from the side. Above the gate sat a signboard with ‘Junkyard’ written boldly on it. As they walked into the junk site, dismantled cars and scraps of metal littered the ground, the site had this eerie atmosphere as the sun slowly began to set. They soon appeared in a clearing of sorts surrounded by broken-down vehicles. Drake shoved Eren roughly sending him to the ground with a loud thud. There was no decorum as both goons rushed him like he was an injured lamb. Fist and feet came flying hitting Eren in all the wrong places. There was no pause between their punches, each one carrying just as much weight as the last. Then Drake released a soft whistling sound from his lips and both thugs immediately held back their fists. While Eren lay sprawled on the ground holding onto his aching sides, Drake made slow strides towards him a wicked grin etched on his rather handsome face. He squatted till he was eye level with Eren, then in one fluid motion pulled back his lustrous locks of weather blonde hair so his dark eyes were staring right into Eren. With a thud, Drake struck Eren’s nose with his head shattering his nostrils. Eren pulled back in agony as blood streaked out of his broken nose. He had barely regained himself before Drake struck him against the side of his head. Eren had always dreaded Drake's hands. It felt almost like they were made for just hurting, maybe it was because he always let his goons start before joining in or maybe it was simply because he had been doing this for far too long. Either way, Drake held a dark understanding of how to hurt a man and he never shied away from using it on Eren. Still, Eren endured. He had faced this before, in fact, he had gotten his ass beaten up more times than he had taken a shit so he was used to it. But there was something that bugged Eren, and that was the fact that Drake had long since passed the usual time limit of his beatings. How long were they planning on beating him? It wasn't long till Drake finally spoke; "I'm so happy today Eren, you have no idea... I mean I've finally gotten accepted into the Winchester school for awakened. Isn’t that great?" Eren looked up at him his brows raised in agony as he wordlessly begged for an end to this torture. He didn't give a shit if Drake was accepted into Congress all he wanted was for him to stop, but that wasn't up to him. "I'll become an awakened hero, defending our nation... while you'll end up mopping floors, how strange is fate." As he said that he stood to his feet, pulled down his pants and peed all over Eren’s bleeding head. At least now it seemed it was over. "The only thing that feels wrong now is the fact that I can't fuck your slut of a mum. Too bad she had to die so young and without any action." Drake said, chuckling as he walked away. Suddenly he could hear footsteps approaching him and when he turned he could see Eren running at him with a metal pipe held tightly in his hands. He swung at Drake but the bastard dodged with relative ease immediately grabbing the pipe and sticking Eren right in the head. The force he used shattered Eren’s skull, the white of his eyes turning blood red before he fell. Drake froze in panic, he tried to reach out for Eren but his goons had already begun fleeing the scene. Eren lay in a pool of his blood dying a slow painful death. When his blood touched his mother's amulet, the dim red crystal began to brighten, sucking up all of Eren's blood and instantly killing him before combusting into a ray of sparks. Then in his unconscious state, Eren heard some strange words. [System alert: You have died!] [System alert: Your blood has been absorbed!]. [Blood refining in process] [Blood refining halted!] [You have entered the Dream state][System alert: You have died!][System alert: Your blood has been absorbed!][Blood refining in process][Blood refining halted!][You have entered the Dream state]With a short gasp Eren’s ruby eyes shot open, beads of sweat glistening atop his pale skin. There was confusion visible on his face as he stared into nothingness."Where the hell am I?"Somehow, Eren had found himself floating in absolute darkness. He strained his eyes trying to search the void for answers but all he was able to uncover was just how abysmal the darkness truly was.All around him, there was nothing but endless space with a cold chill running through his bones making him feel a great discomfort."Oh lord, where am I now?"He asked clutching his arms as he folded."Is this truly my end?"It was a terrifying revelation, assuming he was to spend the rest of his conscious existence in nothing but absolute darkness. Despair held his every thought turning him prisoner until eventually, his life began to play befor
"From my mother?"Eren repeated staring at the bald man with wide eyes, too many questions spawning at the back of his mind.Silas said nothing, merely nodding in return, before somehow managing to once again wheel himself out of the room without the use of his hands.Now left on his own, Eren’s mind could finally try piecing together all the events that had occurred thus far.Firstly there was the strange crippled man who had claimed to be a friend of his mother. Now that he thought about it the man shared an uncanny resemblance with a certain Dr. Homer his mother was once very fond of.Although Eren recalled him having much more hair and a much more common means of transportation–Legs."The explosion must have taken a lot from him..."The man must have only made it out due to his awakened physiology, which was much more sturdy than the average human. His body as an awakened was capable of much more than just peering through microscopes and jotting down theories after all, despite t
Eren stared at the old tape recorder.The only thing separating him and his mother's loving voice were a couple of magnetic strips and the play button that rested beneath his thumb.He took in a couple of deep breaths before placing the earphones attached to the recorder in his ears. He didn't play it immediately, hesitant for some reason maybe due to guilt or fear. Still, his curiosity won as it wasn't long before he eventually pressed the button.There was a satisfying clicking sound as he pressed the button. A soft noise from the minuscule machines churning resounded in the room as the tape within spun.Eren stared at the recorder, waiting excitedly for his mother to speak. Another satisfying clutch later and the tape had begun to play, spinning forward as static whispers eased into Eren’s ears.He could hear clumsy movements with a few distant curses before finally, the sound of a warm sigh sipped into his ears and with it came a melodic voice stuffed with feminine charm and gra
‘I want to avenge my mother’s death…’The words he’d spoken earlier replayed in Eren’s mind as he watched Silas’s silent form. He could tell, just from the look the old man wore, that he was in conflict with himself. Was it over the vengeance statement, or something else? Eren had no idea. When Silas finally spoke, he seemed to weigh his words carefully."Vengeance?" He scoffed, turning to look Eren right in the eye. "Can't you see? That is what I have been trying to do for years, without any success. It seems it does not matter what I do, they are always a step ahead. They cleaned it all up such that it was as though it never happened. The people that wanted your mother dead, Eren, are very powerful people.""I figured as much," Eren told him quietly. His voice was hot with rage. He caught the worried glance of Silas's aide in the rearview mirror, but thought nothing of it. He turned to Silas and stared at him in contemplation for a short while. Then he asked, "Silas, who killed
Soon enough, just as Silas had promised, Eren found out what occupied most of the top floor. It was Silas's laboratory. Upon their arrival — after scanning the professor's irises — automatic sliding doors hissed open to reveal an immaculate, white corridor that stretched out before them like a tunnel. Stepping into the lab, Eren was immediately struck by its cutting edge ambiance. The air in the lab was sterilized and crisp, with a hint of antiseptic and the faint hum of machinery.Eren stared wide-eyed at the size and magnificence of it. The technology of his mother's lab was decades behind this, it was obvious. He knew, however, that this comparison was not unbiased, since Silas's was eight years ahead of the one he found in the hatch. Also, it did not smell of dust and neglect. Eren figured this was owed to Silas's aide. There was not much a man in a wheelchair could do when it came to cleaning.They walked until they were swallowed in the maze of 3D models, holographs and te
Flashback ~ SOME YEARS AGO ~ "An interface?" Elizabeth (Eren’s mom) hesitantly asked the evening Silas described the program he planned to develop to her."Yes," He said, immediately defensive of his idea. "But inside the mind." With Elizabeth, Silas was rarely ever as meticulous as he was with others when it came to masking his thoughts. This was owed mainly to the fact that she did not often entertain doubt, as other people were likely to. This meant that he never nursed the fear that a spontaneous idea would make her think he was insane. If anything she was far greater an ardent believer than him. Science was her religion.“Oh Silas…” Elizabeth muttered and then she burst out laughing. "Don't mind me, Silas." She had said, eyes twinkling brightly. "I am just old and tired."He chuckled…Present Day ~ So long ago it was. Then, laughter was not such an alien notion to him. For months he developed the program; for months without end, she assisted him. Now, as he stared at her
‘If I wholly agree, will you show me how?’Silas looked at the young lad before him, and held back a smirk. He was so eager. So, so eager. "Your Dream State could buy us some sentiment to cushion our tracks in the investigation." Silas spoke, completely ignoring Eren’s question.He blinked twice. “What?”“I just thought of that now."Thought of what?… Eren was preparing to ask in the most censored way, if the elder would even answer."Your attack is news already. I informed the press what happened. They're on it. Somebody's going to take responsibility."Now, Eren was getting confused, but he asked more questions still. “Will that help in any way?""I think it will," Silas replied. His wheels made a low whining sound and the overhead fluorescents created a repetitive dark-and-light effect on them as they glided through space. "People live by sentiment.” The older man spoke. “A little publicity where due is only fair, is not so bad.”Well it was also a little pathetic, Eren caught h
"Eren! ...Eren!"He opened his eyes to stare at a soulless white ceiling. There was a call at the door... Where was this place?... Oh.. crap.Silas slid in without invitation and he held the door open for a moment and watched the moving wheelchair."How many scars do you have left?""What?”"You have a meeting tomorrow. Or rather, we have a meeting tomorrow about you."Eren thought furiously for a second, then almost choked in his reply. "What meeting?"Silas ignored the question. "You still have a bunch of scars.”Eren fumbled with a sleeve. There were some red bruises and marks in the area where Drake had hit him. Hard.“Well yes, I do.” "Good. We'll need them as evidence. The Winchesters have planned an empathetic visit, if you may.""Visit?""Em-pa-thy," Silas said, cutting him short with the vehement pronunciation. Like he didn't know what that meant. "Come," he ordered, wheeling himself out with just as much ease as he spoke.What did the Winchesters want with him? They hear
“Samantha Dennin." A female security officer poked her head into the gymnasium of the Academy, looking around for her. “Lord William had requested your audience. Immediately."Samantha stood up abruptly, looked at the officer, and offered her a curt nod of affirmation before removing her gym towel from her neck and following the Security officer out of the gymnasium.The air outside the gym was crispy and cold. Samantha could hear winter’s whisper from the wind and the cold.She smiled as she breathed in the fresh air. She looked forward, and in the distance, she could see the towering building, The Titan, where William Winchester's office was. She was not at a loss about what was going to happen. The new academic session of Winchester Academy started a few days before, and she had hoped that she would be able to participate in it, but William Winchester hadn't said anything yet. For her, whatever William Winchester said would determine the course of her life.“Come in." She hear
It had been three days since the battle, and the Academy was still buzzed with the news of the Great Fight as the students tagged it. Construction started immediately after the fight, and students joined in to make it faster and more effective. The sun shone brighter, and the people were happier. As William had briefed the media, the enemy was incapacitated and wouldn't be coming back. While it shined sunshine and rainbows, doom spelled darkness in the deepest parts of the Academy prison yards. In a state-of-the-art prison, Silas sat, locked up by order of the Awakened judiciary, until his judgment. Vatican Sol was also locked with him. The only problem that the Academy had was the runaway father and son. Edward Dennin and his son, Trevor Dennin. Finding them was becoming a problem because of Edward Dennin's expertise in hiding. However, William made sure that the security team wouldn't rest until they found them both. This became their motivation to look harder and find
Zachary raised his head and was face to face with Silas. He desperately struggled to keep his breath going. He had held on for more than five minutes, waiting for nothing. He just wanted to keep Silas Homer busy so he would not pursue Eren. Eren stood around thirty steps away, transfixed. Zachary understood that he needed more time and was willing to help him obtain it. Zachary had two things that made him determined. The first one was that nothing would happen to his son for as long as he was conscious on the battlefield, and the second was that he wouldn't die until he explained the actual situation to his son.“You think you're all it?" Zachary asked, a disgusted look on his face. Silas's eyes widened like a madman's, obviously not accepting of what Zachary said. “I'm better than a weakling like you!" He shouted. “The world does not need weaklings. You all do nothing more than infest the world with your weakness. It's sickening.”Zachary rasped and chuckled, his face amused.
Night was fast approaching, but the fire of war still burned bright on the summit. Fights continued in different places and spots as MANNA burst forth in various ways and diverse strengths. Despite the bloody battlefield, the colors in the sky splashed out in equipoise. The blues and green and orange, the sky prided itself in its contrast to the mortality of men. The sky looked upon the men of the ground with pity as they stole life from one another and sent their souls to nowhere.Eren Trost ran into the battlefield with a roar of rage and snatched the Helm of Tyrants from Silas Homer, yanking it from his head. The older man didn't notice that a few of his hair was torn along with it. His pride and trust in the Helm of Tyrant were going to be his doom, and he didn't know it yet. Slowly, the great level of MANNA, which was running through his veins and synced with blood, left him. Realizing that he had been rid of the power he depended on, Silas Homer looked around in haste, des
The day was beginning to bleed into the evening, but the fighting field retained its activity. Jared Khan was faced by his children at the eastern end of the fighting field. Kathlyn had her hand on her hip as she faced her father, angrily questioning him about his decisions.“Dad! You don't have to do this.” She ran towards him to stop him from hurting innocent people. Jared Khan ignored them and tossed the guard he had just beaten up, who had slumped to the side. After he saw that the space around him was empty and no guard or soldier was standing that he could attack or fight with, he reluctantly faced his children.“Father, " Drake started. “Why are you doing this?” He transformed back and stood behind his sister, hoping that she could knock him back into reality.Drake had always believed Kathlyn to be their father's favorite. Growing up, she always got their father's love and attention, which was different from his experience. Drake hoped that his sister's being more loved
Eren kept his gaze on Sid. Not out of caution but to seek his little bit of regret. But he got nothing. Despite his rage and anger-infused questions, Sid didn't respond; he just retained his blank, emotionless look, further enraging Eren.“Say something!" Eren shouted again, hoping Sid would respond and, at the least, tell him why he was doing what he was. Why did he choose to follow Silas despite his sinister plans to destroy the Awakened society and the world as they knew it?Despite Eren's hurt, which he deliberately ignored to focus on restoring his image, finding Silas, returning the Helm of Tyrants, and finding the truth behind his mother's death, he wanted to believe that Sid wasn't doing it voluntarily. He wanted to believe that he had a reason why he betrayed his trust and followed Silas“I have nothing to say to you, Eren," Sid said, unsheathing his daggers tucked in the leather pouch. Eren's face slowly pulled into a confused frown, and he wracked his head, trying to
A dark cloud covered the sun and enveloped the area in the seminar hall, making it look like the evening. MANNA glowed in diverse colors in different spots and places as the Awakened society attacked one another. The Awakened who followed Silas came rushing into the arena, and William's trained soldiers attacked them with power and strength on par with Silas's Awakened. Flashes of sword fights and MANNA shots filled the seminar ground. The dark cloud that covered the sun slowly peeled off its surface, revealing the faces of each person to their opponent.The thrill of victory dried off Eren's nerves as he ran to the fighting ground, his heart beating hard as he approached the middle of the fight. He could see William's braided white hair in the distance, and he rushed to the scene, stopping about twenty steps behind him to get a clearer vision from the proximity. A smirk grew on his lips as he counted; he realized that they had more numbers than Silas's team. William and other p
On the night before the summit, the Academy held its breath in dread and anxiety. Despite the preparations that had been made, the question of the uncertainty of what could happen still lingered in the air.The Helm of Tyrants was the most feared trinket in the Academy, so it was kept safe in the Academy Head’s office, the safest place on the Academy grounds, second only to the Academy vault. The uncertainty of the next day kept William in the middle of his office by 8 p.m., pacing a hole in the ground.William walked to the northern end of his office, where the transparent glass wall was, and looked out of the window; the north side of the Academy was completely open to him. Thoughts of what could happen the next day filled his mind. He thought of thousands of scenarios in which they won and a million in which they lost. His father had spoken to Zachary and him since they were teenagers about the Helm of Tyrants and its great power. In the wrong hands, the world as they know it
Drake sat opposite the large window in his Academy dorm room, his hands intertwined behind his head as he rocked the wooden dorm chair. Sighing for the fourth time in a minute, he brushed one hand through his hair, the dirty blonde shining a hue of gold as the morning sun streamed into his room when the clouds cleared off it.“Ugh," He groaned, his hands sliding down his face, muffling his voice. This is sweet hell, he thought and stood up abruptly, causing the chair to tip back and almost fall. Drake swiftly held it back and positioned it to face his desk, the chair frame now facing away from the window.Drake stood up to check the window. The glass was completely transparent, giving him a clear view of what was going on on the ground floor. It was bustling with activities. Drake perceived it as preparations for Silas Homer’s suspected plan to destroy the major clan leaders and senators all at once during the nation's leaders' summit, which was a few days away.He used animal he