I Shall Be Happy

(3rd person's POV)

"We get it... Eren was an abnormal titan, and you win again him. There's no need to say anymore."

"That's right. Aren't I amazing."

"..."

Inside a dimly lit room with just 10 chairs and a large table, 15 people were present.

It included all the cadets involved with Eren's titan, Erwin, Levi, and the rest were simply taking notes of the conversation.

As for the two people that were speaking earlier, they were Athanatos and Erwin.

To be honest, Erwin isn't very used to people talking like this. Most of the people he usually interacted with are either his superiors or subordinates, with neither speaking in such a casual tone, of course, there are a few exceptions.

But even then, when you're trying to be serious and have a proper conversation with someone, having the other party either ignoring you or boasting his words, is not very pleasant to talk with.

"Alright... so the next witness. Armin Alert, if you would please come forward."

"Yes, sir!"

But Athanatos didn't want to end it there just yet. He have only told .00001% of his coolness, and he needed to tell them more about his achievements. After all, Erwin was quite a good person in his eyes and being in their 'favorable' list will be helpful later when he joins the Survey Corps.

"I haven't finished yet. How about I tell you about how I defeat Eren? It would benefit you guys to learn my ability."

"..." Erwin was speechless...

Unable to stand his newly found nephew anymore, Levi finally intervened, "Shut up. You're have been rambling this and that for 2 fking hours already. It's time to stop."

That's right... Athanatos has been spouting gibberish for 2 hours already. At first, they could endure it since the story was quite entertaining. But for god sake... no one could stay sane after hearing a little kid using dozens of adjectives to describe his little epic journey, especially if he repeated the story for 3 times straight.

"Did I tell you how I tied the blade to the anchor?"

"... you have repeated that 3 times already..."

"I see... How about I tell you how I know Eren is located in the heart instead of the nape?"

"..."

Luckily, Historia was there. Unlike her two best friends, who don't really care about what her boyfriend does, Historia wanted the world to know that her boyfriend is the most amazing person.

So seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, she finally intruded into the conversation.

"Thana-kun~ Since we're in the city now, how about we go get some food? It might be a bit far, but we can also go visit Mikan, Karl, and uncle Alfred."

"..." Hearing what Historia suggested, Athanatos' face blanked for a second, before saying, "Historia... you're a genius."

While Historia was speaking with Athanatos through words, she was also actually using telepathy to tell him.

[If you're speaking too much, it might be a bit boring. It's better to leave in a cool way so they can see you in a better light.]

So that's what he did. He followed Historia's advice, and then he turned his Sage mode to on. His face became stoic and his eyes became sharper and wiser, as if he had lived for millions of years.

In a solemn voice, he said, "*Sigh* I pity the world for its ignorance. Believing it is bliss, they heed not of the wiser's wisdom. *Sigh* I pity the young for their recklessness. Believing it is courage, they know naught of the bigger world... But alas, youngsters these days... *sigh*, why can't they just accept their shortcomings and improve? Farewell young 'uns, until fate let us cross path once again."

""..."" Everyone was speechless. All they could think of in their head was, 'WTF??'

One second he was speaking like a 5 years old babbling about his achievements, the next second... he changed his personality and began to speak like a wise old man.

Meanwhile, Historia was facepalming in a corner. It's not that she didn't expect him to do something like this, but she totally didn't expect his Sage mode to turn on at a time like this. She thought he would just speak a few nice words before walking out in a cool fashion but instead, this happened.

But while she was cringing at her boyfriend's embarrassing action, she was also quite happy that he valued her opinion, though the outcome was slightly unexpected.

"Alright, let's go. See you guys later." Then together with Mikasa, Annie, and Historia, Athanatos walked out the door with his arms behind his back.

-

-

""*Sigh*""

"Thank goodness he's gone." Someone in the background said and everyone agreed with his statement.

*Bam*

Athanatos was back.

"Erwin, at least give me a squad captain position later. Alright? See ya later!"

*Bam*

""...""

Familiar with his antics, Armin coughed dryly.

"He's... uh... a bit special..."

"Yeah, no shit..." Levi replied coldly. These last few days were quite tough on him. Who knows he actually found 2 nephews just by taking a trip here, although one of them was adopted. Still, that doesn't change the fact that his little nephew is a bit too special.

Suddenly a voice rang out a couple of rooms away, "Armin! I'm not a bit special! Say it right! I'm more than just a bit! I'm a lot!"

""..."" Silence descended into the room once again, this time, the atmosphere was a bit more uncomfortable than before...

"Ahem... He's a lot more special than he appeared..."

-

-

-

-

(Somewhere in Trost District)

On a street filled with people happily minding their business, a party of four was walking toward the destination.

If someone three years ago were told how developed this city is now, they would have just laugh as if it was the biggest joke.

But the reality was so.

Over the course of 3 years, everything changed. Unemployment, one of the biggest issues long ago, was now nowhere to be seen. With more money, people could enjoy a much luxurious life and would no longer be suffering from hunger. Houses were renovated. Run-down streets were replaced. Buildings were built bigger. It won't even be an overstatement to say that this city was way more developed than the marvelous capital in Wall Sheena!

Nothing was the same.

The atmosphere was much more cheerful than before.

But something won't change no matter how much civilization advanced.

Out of a small dark valley, a group of baldies slowly walked out.

For the past few years, they have been laying low as the security within the city had been raised quite considerably. They had lost their backing to bail them out of their crime, and at the moment, nearly all the higher-ups are unbribable.

They could now only do small and petty crimes like robbing or scamming unless they want to get arrested for doing something bigger.

But for today, the security was low for some reason, perfect for committing crimes. And luckily, in front of their eyes were the perfect victims—a group of seemingly harmless cadets.

With a savage grin on their face, they approached the group, obviously with no good intentions.

"Hey sweeties, why don't you join us for the night?" (Mob 1)

"*whistle* Dem t.h.i.g.hs are hooot!" (Mob 2)

"*drool* I want the small one..." (Mob 3)

"Settle down boys... we don't want the girls to scare now, do we?" (Mob leader)

But unlike how the mobs expected the young cadets to be frightened, they were instead showing a variety of emotions at the unexpected situation; none indicating that they were at the least, afraid.

"Heh, it seemed they want to become good people," Annie said with a smirk, but her eyes were quite cold.

Mikasa was the same, but her face was much more... sinister. She didn't like the fact that her date was interrupted by someone and if given the chance, she would tear them apart, especially beasts like these thugs.

But Historia, on the other hand, was different. She was showing an amused expression. After all, she hasn't encountered such a situation ever since the incident 6 months ago. But what's different this time though, was her boyfriend right here, to protect her.

She signaled Annie and Mikasa to stop while assuring her that Athanatos would take care of the situation. All they got to do is just to enjoy the show.

And just as she expected it, Athanatos wasn't taking the situation lightly. His playful mood was hidden deeply far away, leaving only a dark shadow covering his face. Beyond that shadow though, was just a face devoid of any emotion.

It was totally blank, with nothing to show. But his eyes didn't seem so...

It represented pure animosity.

"Huh? This kid wanna a hero. Hero~. Babahaha! Look at this, guys. This little mama boi wanna be a hero. How heroic~." (Mob leader)

""Hahahahaha!"" (Mobs)

These mobsters laughed funnily. After all, it's fun to see these kinds of people broke down in despair once they fail to protect their loved ones.

"Teach him a lesso— *Ugh*" Before the mob leader could even end his sentence, he stopped. After all, the scene in front of him was too terrifying.

To the outsiders' eyes, a boy was simply just walking toward his death.

But to the mobsters, it was different.

The atmosphere was incredibly suffocating. The very moment their sight connected with the boy, their body froze. The temperature felt as if it was below freezing point, leaving them to shiver uncontrollably.

It wasn't the weird blank face that the boy was showing that terrify them, it was his eyes.

Once they looked at it, everything went dark. The only thing visible was his green eyes. The green eyes that were dyed with the color of death.

Unbeknownst to them, Athanatos wasn't just judging them solely based on their behavior toward his girlfriends.

No. It was their past. The horrendous crimes that committed... the atrocities that they have carried out... the number of people that killed... the number of children they kidnapped... the number of families they broke apart... the horrible torturing... countless animals slain... how much they enjoyed it...

It was all much more horrible than any of the crimes committed by the corrupted nobles. These guys were unsalvageable.

The girls could also see that something was wrong. Normally he would just wipe out the offenders' memories. But this time... he really wanted to kill them.

In truth, these mobsters used to be part of the most horrible gang within the wall. They infested in nearly every city and town, committing countless gruesome acts on their path, and sometimes, even in broad daylight.

"You don't deserve to live."

And as soon as he says that, all the onlookers that have been witnessing the scene went into a trance. And when they wake up from it, they won't remember a single thing.

Athanatos simply extended his right hand out, and then slowly closing it, as if he was trying to grab the air.

All the mobsters fell down... but they were still breathing. The truth though, is that they are dead.

Their souls were f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y separated from their bodies, leaving only empty shells behind.

Things were taking a dark turn.

And slowly... from the shadows of the corners of the alley, somethings were crawling out.

Disfigured souls...

These were actually the victims from the countless tragedies that the mobsters had committed.

Most were missing body parts and only capable of making incoherent noises. But if there's one thing that they all have in common... it was their resentment.

Even though time had wiped away their memories, their thirst for revenge had kept them going. They waited and waited patiently for the day that may never come... but it did.

And as they approach the newly deceased souls of the mobsters, they shrieked out with whatever little intelligence they had left.

〈ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!〉A soul with no head

〈KILL! KILL! KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!〉A legless husband holding his wife head

〈Mom? Mommy? Mom? Mommy? MOMMMMMMEY???????????〉A girl with with a twisted head

〈GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!〉A female dog with broken limbs

And countless more...

"... I'm sorry. Let's go home." With a crude and bitter smile, Athanatos said as he walked away from the scene.

Luckily, the girls couldn't see these souls. As they are only fueled by resentments, not mana, the girl couldn't see them without the help of special ability, which they don't possess at the moment.

But they could definitely feel something was amiss. And Mikasa was the first to noticed that something was wrong.

Quickly following behinds his footsteps, she hugged him from from back. As she does that, Athanatos' face turned soft. No matter how much he hides his feeling, they always notice... they just always do.

With slightly teary eyes, she quietly uttered, "...Thana-kun... I don't know what happened, but if you think they deserved it, then they did. You are the most loving person I know... Don't be hurt. I'm... we're always on your side."

As Mikasa was hugging Athanatos, Annie and Historia also did the same.

"... Cheer up." Annie said bluntly, but her intention was fully intending to encourage him .

"Know that... We always love you no matter what... Don't hesitate if you ever want to talk, tell us. We're here." Historia said affectionately, conveying the message that the other two also wanted to say.

Feeling the love given to him, Athanatos hugged the three girls tightly, assuring them he was fine.

"Right, let's go home...Thank you... I'm happy to have you girls on my side..."

Then as together, they walked away.

Everything was now officially over. Without the soul to control the bodies, it stopped breathing and slowly losing any sign of life.

The resentful souls were now long gone as their purpose was fulfilled. Now, they will be back on the cycle of reincarnation, waiting to be reborn again. Hopefully, it will be better next time.

〈Thank you 〉

Suddenly, a soothing voice rang out, delivering the last message that the ghosts wanted to express to their savior.

As Athanatos heard that, a small smile began to form on his face.

His conviction was now once again strengthened. He was going to change the world for the better. And it will be better.

The world may never know of all the works that Athanatos have done... but he was fine with it. At least the world would be better, all thanks to him.