Word count: 1,100+ ( short and sweet, but I wanted to give you guys a bit of background )
A/n: sorry I’m late, this one was a bit difficult for me to write. I don’t know how I wanted it to come off, and I wasn’t sure. I was doing that properly, so I’m a little late with posting it.
With that being said, before you read , read this
All parts in italics are from Eren’a previous conversations with Onyankapon. Flashbacks. The conversation he is having in THE NOW is with our reader. They kind of mirror each other.I hope that makes sense. I hope this chapter makes sense. And I’m sure you guys will tell me if it doesn’t.
If you want to be added to the tag list, let me know
“Your power, where does it come from?” Eren asked as they sat outside in the yard once more.
It was a question Eren had been meaning to ask her for a while now. With his time with Onyankapon limited, he had only gathered so much information from him during their previous discussions.
“It’s a curse, but we used to call it a blessing,” she replied, her voice tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia.
“Funny. Onyankapon said the same thing.”
After Yelena revealed to Eren that he had a brother who had wanted to meet him, and their plan to “save the world” began to unfold, Onyankapon had asked Eren to hang back for a moment to talk.
“If you go through with this, they’re going to send you to a hospital for war veterans and Eldians,” Onyankapon began, his gaze steady.
“You’re familiar with the place, then?” Eren inquired, a hint of wariness in his tone.
“Not exactly,” the darker-skinned man hesitated, searching for the right words.
While Yelena knew about his sister, he had never disclosed what she could do. For some reason, he didn’t quite trust her with that information. Eren would be the first person he revealed it to.
For a moment, Onyankapon simply took Eren in—the way he was, how passionate he was, filled with anger yet driven to do what was right. He was willing to do whatever it took to save his people. Beneath everything, Eren was kind. With a deep breath, Onyankapon prepared to share the truth about Y/n.
He told Eren about the war between Akan and Marley, recounting the countless lives lost, including his entire family. Everyone, except for his older sister. He explained that she was special, gifted with healing abilities, yet Marley sought to keep her captive. “Y/n wouldn’t heal anyone at all until they threatened to kill me. I only know she’s alive because I am.”
Eren’s brow furrowed as he processed this information. “How will I know it’s your sister?” he asked after a moment of contemplation, finally agreeing to help.
The rescue plan came with a condition: he wouldn’t forsake his original goal to meet with Zeke and go through what their utilization plan to save her or keep her alive. If she was deadweight at all, he’d leave her behind. Onyankapon agreed, relieved that Eren was at least willing to try.
“Well, for starters, we look alike—hair color, facial features, skin tone,” he explained. “But I’ll go out on a limb and say she’ll be the one to heal you.”
When they were first separated Onyankapon would do whatever he could get an injury just so they’d send him to the facility for her to heal him. By the third time and they caught onto what he was doing, they begin taking him somewhere else to be treated. He was no longer able to see his sister.
Unnecessary cruelty.
It’s how they treated everybody that wasn’t a Marleyan or person in position of power.
Every now and again someone she would heal would find him and bring him letters from her. He wasn’t able to write back to her, but at least it was something. Onyankapon’s heart was heavy as she thought about all the letters she had probably been sending that he hadn’t gotten since they had been gone.
“You’ll know it’s her because she’ll see you,” he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. “She’ll see right through you.” He paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words. “I can’t explain it, but once you meet her, you’ll just know. It comes with the curse.”
“What curse?” Eren asked, his curiosity piqued.
“I’m not entirely sure where it came from but my grandma used to say it’s an ancestral gift,” Y/n replied, her expression turning somber.
“She said it’s been in our family for hundreds of years. One of my ancestors was born with the gift of healing. Once they would pass the next person born into our family would have the same gift. ” Y/n explained, her voice barely above a whisper. “Funnily enough when the person holding a gift would transitions into death, within days a new healer was born. For every death there is a life . Healing, and helping people…it was supposed to be a blessing.”
“When did it become a curse?” Eren pressed, sensing the weight of the history behind her words.
“When they took her from me.” Onyankapon’s voice darkened. “I haven’t seen her in years. I know she only complies because of me. The Marleyans agreed to let me live as long as she ‘worked for them’. If you ask me it’s -“
“Slavery. I’m nothing more than an indentured servant. Unless you count them letting my brother and I live as payment.” Y/n chuckled humorously.
A single tear rolled down her eye as she looked at Eren sadly.
“That’s just it though. I’d do anything if it meant my brother was going to be okay. As long he has a future, as long as he gets to life. I’ll do anything.”
As Y/n spoke, Eren felt a wave of emotions wash over him. Her vulnerability, her determination, and the pain she carried resonated deeply within him. In that moment, he saw not only her struggle but also the reflection of his own burdens. She reminded him of Mikasa—strong, fiercely loyal, and willing to sacrifice everything for the ones she loved.
Eren's heart ached at the thought of all they had endured, all the pain they had witnessed. He could see the weight of the world pressing down on Y/n’s shoulders, just as it pressed down on his own. They were both marked by a shared destiny, bound by their glorious purpose, yet ensnared by the chains of the past.
