Hate 37

"You're saying giant bats are hunting Eren? And they were driven off by a giant....angelic.....moth?" Hange said slowly, eyes wide with fascination.

"Trust me, there isn't a better word for it," Levi said with a sigh. "Damn thing had wings as big as the walls are tall."

Connie whistled. "That's big."

"That would make the wing span twice the size of the colossal titan," Armin remarked absently, looking up as he tried and failed to imagine it properly.

"She called herself Mothra," Grice added as he glanced at his comrades and Eren, each of them as confused as himself.

Erwin noticed the exchange and frowned at the thought that came to mind. "Grice, you said these bat creatures and this Mothra weren't part of your allies. Is it possible that others discovered the cave where you found the substance that turned you all?"

Ellie and Boris had dark looks about that, the prospect of Marley getting a hold of this same power. These forms, despite everything, were the only advantage they had against the might that Marley wielded with numbers and titans. And technology, given the state of Paradis.

"It's possible, but I don't think that's what's going on," Grice said as he looked down and shifted about uncomfortably. "This Mothra, she....talked to me, but she didn't seem....human. I think she's...natural, for lack of a better word."

"A creature that massive and intelligent enough to communicate with humans!?" Hange exclaimed in fascination, a wide and almost crazed smile on her face. "Ohh, the things I would love to ask her!"

"Grice seems pretty convinced she's on our side, and I can't deny that," Levi mused. "But what I don't get is what these bats want with the golden brat. You said something about challenging him, but why?"

"It could simply be a matter of territory," Erwin remarked, looking down at Eren.

The three heads furrowed each of their brows. That could be true-

{{{{...}}}}

Eren paused and mentally turned his attention inward.

[This is the challenge you were talking about?]Eren

{{{{Yes.}}}}

That simple answer was growled out, promising things worse than a mere death for this foe.

"Eren?"

He jolted his attention to the present, looking to Mikasa who gave him a concerned look, as were others.

"Are you okay?' Mikasa asked.

Grice shared a look with Boris and Ellie.

["....We should tell them,"] Boris said with a sigh, Ellie nodding.

Eren looked at them in surprise. But Drei looked resigned as Zwei nodded in agreement, and Einz made no protest.

Historia remained silent until all the creatures looked at them. "Commander Erwin, everyone? They have something they want you to know," she informed. "And I don't think they want Grice letting anyone overhear."

Levi, Hange, and Erwin grew serious as Jean sighed. "Oh boy, what is it this time?"

Eren was the one who spoke, and Historia calmly translated. "They haven't told you everything about these forms. They didn't lie, but they left something out. Something they can't explain and something they doubt any of us can help them with."

"Bold of you to make that assumption for yourself, brat," Levi said with narrowed eyes.

Einz growled warningly at the soldier.

"That's enough," Erwin said before tempers could flare. "Did this secret pose a threat to us?"

"No, we told you about it, we just didn't explain.....everything," Grice said with a sigh, nodding for Eren to continue.

Historia listened with a troubled look. "They told us they have a risk of going primal, of reverting to the instincts that these monstrous forms possessed," Historia continued. "What they didn't mention was-"

"They have their own personalities, don't they?" Hange asked knowingly.

"....Wait, what?" Sasha questioned blankly.

"Personalities? As in, their own identities?" Armin questioned, mind flashing back to the hellish red-orange eyes Eren's form had when he nearly devoured him alive.

["How did you know?!] Ellie asked in surprise, all the giants looking to Hange with similar expressions.

"You don't need to translate," Hange waved off with a smile as she looked up at Grice. "There were some tells you gave away, but mostly? It was that time with Eren, in the battle against the shifters."

Eren let loose a reptilian sigh and nodded.

[I should have guessed she'd figure it out.]Zwei

"So, when you say go primal, you mean the minds of these creatures are trying to take over?" Levi summarized, getting nods.

Marco looked around with an uncertain frown. "I'm...confused."

"Thank god, it's not just me," Connie said in relief.

"How is this different from what they said happened? The instincts taking over?" Marco finished in bewilderment.

"Because that sounded less insane," Grice answered flatly.

"And," Historia spoke up, translating for Eren again. "It's not just personalities. Eren and the others can see some of their memories too."

Ymir blinked. "Memories? Like how some of the Nine get memories from the shifter before them?"

"Maybe?" Grice answered uncertainly.

"You're not seeing the bigger implication," Hange said. "These creatures existed. They are remembering the lives these creatures lived."

"Things like this were running around in the world?" Sasha asked with a hint of dread. "When was that...?"

"A long....long time ago," Histroai translated for a wary Eren.

"....Tell me, Historia, how long have you known about this as well?" Erwin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Many heads looked to the translator, who was fairly unsurprised by all of this. "I....could hear Eren's talking during the battle, before Eren took back control. I had a vague idea of everything after that," she explained vaguely, glancing at the commander. "What about you, Sir?"

"Hange told us her theory right after your royal sister left," Levi remarked. "So, you hid this shit because we can't help you with a battle that is literally in your own heads. That about right?"

"It didn't change anything from what we said, so...yes," Grice answered.

"You're not wrong," Erwin agreed as he looked up at Grice. "So there must be a reason why you're telling us this now?"

Grice nodded. "Mothra used a lot of titles when she spoke. She said the one coming is the "Eternal Enemy of the Sun" and he was coming to challenge for the title of "Lord of the Storms," or something like that, against...." Grice hesitated as he looked at Eren. "He Who Is Many."

All at once, Borsi and Ellie shifted, almost fearfully, as Eren's necks coiled, strangely glancing behind himself.

"What's got them all spooked?" Jean asked warily.

"I don't like this," Sasha said with a shiver.

"....." Erwin frowned. "Eren. Is yours listening?"

Historia swallowed thickly at Eren's answer. "He's always listening."

"Is that normal, for yours and the others?" Hange asked Grice, even if she suspected the answer already.

The crawler shook his head. "Mine pipes in every now and again about food and danger. But something about Eren's makes the beasts shiver in fear."

"An apex predator, perhaps?" Hange mused absently. "More importantly, from the sounds of it? It seems that these bat creatures aren't actually targeting Eren so much as the creature this form originally belonged to.”

Eren nodded in agreement, feeling the Storm's presence closer than normal.

"Wait, wait, wait," Connie spoke up, rubbing his head. "Okay, this is all making my head hurt but doesn't this mean that this...Moth thing? Grice said she seemed natural or something? But that means she's some really old creature too?"

"The bald brat makes a point," Levi remarked, looking at Ymir. "You sure there was nothing like this running around out there?"

"Look, I grew up in a literal ass cult, but even to me, this all sounds kind of crazy," Ymir remarked. "So, what do we do about these bats?"

"Levi, I need you to describe these creatures in detail, along with any weaknesses you noticed," Erwin instructed before looking up at the creatures. "But knowing their target does give us an advantage."

Eren spoke up, causing Historia to translate. "Eren wants to know if he should remain outside the walls of Trost, to lure them away?"

"But that'll just put you in danger," Mikasa countered with a scowl.

"They're right. We can control the battle better here," Erwin agreed, looking up at the cloudy skies. "We should assume they'll attack at any moment."

With that, the Commander left with Levi and Hange to make plans for the looming danger.

"Great. I knew we'd end up fighting some of these monsters eventually," Jean said with a sigh. "Just wish we didn't have to fight something that can fly."

"I'm not a coard or anything?" Sasha spoke up carefully. "but maybe we should just leave this to Eren and the others here?"

"The bat's aren't that big, compared to us, and they're not hard to kill," Grice remarked with a headshake. "But there are a lot of them. Though, I get the feeling their leader will be trouble."

"Right, so, you really weren't going to tell us there was a monster lurking in your head?" Jean asked up at Eren.

Eren answered first.

"He was honestly worried he might be going crazy before Grice told him about his own experiences," Historia explained.

"I'm guessing the other bastard was in charge when you tried attacking me and almost ate Armin?" Ymir guessed.

Drei groaned out as he looked down at the memory, Einz glaring back at nothing, and Zwei just nodding in confirmation.

"It's fine. Even if I didn't know the exact situation, I was sure Eren would snap out of it if I yelled at him enough," Armin said with a sheepish look.

"I think that was just shock. Because, you know, when you start yelling, it's kind of surprising," Connie remarked with a grin.

"I don't want to say it's like a mouse roaring, but...." Marco trailed off apologetically.

Eren said nothing to defend his friend, as the others had a point.

Mikasa almost smiled at the exchange before her eyes trailed up to Eren.

Something was coming to attack him, because of this power he had.

Because of the creature that might try to take over his mind.

Levi was right. How did they possibly help Eren and the others against foes that live on their minds?

Meanwhile

"We'll need the Garrison to help with this," Erwin commented. "But Pixis isn't in the area currently. We'll need the highest-ranking Garrison officer we can find for the area."

"I believe that Rico woman might have been promoted, but I'll have to check," Hange remarked.

"Are we going to ignore that the Golden Brat and his big friends finally fessed up?" Levi asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hange looked over to him with a frown. "We already knew that there was more to those forms than just appearances and instincts. Like we said, we've suspected this for a while."

"We suspected there was even more than that to Eren's form," Erwin agreed as they walked. "Currently, I'm more concerned about this Mothra and these bat-creatures. Namely, why are they appearing now?"

"Maybe they're just reacting to the Golden Brat transforming when this all started at Trost, and only now got here?"" Levi suggested.

"But why Eren and not Grisha?" Erwin pointed out as he paused to look back at his subordinates. "According to Grice, Eren's father had this form. Why didn't they arrive before?"

"You have a good point," Hange said, cupping her chin. "Maybe it has something to do with how he managed to retake human form? Maybe they thought Grisha, or the creature rather, was dead again?"

"In any case, we can deal with and ponder all of that after this new enemy is driven off," Erwin remarked.

"I take it you already have a plan?" Levi asked expectantly.

Erwin nodded. "From what you've mentioned, these bats do not have the toughest of hide, just hard spots to boot. And they die like any animal."

"Did you notice any regeneration?" Hange asked curiously to Levi.

He shook his head. "They take a bit more to kill than you might think, but nothing like the Titans. Anything to the heart or brain is a death blow. Their wings are pretty easy to cut, but I wouldn't count on them dying from a fall. At that point, they're oversized rats."

Most might think that calling these creatures "oversized rats" would be dismissing them as a threat. But Hange and Erwin both knew that Levi definitely considered rats to be a threat, even at normal size.

"There is the obvious probably, of course," Erwin said, looking back to where they had left the others. "If the leader of these creatures has "challenged" Eren, then it believes it can win."

"We should expect a bigger bat," Levi summarized "At least as big as the brat."

"Bigger, maybe," Hange said, cupping her chin thoughtfully. "Eren keeps getting bigger. We're still not sure why or how, but he is steadily growing bigger. Whatever is coming this way? I think it's expecting Eren to be full size."

Any conversation stopped as they all felt a sudden shift in the wind. Their eyes went to the sky filled with clouds.

"Grice said this challenge was over a title," Erwin remarked. "Lord of the Storms. We must assume that a storm will herald this creature's coming."

"A bat that can control the weather," Levi opined with a headshake. "I might have thought that was a joke before I saw the angel-moth myself."

"In any case, we should make preparations as soon as possible," Erwin said as he turned and began to lead them away again.

"It's strange though," Hange remarked. "The Titan-shifters transform with what appears to be bolts of lightning. Lightning or not, Eren can breathe something that looks the same. Now giant bats are concerned about a title regarding storms?"

Neither of the others commented on that, having nothing to add even if they agreed with that point. There was a connection there, but they had doubts either of them would figure it out before Hange did it herself.

Meanwhile

"We have to consider pulling out of here."

"I am considering it, Captain," Zeke assured as he took a long drag of his cigarette. "Getting this information back to the mainland is invaluable, there is no denying that."

"Then why are you so determined to use this town as a trap?" the Marlayean asked with a scowl.

"The enemy has taken two titans from us, and lost none of their new advantages, these giant monsters," Zeke remarked calmly. "If we allow them to keep advancing, how long do you think until they might cross the ocean once more?"

The captain gritted his teeth at the prospect. "We can't afford to let these island devils wreak havoc and unleash another Eldian Empire on the world."

"Believe me, we are in agreement on this," Zeke said with a scowl about him.

The idea of another Eldian Empire, but with these creatures? What a terrible Hell that would turn this world into.

"Still, I feel this place is the best location to meet them," Zeke said as he looked at the breach in the wall that had allowed the Titans in years ago. "They have to come here, we know that. If not here, we might not have the luxury of picking the battlefield we face them on."

"What is the end goal now then? Or do you still plan to aim for the Coordinates, even now?" The Captain asked.

"The Coordinates has, unfortunately, become an optional objective in my mind. As important as it is, I would be more concerned with neutralizing these giants, "Zeke said gravely. "But if this next encounter is a failure, we will have to retreat."

"We may have to before that even. We haven't seen any of those crawling bastards or tusked mutts, but we've lost a lot of men. Much more and, well...." The captain reluctantly shook his head. "It pains me to say this, but if we take too many deaths or injuries, we'd only be in the way. We'd have to fall back to the harbor and leave it to you Eldians."

It was funny. Normally, a Marlayean would say that with distrust at leaving the Eldians with such an important job unsupervised, or they'd say it sarcastically while being thrilled to leave the danger to devils like them. But in this case, Zeke sensed neither from the captain. It was rather a sense of shame to him, for the Marlayeans to have little to no part in fighting against these Island Devils. True, they never expected to play much of a role, but that was from lack of need. Now, it was just from a lack of ability.

Being helpless, what a cruel feeling.

"If it comes to that, it might be best if you leave without us all together," Zeke said with a frown. "Because you are right, Captain. If nothing else we must ensure the rest of the world learns of the dangers brewing on this island."

The Captain nodded grimly and left Zeke to his plans and thoughts.

His eyes drifted up to the sky. It was growing late, but the cloud cover made it even darker.

"There might be a storm coming," he murmured to himself. "No one is leaving before that passes by, at the very least."