Final arc: The truth (III)
Is the past truly unchangeable? At least Yago feels that he seems unable to change his Fate. He doesn't even have a physical form now and can only watch his past self grow little by little.
He met and became friends with Annie, made a promise with Annie, Ebson Annie, and unknowingly became involved in Ebson's experiments. Finally, by a twist of fate, he was exiled to Paradis Island.
"What are you hesitating for? Eldians are all demons, what are you afraid of? Don't be a coward! Hurry up!" Yago roared at Moses on the platform. Coris, trembling, gripped the syringe and aimed it at the boy's nape. Finally, under Moses's brute force, the Titan spinal fluid was injected into little Yago's nape. (See Chapter 76 for details)
Boom!! The instant golden lightning descended, Yago, who was unseen and watching everything, seemed to hear a tremor, thud! thud! thud thud! thud thud thud! It seemed to be the sound of a heartbeat.
As a fifteen-meter-tall Black Hair Titan tore through the steam, shook its head, and roared, a deafening heartbeat echoed around Yago.
Raising his arm and spreading his fingers, Yago stared at his body in disbelief. Had he... regained a body?
No, it was from this moment that he truly possessed the Fate Titan! Thinking of this, Yago looked at the Black Hair Titan wandering in the wasteland beneath him. He was certain that he hadn't just seen past memories; he had truly returned to the past!
From the moment I gained the Titan Power as a child, I truly became a part of the past. Suddenly, many things I didn't understand before seemed to have been explained.
As if from God's perspective, Yago looked down over the entire Paradis Island, and over the still wandering "Fate Titan," for an unknown amount of time.
In 845, when the dark green cloak of the Wings of Freedom came into Yago's sight, Yago knew that the gears of Fate had begun to turn.
During a survey outside the walls, the Survey Corps' Vick Squad was attacked by Abnormal Titan and a horde of Titan. The entire squad was nearly wiped out, with only Squad Leader Vig and Soldiers Giso surviving. At the most critical moment, Black Hair Titan suddenly emerged from the Forest and launched a frenzied attack on the Abnormal Titan and the other Titan. Ultimately, out of curiosity, Soldiers Giso discovered the small Yago inside the Black Hair Titan's nape...
Yago withdrew his hand. Now he seemed to truly understand why he was called the Fate Titan. He had just intervened in Fate. If Yago hadn't guided his past self, Vig and Giso would undoubtedly have been killed by the Abnormal Titan.
However, when Yago glanced at Vig, who was gently feeding little Yago on the horse, he realized that changing one person's Fate was also fulfilling another kind of Fate. In the end, what he was changing was a world where there was no Fate Titan.
"So that's how it is? Heh." Yago couldn't help but give a wry smile. He understood Big Eren a little now. When facing everything in the Fate, the other Big Eren must have been just as conflicted as he was now, having to give up many things just to maintain everything he had experienced, simply because it was the best choice.
Yago had the ability to intervene and save Vig and Giso, but he couldn't do it, because if he did, everything in his past would change, and all his efforts would be in vain. So Yago could only watch as Giso and Vig lost their lives to protect little Yago.
"Honestly, it seems I've become the kind of person I least wanted to be." Yago's eyes seemed to be glistening with tears.
Everything that followed was exactly the same as Yago's past. Little Yago was rescued by the Survey Corps forces that arrived just in time, taken back to Shiganshina District, and adopted by his Mother, Lucia. It was also during this time that he met Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.
It was also during this time that the Marley Warriors from Other Shore the ocean arrived outside the city walls. Yago even witnessed the argument between Reiner, Reiner, and the other two, but he merely watched. Bertholdt's Colossal Titan easily shattered the peace that had been maintained within the Walls for a century with a single kick.
The Wall Maria was breached, Shiganshina fell, and countless Titan poured in. Humanity's terror and despair enveloped the entire Shiganshina.
Yago watched as the boulder shattered little Yago's lower body, watched as Lucia stood in front of the ugly Titan to protect Mother child, and watched as little Yago, in a state of extreme excitement, truly unleashed the power of the Fate Titan and successfully Titan Transformation.
But at that moment, Yago suddenly sensed another force interfering with his past Fate. Yago turned around in astonishment and saw a familiar figure, a tall, slender figure with medium-length hair and droopy eyelids, pointing a Titan in the distance.
It was a Blonde Titan with a Titan that stretched to its ears. The figure it was holding was none other than Aunt Carla, who was covering her mouth and trying to suppress her fear. As the Blonde Titan was about to stuff Aunt Carla into its mouth, Big Eren's eyes revealed endless sorrow.
Suddenly, a pair of hands landed on Big Eren's arms. In the instant Big Eren was distracted, the Blonde Titan's movements also stiffened strangely. It was at this moment that Yago, who was controlling the half-body Fate Titan, successfully rescued Aunt Carla from the Blonde Titan.
Big Eren stared in astonishment at the person who had suddenly appeared beside him, while Yago looked at Big Eren with a similarly complicated expression. He hadn't expected that Big Eren, who only existed based on his father's memories, could actually interfere with Fate.
"Eren, hello, nice to meet you. You can call me Yago or the Fate Titan."
(Let me explain. You might not have understood what this chapter was about. Muzi briefly explain. It's about how Yago, under the influence of some mysterious force, traveled back to the past. Of course, he was in a very magical state. As he witnessed the events of the past unfolding one by one, Yago gradually realized that he had returned to the past.)
When Yago was exposed to the Titan spinal fluid Destiny, the Fate Titan truly came online. Therefore, Yago traveled back in time, simultaneously gained power and the ability to intervene in Fate. The Fate in this book can be broadly divided into two categories: the "original storyline" Fate without the Fate Titan, and the "present" Fate with the Fate Titan. Yago knew about the "original storyline" Fate early on (see chapter 139), while Yago has only truly experienced the "present" Fate so far.
So it was only at this point that Yago understood why he was the Fate Titan. His task was to change the "original Fate" and guide the world towards its "present" Fate. We'll explain in more detail what Yago did later; many of the foreshadowing elements planted earlier relate to this. Just like how many readers didn't understand how Yago saved Carla, this is where the Fate Titan Yago's Fate of changing the "original storyline" is manifested.