Chapter 4-5 already available on P a treon . com (slash) Weeb Fanthom.
Eren dragged the wagon along the dirt road of Shiganshina, drawing people's attention to the bundle of firewood seated in the small wagon, the wheels wobbling slightly due to excess load. Mikasa, however was quite content with watching as Eren struggled while she carried her more SMALLER carriage bag.
"Oi Mikasa. A little-ow-help!" Eren grunted as he stumbled with lifting the wagon. This was when Mikasa eyes locked unto the mass bundle of wood Eren had decided to bring along with him. She wants to help…but it was honestly more fun to see Eren struggle a little more, maybe after a minute or two she would help him. They had reached the gate entrance of wall Maria; the one and only entrance to their hometown Shinganshina. "Mikasa-", "I thought you said that you could deal with this on your own. You didn't seem to think that through." A tic mark appeared on Eren's temple. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean-"
"Hey, hey, hey. Mikasa scolding you again Eren?" A garrison soldier said standing in the gateway entrance Eren and Mikasa were about to pass through. This was Hannes, a known friend of Eren's parents. Eren's nose wrinkled at the strong scent of alcohol reeking from the adult. "Tch, how can you be drunk by this time of the day?" Hannes just shrugged at the question jabbed at him. "We garrison soldiers have been busy keeping watch of the wall, it's only fair that we take a break."
"If you think it's okay to be slacking off on job, then you should call yourself the wall construction workers instead!" Eren gritted out in anger. "Hmm. Hey, maybe it's not such a bad idea." Hannes replied. Nearby, another garrison soldier clearly drunk came beside Hannes. "Oh, it's the doctor's son. Relax kiddo, the wall's been around for over a hundred years now. There's nothing that can destroy it, besides even if the titans come by, we'll beat their sorry ass."
"How can you not take this seriously! You think the walls will always be there forever. You don't know if the titans would one day breach through the walls. Would you be prepared for that?" That question made everyone quiet, Mikasa looked worriedly at Eren. "Eren…"
"Tsk" In anger, Eren grabbed the wagon he had been pulling and matched forward, Mikasa following while leaving Hannes and the other Garrison soldiers surprised. "Wow, the kid's got issues. Always talking about the walls not being safe or titans, jeez." One of them muttered. Hannes however, kept looking back at the direction Eren and Mikasa had gone. "Eren…don't tell me, you plan on joining the survey corps." The garrison said to himself.
"Eren. Forget about joining the survey corps." Mikasa said, making Eren look back at her with shock. "And why should I forget about my life long dream?!"
"Because-" The sonorous sound of the bells within rung around Shinganshina. It was afternoon, and that only meant one thing for Eren. His annoyance immediately fading away to excitement, dropping the wagon he had been carrying this whole time as he held unto Mikasa's hand running to the town square. "Come on Mikasa, the survey corps are returning. Let's go see them!" Weaving their way towards the crowd already by the side of the road, Eren and Mikasa pitched themselves on top of a set of crates for better view. Sets of horse galloping reached the road, but Eren wasn't expecting the sight that was about to greet him. Several survey corps members are seen with dejected looks, many more traumatized than defeated. On the back of wagons were several injured soldiers either missing a limb or an eye. It wasn't a good sight for anyone to see, especially for the civilians that were watching by the road sides.
"They lost again, didn't they?"
"Weren't there a lot that went out this morning."
"This is what happens when you leave outside the walls."
"So titans really can't be defeated."
Many negative comments went about the people left and right, as if they knew this was going to happen. A woman from the crowd stepped out to stand in front of the incoming survey corps members, shouting out the name of her son.
"Moses! Moses! Has anyone seen my son?" She asked frantically, searching among any of the soldiers if she could see her son. "Excuse me, I don't seem to see my son here. Where is he?" She asked one of them that seem to be the commander, her voice elated with worry. "It's Moses' mother, bring it over." Dread fell over the entire crowd including the mother as a soldier handed a clothed item to the mother, it was a rotting arm that was revealed inside the cloth. Tears immediately fell from the mother's eyes as she clutched on tightly to what was left of her son.
"My son did contribute to humanity to the very end right? Please tell me my son's death was meaningful" The mother begged as she looked desperately at the commander. Everybody waited with bated breath for what the commander was going to say.
"O-of course he-…Wait..No" His uncertainty turning to abject sorrow, the next words that escaped the commander's lips was what many weren't expecting. "His sacrifice…WAS FOR NOTHING! ALL WE HAVE EVER ACCOMPLISHED IS NOTHING BUT FAILURES! YOUR SON'S DEATH WAS ALL FOR NOTHING! I'M JUST A USELESS COMMANDER THAT ONLY LEADS HIS SURBORDINATES TO THEIR DEATH!!!" Tears filled his eyes as he yelled out those words, horror and shock seen in many people's expressions. The soldiers continued walking down the road in shame till they disappeared from sight. Eren's hands balled to a fist in anger and frustration, that guy was meant to be the leader of the survey corps; the wings of freedom; who have always stood tall in the face of the impossible- so why was he acting like this. He gritted his teeth in frustration, Mikasa noticing Eren's sour mood. "Eren, we should go"
The brunette exhaled through his nose calming his nerves, this wasn't the time to get upset over matters that are out of one's control. "Yeah" Eren said as he stepped down from the crate he was standing on. "Shouldn't have expected any less from the survey corps." A bystander said, gathering the attention of a few and Eren as well, making him stop in his tracks. It was a man in front of him, his hands folded in smugness and a resolute expression all over his face that screams 'told you so'. "All they do is eat up our taxes for their so called 'expeditions' and get eating by titans. They're just filling up the titans' bellies at this point." Some nodded in agreement while a few chuckled. However Eren was having none of that, who the hell was this bastard condemning the work of the scouts. "The nerves of this bastard…" Eren gritted out. Mikasa took one glance at Eren's demeanor, knowing where this is going, "Eren. We should go, just ignore him." She said as she grabbed unto the sleeve of Eren's jacket.
"Oh I will. Just give me a second." Eren released himself from Mikasa's grip and weaved his way away from the crowd. "Eren!" Mikasa called out as she chased after Eren in the crowd. Turning a corner, she saw Eren come to a stop in a quiet and isolated alley, his hand pulling up his sleeve to reveal the device that had been stuck to his wrist since he was 9. Mikasa immediately knew what he was up to. "Eren. Wait-" Scrolling through the device's faceplate upon seeing what he wants, Eren slammed the watch down immediately followed by a green light that engulfs him. Eren's form twisted in the green glow as his body stretched unnaturally, his skin turning an eerie ashen gray. His flesh peeled back like unraveling cloth, revealing the dark void beneath, his single glowing purple eye gleaming with malice. The transformation complete. Standing in his place was not Eren but an ashen grey ghost like being.
Mikasa tensed, her breath hitching as she took an instinctive step back. She watched as Eren; or Phantom as he had called it; floated in the alleyway. His long, spectral body billowed unnaturally despite the absence of wind. Wisps of darkness coiled around him, giving him an almost ghostly aura. Among all the creatures Eren had turned into, this one always gave her the creeps. Something about it just felt…wrong, even Armin had shared his personal discomfort around this form whenever Eren used it. Mikasa clenched her fists, already knowing she wouldn't be able to stop him, but still, she tried.
"Eren, this isn't necessary." Her voice was calm but firm as she warned, hoping to talk him down before he did something reckless. "It's not worth it. You can't just—"
But Phantom merely flicked his elongated fingers, shadows curling at their tips as he let out a soft, chilling chuckle. "He mocked the Survey Corps," Phantom's voice slithered, layered with a ghostly distortion. "I'm just making sure he understands the weight of his words." Before Mikasa could protest further, Phantom phased through the alley wall, vanishing into the crowd unnoticed. Mikasa exhaled sharply. "Damn it."
_______________
The man who had insulted the Survey Corps was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed as he continued his conversation with a few other bystanders. He was enjoying the attention, smirking as he spewed more insults. "I mean, really, what do they even accomplish? Besides, it's not like the Titans are ever gonna get through the walls. The Survey Corps are just suicidal fools playing hero!"
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
The man stiffened, his breath hitching as the air around him grew unnaturally cold. The bustling sounds of Shiganshina seemed to muffle, as if the world had suddenly been blanketed in an eerie silence. The sun above still shone, yet the air felt...wrong. Then, he felt it. Something slithered past his shoulder. Cold. Forbidding. Almost as if...something unseen had brushed against him. He turned his head, but there was nothing behind him; just shadows.
Then, he heard it.
A whisper.
"I wonder… would you still be so smug if you knew what was beyond the walls?"
The man flinched, eyes darting around. "Who said that?"
No one answered.
His hands began to tremble. He tried to brush it off, chuckling nervously. "Hah, damn wind's playing tricks on me—"
"Or maybe…" The voice slithered into his ear again, closer this time, as though someone were right behind him. "I'm already inside your head."
The man gasped, a sudden weight pressing against his skull. His vision blurred, and for a brief moment, his body didn't feel like his own. His arms moved without his command; his legs trembled as if they would give out at any second.
Panic surged through him as his body suddenly jerked forward, making him stumble toward the crowd. He tried to stop, but it was like his limbs had been hijacked. "What the hell?!"
His voice came out, but it didn't feel like his own. It was layered, distorted—wrong.
His companions were still chuckling until the man's body suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening in sheer horror. His limbs jerked on their own, an unnatural twitch as his mouth hung open. The people around him began to take notice. A few stepped back, confused by his erratic movements and wild eyes. The man, no longer in control, suddenly flailed; knocking over a stack of crates.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing?!" one of the bystanders shouted.
Again, his arms flailed as he suddenly climbed onto a nearby cart by the side of the road, standing above the crowd like a mad prophet. His body convulsed before settling, his previously smug expression melting into pure panic.
Phantom had possessed him. Inside the man's mind, Eren grinned darkly. Time to give this bastard a lesson.
"Hear me, people of Shiganshina!" The possessed man crackled as his voice boomed, the frequency taking on a strange, hollow quality. But it wasn't him speaking—something else was speaking through him. "The Survey Corps are brave! The true protectors of humanity!" he suddenly bellowed, drawing startled looks from the surrounding crowd.
"I was wrong! Oh, how foolish I was!" he continued, staggering forward, his eyes wide with terror. "They fight for us while cowards like me sit safely behind the walls, drinking and laughing at their pain!"
Gasps and murmurs erupted from the bystanders.
"Wasn't he...mocking the Survey Corps just now?"
"Or has he lost his mind?"
The man struggled against the invisible force controlling him, sweat dripping down his face. "No! This isn't me! Stop it!"
It didn't stop there. Phantom made the man yank off his own belt and toss it aside, making his trouser fall off revealing brown boxer shorts, before grabbing a bottle from a merchant's stall, drenching himself in ale.
"The walls will fall! The Titans are coming! And you all… will die screaming!" Gasps erupted from the bystanders. A few children clung to their parents in fear. A guard looked ready to intervene. "The titans will eat us all! We must prepare! The walls will fall!" The man wailed dramatically before throwing himself to the ground, rolling in the dirt, arms flailing as though battling an invisible force.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Mikasa, having caught up, stood at the edge of the street, watching the scene with a blank expression as Eren continued his antics. She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply.
"He's enjoying this way too much," she muttered.
And then, just as suddenly as it started, the weight lifted. Satisfied with his work, Phantom slowly phased out of the man's body. The presence inside his head vanished, leaving him staggering. He collapsed off the cart, hitting the ground with a thud. He gasped for breath; drenched in ale and sweat, his face frozen in pure horror. His limbs shaking as if he had just escaped a nightmare He sat up with a jolt, looking around frantically.
"W-what just happened?!" he stammered, his face pale from severe shock. He had no memory of what just happened. Only the lingering, gut-wrenching terror that something had controlled him. But the damage was done. While many laughed, some of the crowds were murmuring, whispering about what had just happened. Some were terrified, others confused, but all of them looked at him as if he were insane.
"Maybe next time," the ghostly voice whispered one last time, directly in his ear, "you'll think twice before insulting the wings of freedom." A cold shudder wracked his body as he scrambled to his feet and bolted, pushing past people in a desperate attempt to flee even as his trouser was still loose.
One of the by standers doubled over, wheezing with laughter. "He—he just started acting insane! Spouting nonsense about the Survey Corps and—oh walls, that was hilarious!" From a nearby rooftop, Phantom watched with satisfaction before leaving. Hidden in the shadows of an alleyway, his body was engulfed in green light. The glow faded, leaving Eren standing there, arms crossed, a smirk playing at his lips.
Mikasa emerged from behind him, arms folded. "That was reckless." Eren shrugged. "Maybe. But he won't be talking trash about the Survey Corps anytime soon." Mikasa sighed, shaking her head. There was no point in arguing. Instead, she grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him along. "Let's just get the wagon you left behind and go home."
As they walked farther away, they stumbled upon the previously possessed man who continued to tremble as he sat near a doorway, muttering about a shadow that had slithered into his bones. Eren couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
That'll teach him to mock the Survey Corps.
Just as Mikasa and Eren reached where the wagon had been placed, she yanked his collar and threw him to said wagon, making the bundle of wood topple down. Eren looked in horror as his hard work has been completely dismantled, his gaze setting on Mikasa in anger. "Mikasa! Don't you know how long it is going to take for me to rearrange that-!"
Mikasa shook her head. "Reckless, as always."
Eren scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Are we still on about this."
"That's not the point," Mikasa countered. "Even with that device… you act without thinking." Eren clenched his jaw but said nothing. They both stayed in silence for a while. Then, Mikasa's tone softened, her next words quiet yet firm. "Do you still want to join the Survey Corps after seeing that?" Eren's breath hitched. He looked away, his earlier anger dimming into something more uncertain. Mikasa pressed on. "Even with your new power, it doesn't change reality. You saw how the scouts returned. That's why you have to think before you act." Eren exhaled sharply, trying to push past the lump in his throat. He wanted to argue. To insist he wasn't afraid. But…
The image of the grieving mother. The shattered look on the commander's face. The broken, bloodied soldiers returning home. Eren doesn't have an answer to that. Mikasa's eyes softened, seeing the conflict in him. "And… what did you mean earlier? About people dying?"
Eren blinked, confused. "What?"
"You said the walls might not last forever and they will all die screaming. Do you remember?" He frowned, trying to recall his own words. But all he found was… nothing. Just a strange, empty void where that memory should be. A ghost of a whisper flickered through his mind. A presence. His skin crawled.
"…I don't know," he admitted, more to himself than her. Mikasa studied him, her brows furrowing. "…Let's go home, Eren."
He hesitated, then nodded. Without another word, the two began packing up the fallen woods and stacked them to the wagon before they began walking back toward their house. Yet, as they left, a shadow lingered behind. Watching. Silent. And deep within the Omnitrix, something stirred.
Waiting for the right moment.
Alien countdown: Heatblast (???), Wildmutt (???), Fourarms (Titanfist), Ghostfreak (Phantom).
Chapter 4-5 already available on P a treon . com (slash) Weeb Fanthom.