Darkness.
It was everywhere. It surrounded him. He tried to reach out, expecting to grab a hold of an object, but he remained floating, as if suspended by strings.
'I am dead.'
The thought came fast. It was to be expected. Everything had gone according to plan. Sacrificing himself for a better world.
This deserves the title of a hero, correct?
Not quite.
Ruthless, cold, and terrifying. Those words describe him best.
The Führer.
That was the title he received when he came into power. He didn't care what the public masses thought of him, the only thing he cared about was fulfilling his promise. Because he never breaks a promise.
A better world.
That was what his sister wished for as she laid on death's door.
His foolish, innocent sister who still cared for the world.
The same world that betrayed them and tossed them out like yesterday's garbage.
But, it was what his sister wished for, and without out his sister, he had nothing to live for.
So he devised a plan that would satisfy his desire and his promise.
Simply put, he conquered the world, put all hatred onto himself, help fund and lead a rebellion against himself, and end it with him being defeated which led to the end of the cycle of hatred.
Confused? Well, it doesn't matter. The Führer accomplished his goal, that is what matters. Fed up with life and having nothing to live for, he died.
"Quite the sob story, dont'cha think?"
The Führer was snapped out of his deep thoughts as a ball of light appeared in front of him.
"Haven't lost your touch, I see."
The ball of light spoke. It's response was due to the minimized effort it took for The Führer to deduce what he was.
A demon.
Speaking of which…
"You are correct, I can read your mind. You are in my domain, after all."
The Führer once again closed his eyes.
"So then, what is it? Are you to give my punishment? How many years in purgatory? Or perhaps I am to spend entirety bathing in flames?" The Führer responded. He knew he deserved as much. He had killed millions of innocents after all.
"Normally I would just send you to a lower circle of Hell. But… you are different. I feel your talents would be wasted on such rubbish down there. I half expect you to become the new Satan if left alone for to long."
The Führer scoffs.
"So you don't want me to become the new overlord of Hell?"
"To some extent. However, you still need to be… 'punished'."
"Oh? So what is my punishment?"
"Have you ever believed in different universes? Different timelines? Instead of this happening in the past, something else took place?"
The Führer sighed.
"Stop beating around the bush, what is it you wish?"
"Hmm… Let me say this. If you are a powerful demon, you gain a lot of powers. Powers to transport to different universes. And, some demons 'claim' a universe. Such is the case with me. However… I made a mistake. Because of that mistake, a lot of people are suffering."
"And you want me to fix it? Why should I? Those people are of no concern to me." The Führer responded. If what the demon said was true, then The Führer could become a powerful demon as well and travel to different universes. Perhaps he could go to a universe where she is still alive…
"Oh? You think you have a choice?"
The Führer's train of thought halted at that statement. He wouldn't…
"Correct. You still have a punishment to serve."
With that said, the ball of light expanded. Soon everything was engulfed in the light. Then, nothing.
It was a weird experience for The Führer. He had recalled a religious figure from his past stating that man "must be reborn in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven". The Führer somehow knew this is not what that man had meant.
"He has your eyes." A feminine voice was heard.
"Yes, and obviously your looks." A masculine voice responded.
'Wha… What is this? Don't tell me… that demon sent me to his universe?!'
"Hm… You said you wanted to name him if he was a boy, Grisha. Have you thought of one?"
'No. This wasn't suppose to happen! I have no reason to be here! No purpose to live! Why?! Why was I sent here?!'
"Yes, Carla. I have thought about it."
'Fix the universe? Don't give me that bullshit! I have done enough! Suffered enough! And now that bastard of a demon tells me I have to save another world?!'
"His name shall be…"
'Screw that! That demon wanted me to save this world? Fine, but I am doing it my way. I will conquer everything in my path! This time, I won't die. This time I will live the way I want to. I will rule everything. Just as it is suppose to be. For I am…'
"... Eren Yeager."
'...The Führer'
Eren Yeager.
The name is of German origin.
The building. The manners. The way of speaking.
It has German written all over it.
Something The Führer was familiar with.
Even the people looked German. The Führer, in his past life, was German too.
However, he could not relate to these people at all! The Germans he knew were proud. They would not back off when challenge. Yet these people built walls to cowardly hide behind? And they just accepted to live like cattle?!
The Führer could not understand these people. He didn't want to understand such cowardly people.
So The Führer decided that the sooner he started, the sooner he could conquer this place and do whatever the hell he wanted.
So at the tender age of seven months he took his first steps to success…
And immediately tripped and fell…
'Stupid tiny legs! Just do as I tell you for God's sake!'
"Oh my! Eren! You just started crawling and now you're trying to walk!" Carla, The Führer's mother, came up to him and picked him up.
"You. Are. So. Adorable~!" The woman emphasized each word by rubbing her cheek against The Führer's head repeatedly.
'Unhand me woman! I am trying to conquer the world! And you are getting in the way!' The baby Führer could only think, as he had yet developed the ability to speak yet.
"Oh? You're getting a little feisty now? Are you perhaps hungry?" Carla began as she gave her son a sly look.
'No… She doesn't mean…' Fear began to creep up on The Führer.
Carla had entered her bedroom. She sat The Führer down on the bed and took off her shirt. Revealing her breast.
The Führer had died a virgin. To be honest, he never really had the time for sexulized never held a priority in his life. However, that doesn't mean he wouldn't get flustered if a pair of breasts were shoved in his face.
"Come on, Eren! How else are you suppose to get big and strong if you don't drink my milk?" Carla responded to the attempts that The Führer made into not sucking on Carla's tits.
'Damn, I have no choice. You win this round.' The Führer reluctantly gave in.
"Atta' boy! Hehe, I know you're stubborn, but where did you think you got that from? You will never surpass the queen!"
'This women…'
The Führer… no, Eren Yeager was now 4 years old.
Eren would never admit it, but those 4 years were probably the hardest in his life.
He couldn't "read", he couldn't "talk", and he couldn't "conquer".
He had to stay at home in a crib. If he was lucky, Carla would take him out for a stroll.
It was on his first stroll he saw the wall.
He was perhaps 2, maybe 3 months of age, but it really shocked him.
He wasn't an architecture, but even he could tell those walls weren't man made. There were no groves for mortar, no bricks, just one giant slab of rock. It was to refined to be a natural geographical occurrence.
'Could it be made by the supernatural? As much as I want to say "I don't believe in magic", this is an entirely new universe. The possibilities are endless.'
"Wall Maria." A soft spoken voice was heard.
'Carla. She must have seen me staring at the wall.'
"That is the name of the third most-outer wall." She continued. "You're not old enough to understand, but those walls protect us."
Eren gave Carla a deadpanned look. As if saying 'is it necessary to have them that large'.
All Carla could do was sweatdrop and giggle.
"I knew you wouldn't understand, perhaps when you're older." With that said, they turned back to head home.
Of course, Eren didn't understand at the time. It wasn't that he couldn't it was just that he didn't have enough information.
It was when he was around 1 year of age when he finally understood why the walls were so tall. He was "playing" with a toy car in the kitchen. The window was open to allow the spring breeze to enter the threshold. That is when a couple walked by. Eren overheard their conversation.
Titans.
It was pathetic, laughably pathetic how giant humanoid monsters devoured humanity.
'It's communism all over again.'
At any rate, this news would allow him to progress with his plans. He would have to learn more information, but if he could find the easiest way to subdue the Titans, he could easily become ruler.
Now it was present time. Now that Eren was at an "acceptable" age of talking, he was going to ask Grisha all about the Titans and walls.
"Hey," Eren stared at Grisha after their dinner meal. Grisha was reading the newspaper, when Eren had walked up and tugged at his sleeve.
"I have a question."
Grisha immediately looked at his wife who was doing the dishes. Carla gave a confused look, then her face lit up in recognition.
"Oh, Eren!" She responded. "You see, babies come from this magical bird. They carry the baby in their mouth. If you pray hard enough, and believe deep enough, they will deliver the baby to your door!"
Grisha facepalmed. Eren would have if he wasn't so well trained in dealing with Carla's antics.
"I don't think that was on his mind, dear." Grisha responded.
"Oh?" Carla asked as she dried her hands on her apron. "What else could a child be curious about?"
"The walls." Eren decided to cut to the chase.
"Why do they exist?"
"Soon you will be starting school. I am sure you will learn about the history of what happened to humanity." Grisha picked up Eren and placed him on his lap.
"But I want to know now, I doubt they would teach kids us age such complicated things."
It wasn't a surprise in the Yeager household how smart Eren was. Most people had just thought it was the genes of the Doctor Grisha himself.
But Grisha suspected something else. He had heard that those who have the ability to shift and have children, the shifting ability typically goes to the child when they die. Even if they don't turn into an original Titan and eat a shifter, they will still receive the gift. The problem was, Grisha has never seen, let alone heard of a child of a shifter. His hypothesis is that, somehow, the genes of a shifter made him smarter for his age.
Or he could be overthinking it.
"Very well. However, it is a very gruesome story." Grisha responded.
"Nay…" Carla got down on her knees to rest her head on the table. With a pout she said, "Do we have to tell him such things? He is so young."
"He asked for it, and he seems to be above his peers when it comes to maturity. I don't see any harm. Plus, if he gets scared you can just snuggle with him." Carla's face immediately lit up at that statement. As Eren got older, he stop with getting real intimate with his family. Mainly hugs, kisses, that sort of intimacy.
"Okay! Tell right away!" Carla responded with cheer.
'This isn't how mothers should act.'
"Well, the walls are here to protect us. They protect us from what we call the 'Titans'. They are large creatures that prey on humanity. They have god-like abilities. They can regenerate almost anywhere on their bodies. They say that the Garrison one timed blew off the head of a Titan, yet in a few minutes it regenerated it back and continued like nothing happened.
"No one knows where they came from, just that they appeared one day and started eating humans. The whole population of the Earth was wiped out. Our ancestors, those who survived the Titan onslaught, built these walls to protect us. They-"
"Impossible." Grisha was cut off from Eren's sudden outburst.
"W-What?"
"How could all of humanity have been wiped out?" Eren questioned.
"Ah… That's…"
"Furthermore, even if we ran from the conflict and built these walls, who's to say others didn't do the same thing?"
"Um… Well…"
"Actually, what if we are the only ones dealing with the Titans? What if those humans that kept on fighting found a way to stop them. But since we ran and hid, we know nothing about them."
"Eren! What are you getting at." Grisha asked in complete shock. He knew his son was special, but to think he would go this far in an analysis.
"You said that all humans outside the walls were devoured. How do we know that is true?"
"O-Our ancestors confirmed…"
"Are they omnipotent? Can they know the whereabouts of all living creatures?"
"Eren." This time it was Carla who spoke up.
"No one can survive outside the walls for a long period of time."
Silence engulfed the room as the words echoed off the walls.
Truly, Eren wanted to debate about this more. But two things stopped.
One, he was still considered a child. He shouldn't raise suspicion on himself, lest he catch the eye of unwanted attention. What kind of unwanted attention? Well that was number two.
Grisha's face. He expressed 'Shock'. Meanwhile, Carla expressed 'Confusion' and 'Worry'.
Why was Grisha in shock? He knew something. Something about this entire world. Something that was kept a secret. Eren knew that Grisha was a well-esteemed doctor. He was high in the social ladder. He knew things that the commoners didn't.
That means other people knew these things. Dangerous people. It would be best to stop asking those questions, otherwise Eren might end up in a "accident". But this conversation was very insightful.
Eren learned that Grisha was not the man he claimed to be and that there was more to the situation at hand.
Eren had two theories.
One, humans exist outside the wall, however, for some reason they hate those within the walls. They created Titans, forcing those who are within the walls to build said walls. Years have passed and only a selective few know of the truth. Why? To keep control. If the common populace knew that people outside the walls existed, they may try to escape to those people. However, this theory it the least likely out of the two.
Why? There were many reasons, like how only a few know the truth. However, if we were to throw in the supernatural element, then anything is possible. Hypnosis, mind erase, or a simple agreement never to speak of the event again. More information would be needed to confirm this theory.
The most likely theory, but still out in the ballpark, is that the king of the walls made the Titans himself. Greedy, he wanted complete control over his people. How to accomplish this? A common enemy. Grisha claimed that all humans beyond the wall were devoured. Why crush the hope that there still could be life out there? That the people in the walls would be able to drive out the Titans? Simple, they don't want the people to leave. They have complete control over them because all of humanity is "united" in a front against a common enemy.
Either way, both theories could be a flop. More research would have to be done.
"I… I think that's enough for tonight. Why don't you head to bed, Eren?" Grisha responded.
'Still in shock? How far was I close to the truth? Either way, this world is getting interesting. I thought it would be a walk in the park to conquer everything. But now…
'I may have a challenge.'
"Man! That was scary! I knew Eren was smart, but I had no clue he would of thought of something so complex!" Carla exclaimed.
A little while had past since the conversation between Eren and Grisha. The two spouses choose to go to bed as well. Carla was currently in her nightgown, sitting on the bed. Grisha was unbuttoning his shirt.
'It is strange.' Grisha thought. 'Normal kids could never think like that. Perhaps me being a shifter has affected Eren's DNA structure? No. Something's not right about that kid. He is only 4 years old! The brain could not have developed in such a way… Unless… Perhaps it is because I am a Titan shifter? I don't know. Either way, Eren will have to be the one to save the Eldians inside the walls.
'It is only a matter of time before the Marley "warriors" come. I hope I am able to prepare Eren in time. However, he may not need my help. His intelligence is great, far superior than any child I have ever meet. So much that it is scary. Illogical, even. But right now, I have to focus on being like a father to Eren. I won't go wrong like I did with Zeke.'
"Hey, why the long face? Worried about Eren?" Carla spoke. She was lying down on the bed, head propped up with her hand.
"It's just… I don't know. How can a kid be that smart?"
"Hmm, maybe he inherited your smart doctor genes or something?" Carla responded.
Grisha glanced out the bedroom window. 'Perhaps I am overthinking this, maybe it does have something to do with me being a Titan shifter.'
"Say, say~," Carla spoke as she grabbed Grisha and threw him on the bed. "Eren seems lonely."
"Why don't we give him a sibling~?" She whispered seductively into Grisha's ear.
As to two began in their nightly debauchery, Grisha decided to think about Eren another time. He was rather preoccupied, after all.
Eren lied down on his bed facing the ceiling, going over the events that just played. He would have to tread carefully from now on. It would be best for him to stop asking such questions until he was old enough to defend himself.
'In any case, I should wait till I am older to start investigating. Men fear the unknown. It is a good thing that I crave the unknown. Well, it will ease by boredom until I am old enough to conquer everyone in these damn walls. However…
'Must they be so loud?' Eren thought in irritation as a particular noise of pleasure was heard.
'I mean, come on! Do you want to tell the whole world what you're doing?! Because that's what it sounds like to me!'
Eren turned over onto his side and brought his pillow and covered his head, or more specifically, his ear.
He wasn't irritated at the fact that Grisha and Carla were having sex. He wasn't irritated at the fact that he never found anyone to love. He wasn't irritated at the fact that, no matter how badass he was in his previous life, he never got laid.
He wasn't irritated.
Eren sighed as he withdrew the pillow from his head and looked up at the ceiling again.
'Ah, I'm lonely, aren't I?'
"All right, finish up your math at home if you were unable to complete it, that's it for today. Dismissed." The teacher spoke with an air of boredom.
'He could at least sound a little bit interested in the well being of his students.' Eren thought as he remained seated as the other kids left.
Two years have passed since Eren asked Grisha about the walls, making Eren six. He started attending school a few months back.
As soon as the last child left, Eren stood and went up to the teacher's desk where he laid down the math worksheet the teacher had assigned them.
"Done already?" The teacher spoke.
"Yes, sir." Eren spoke as he turned to leave.
"Wait, sit down for a minute will you."
Eren hesitated. He didn't really want to spend his time chatting with this old fool, but common courtesy dicated that he should obey.
"What do you want, sir." Eren spoke as he took a seat in the front row.
"Such a polite kid, your parents raised you well."
'Beating around the bush, are we?'
"I don't mean to sound rude, but I do have other places to be."
"And a busy man at that. All right, I will cut to the chase. You got a perfect score on your homework."
"But sir, you didn't-"
"I don't need to look at it." The teacher cut him off. "I looked at your previous assignments and noticed that you already have the hang of the equations. What I wanted to talk about is why you don't want to bring that to light. Your intelligence, that is."
'So this man isn't as senile as I thought.'
"What do you mean, sir?" Eren asked with an air of confusion.
"I am saying you could be friends with so many kids here, yet you isolate yourself. It is a tough world out there, you won't be able to get far without the help of your friends." The teacher spoke.
Eren stopped to think for a moment. It was true that he didn't befriend any of the kids here, but the reason wasn't because he was anti-social.
He just thought they were obnoxious and useless.
What benefit could befriending such people do? Just by looking at them he could discern what they would become in the future. Hell, most of the kids come here because their parents dropped them off here like some kind of day care. None took this serious. Unlike his previous life, high grades weren't an expectation.
Most kids would grow up to inherited what their families do. They could change that fate, if they tried, but they didn't. Why would they? They are happy the way they are.
It disgusted Eren, really. These people were content with how their world was. They didn't want change, they didn't care if they were like cattle. They were living ignorant lives, content with what they have.
Eren wanted nothing to do with those types of people.
"Sorry sir, it's just I get really nervous around other people. But I am sure I will get better at talking to others." Eren lied.
"... Well, as long as you know the problem and are trying to improve it. Despite what it may look like at times, I do care about my students." The teacher responded with a smile.
"Well, that's all for today. Have a safe walk home."
"Thank you, sir."
Eren got up and walked to the door. A gentle breeze meet him as he walked outside.
The door closed with a soft click.
"What did the teacher wanted to talk about?" A voice spoke up.
'Her again?'
"Isabell… You waited for me? Again?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" The now identified Isabell spoke.
She was the same age as Eren, blond and comes from a wealthy family.
She was the most popular of the girls, and every boy wanted to impress her.
Eren didn't mind much, but the worst part was that she has become smitten with him.
Eren didn't know when it happened, but he has his suspicions on when it all happened.
And the cringe of the encounter is so much he almost wants to throw up.
"This handkerchief is made out of pure silk."
A group of girls surrounded Isabell near the entrance of school as she showed off her handkerchief.
"My father says that proper women have to wear and have the proper attire." She spoke in a haughty voice.
"Wow, Isabell! I can't believe that you have a thing at such an age. You really are a women!" The girls in her group spoke in admiration.
It was at that time that Eren walked by and accidently bumped into Isabell, causing her to drop her handkerchief into a puddle of rainwater.
"Ah, sorry." Eren apologized as he continued his walk.
"You… You… You peasant! How dare you walk off nonchalantly after you have done such a thing!" Isabell spoke with rage lacing her voice.
'"Nonchalantly"? A girl this young shouldn't know the definition of a word like that.' Eren thought.
He turned around and looked at the girl that he just earned the ire of. She wore a blue blouse with a matching skirt. It wasn't much, but the color pretty much screamed 'rich' all over it.
Much like in Eren's previous life, the medieval ages had something similar. The color of clothes spoke of the wealth of the person. The reason being was that dye was expensive to come by, so most commoners wore the color of what the fabric's material was woven from. Mainly brown.
"What? I apologized, didn't I?" Eren spoke. He didn't have time to deal with obnoxious brats.
"Do you know who I am? I am Isabell Rommel! And I demand you reimburse me for staining my handkerchief!"
'Rommel? Where have I heard…'
"Listen, it is just a piece of cloth. If you apply time and effort, you can wash it and it will be as if it was brand new. Furthermore, if you hadn't taken it out to show it off like some kind of trophy then it wouldn't have gotten dirty, now would it?" Eren spoke in a cold manner unbefitting of a six year old.
Everyone stood in shock. Most were surprised, considering Eren never spoke in class and went right home after school. Some didn't even know his name.
"You… You…" Isabell seethed with rage.
"If you grovel on your knees, I shall forgive you for these trespasses against me!" she yelled.
Eren sighed, then he turned to walk away. As he was leaving he responded back.
"You use such complicated words, yet you truly aren't smart at all. That is a handkerchief. They are meant to get dirty. Just wash it and it will look like it used too."
"W-What's that suppose to mean?!" She shouted back.
"It means that you shouldn't be over dramatic over something so trivial. I am guessing that was a gift from your father. Instead of pushing the blame on someone for tarnishing your cherished item, you should take an active role to fix what has been wronged. In this case, just clean it. It is really simple if you just take the effort to do it.
"Now, if that is all, please excuse me."
If Eren would have taken the time to look back, he would have noticed a blush develop on Isabell's face.
"I told you! Call me Bell!"
To be honest, Eren had thought she would hate him after that day. But for some reason, she developed something like a crush on him.
He wasn't dense.
His tactical side was telling him to get rid of her. Such useless luggage would only waste time.
But… He didn't. He didn't know why, but he let her do as she pleased and never told her to stop annoying him.
Maybe apart of him enjoyed her company?
Nonsense.
"And why would I call you that?" Eren responded as he started the trek home.
"Do you need to ask! Because we are friends!" The blond spoke.
Eren stopped. He never asked, but he suppose now would be better than never.
"And why are we friends?" He looked into Isabell's eyes. "If I recall, I was a total jerk to you. Why would you want to be friends?"
Isabell glanced to the side with a blush.
"I-It's because… well, I mean… You were kinda cool. And really inspirational when you told be to fix my problems with my own powers."
"...It was just a handkerchief."
"So what if it was! I still did it with the help of my older brother! And that's what got me thinking. You were wrong in someway. You said to fix my problems by myself. However, I believe you can have friends help you with your problems as well!"
Silence was the only response until Eren decided to start walking again.
"Even if you further burden your friends? They have their own problems as well."
"That's why you help them after they help you."
"...Equivalent exchange, is it?"
"Nope!"
Eren stopped to look at her, a genuinely confused look on his face.
"Equivalent exchange sounds more similar to a business partnership. The help I am talking about is friendship. The type of friendship were you will do anything for that friend!"
Eren glanced up to the sky to consider the words that Isabell just spoke.
"... Friendship seems complicated. And pointless." Eren finally said as he walked off.
'H-How cold!' Isabell thought as she ran to catch up to Eren.
"So… A man walks into a bar-"
"It was a lead bar."
The blond pouted.
"You could at least let me finish the riddle…"
"How about coming up with better riddles?"
This was what they typically did when walking home. Isabell knew that Eren was smart. So she would come up with riddles for Eren to solve.
Needless to say the riddles weren't very hard.
"Anyways, we are coming up on the fork." The brown haired boy responded.
Since Isabell's family was wealthy, it was natural she lived in the upper-class district of Shiganshina. Needless to say, Eren and Isabell's housed were in different communities. Just as Eren was about to go down the path that lead him to his home, he stopped.
"What is is?" Isabell asked out of concern.
Eren said nothing and walked into the ally that they were right beside.
Isabell, curious at the new path Eren was taking, followed.
"-at's why you're a filthy heathen!" A voice full of disdain was heard.
Eren stopped at a corner and peeked past it.
Isabell looked as well.
What she saw was three older boys picking on a little… girl?
"Oh my! Eren, we have to help that girl." Isabell whispered.
Eren looked at her with a deadpan expression.
"Isabell… Those boys are picking on another boy."
Isabell froze.
"B-But… She… I mean he… Shouldn't we help?"
"If you want to help, be my guest. I, on the other hand want to find something out."
A thud was heard in the distance. One of the older boys had hit the girl… boy.
The boy was now on the ground, he looked up with tears in his eyes.
"Say what you want!" His outburst surprised the older boys.
"No matter what happens, we will have to go beyond these walls one day!"
At the sound of that, Eren's eyes widen a margin.
It was at that moment Eren's belief of these people changed. He had thought no one truly cared about going outside these walls. Yes, there were the Scouts, but unless he meant someone to discern their true motives, he thought of them nothing more than suicidal idiots. The reason being is that they go outside the walls to face the Titans head on. If they truly wanted to leave these walls, if they truly wanted to rid this land of the Titans, going at it with a direct approach wasn't going to work. He was disgusted with these people who elected no effort for change.
That is, until he meant this boy. The same boy who was currently being kicked repeatedly.
"Say that again, bastard!"
"The walls protect us, and you want to go beyond them?!"
"Useless scum like you should just kill yourselves!"
Each bully delivered their remark with a sneer. Soon, they grew bored of the boy who was crying in the fetal position.
"C'mon, this is getting boring."
As they left, each took a turn to spit on him.
As soon as they could no longer be seen, Eren came out behind the building corner he was watching from.
Toward this new person of interest.
Toward this petite looking blond.
Armin didn't know where he went wrong. He was just reading a book about the outside world when those boys decided to blow off steam by using him.
Using the excuse of him being a "heathen" to tear up his book and beat him.
All he wanted to do was see the outside world.
As he laid there sobbing, he heard the footsteps on the dirt road coming toward him. Fearing that the boys had come back, he looked up, hoping they wouldn't do much harm.
But to his surprise, it wasn't the three older boys.
Rather, it was a young boy with brown hair and gray eyes.
"Looks like you've seen better days." The new comer responded.
"Uh… Y-yeah…" Armin was mystified as to what this boy would want to do with him. It appeared he didn't want to pick on him. He didn't seem to have any hostile movements or look.
"Why didn't you fight back?" The gray eyed boy said.
"You got your ass handed to you because you didn't fight back."
Armin paused to look at the ground for a second.
"If I had fought back, I would have lost."
"If you don't fight, though, you won't win." Was his retort.
Armin widened his eyes, then narrowed them as he looked back up at the boy.
"No… I won this battle."
The boy lifted his head, so that he could look down his nose at the boy. The boy was probably disgusted by him, nothing new at least.
"How so?" he responded with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm… weak. I can't fight back. But I can endure it. The reason I didn't lose, was because I didn't run away!" Armin shouted, rising to his feet.
He didn't know why he did that, but it always pissed him off when people thought the only solution for a problem was to attack it head on.
If he had fought back, he would have prolonged his beating!
For an instant, Armin thought he saw a smile on the boy that didn't belong on a boy that age.
He blinked.
That smile was replaced with a real smile, one that looked more natural on a boy his age.
Then the boy spoke.
What the child had said greatly interested Eren. His will to fight, or rather, his will to win.
It reminded it of himself, in some way.
That was why for a fracture of a second, Eren had smiled a crazed smile. One that looked liked it belong on a demon rather than a six year old kid.
Eren fixed his features and then spoke.
"You're quite smart, aren't you?"
The blond boy blinked.
And then blinked again.
"Huh?" The blond stated his confusion.
No longer was Eren looking down his nose at the boy.
"If you had fought back, you would have provided more entertainment for those boys. But, by simply sticking it out, they grew bored of your resilience. I must say, I misjudged you. Tell me, what is your name."
"A-Armin… Armin Arlert…" The blond, now identified as Armin, said with some hesitation.
"And I am Eren Yeager. Now, if you don't mind, I overheard something about leaving the walls. Can you explain more about that?"
And for the first time ever, Armin had found a friend. One who shared his beliefs that they would have to leave these walls one day. One that didn't make fun of him. And one that was interested in the outside world as well.
A few weeks had passed since Eren had meant Armin. The boy was really interesting.
After exchanging names, Isabell hurried over, fussing over Armin's wounds.
She droned on about how those men were cowards, that picking on such a cute boy was a disgrace.
Eren got a chuckle at how red Armin's face became due Isabell.
"-dismissed, make sure to do your homework." The teacher had said.
Eren still attended school. It was a waste of effort, however, he only attended for one reason.
History. He wanted to know more about it.
But it still pissed him off.
What he learned in history was the same as he heard Grisha say.
Hell, there wasn't even a history subject! Whenever classes first started, the teacher went over a brief overlook of our history. Stating how our ancestors founded the walls to protect themselves from the Titans. And that the Titans ate all of humanity outside the walls.
Eren didn't comment on it. He was still wary and didn't want to raise suspicion.
As usual, Eren was the last one to get up and leave. Isabell was waiting for him.
"I have to go to the market." was all Eren said to Isabell.
"I can help too!" was her cheerful remark.
"Ah, no. That won't be necessary."
"Come on! The marketplace is a woman's forte! I will not accept no as an answer!"
With a sigh, Eren turned to go to the market, with Isabell in tow.
All he had to do was pick up some fruit for Carla, but he had wanted to go exploring as well. Mainly investigating the walls. They were mysterious to him. He had wanted to get a good look at them, but with Isabell tagging along, it would be difficult to go.
The nearest part of the wall is in the opposite direction of where they lived. If Eren completed his shopping and headed for the wall, she would question him and eventually follow him to the wall. That isn't what Eren wanted. Because what he was going to do to the wall could have him executed.
He wanted to dig into the wall. Nothing large that would allow a Titian through, but he wanted to know more about the wall.
The way the wall is shaped shows that it wasn't built. There was no separate bricks with mortar laid between them. It was all just one massive entity. Not separate bricks that would join together to form a wall.
There was two theories, either it was carved out from existing rock, or something supernatural was involved.
Eren sighed in frustration. He hadn't read too many fantasy books in his previous life, but he had read some "reincarnation" genre books to his little sister. The protagonist usually goes in blind. The world they are reincarnated into is one that is completely different from their old world. Fantasy becomes reality, is one example.
The same could be for Eren. There could be supernatural elements in this world. Impossible powers, the Titans all but prove this concept. So, the wall could be made by means that some would deem "unnatural".
"You've been sighing a lot, is something the matter?" Isabell spoke up with a concerned voice.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just have a lot on my mind."
"Oi, isn't tat de Yeager's son?" a rough voice was overhead
"Hm? Ah, you must mean Dr. Grisha. Yes, that is his child."
"Heh, hear the kid is a smart one at tat. Lucky bloke. Dem docs must be pretty smart if ye have kids like dat."
"Yes, Grisha is pretty smart. He figured out a cure for that outbreak awhile back. No other doctor could find out. Although, we are the outer district, so I doubt they were giving it their all."
Outbreak? Now that interested Eren. Grisha doesn't seem like the type of doctor who could come up with a cure. Rather, he seems like the doctor who could diagnosed the disease and use an existing cure. Not create one on his own.
Now that Eren thought about it, Grisha was a complete mystery.
Sure, Eren knew he was hiding something, but he couldn't find out what Grisha's motives were.
Why was he doctor? Why did he show "shock" when Eren spoke of the walls? Even the basement that he wasn't allowed into was a mystery…
The basement…
"What's wrong? Why did you facepalm?"
"Nothing, Isabell. I just thought of something so obvious that I didn't figure out till now."
The basement. It had to have some type of secret in there. Grisha had used the excuse of dangerous equipment for the reason as to why Eren couldn't go in there.
But since Eren was old enough to handle somethings by himself, he decided he was going on a house tour.
'Now, time to gather the things I need to pick a few locks…'
The door squeaked opened.
Eren gazed into the darkness that was the basement.
He had just picked the lock on the door using a stiff bit of wire. It was way past midnight and Grisha and Carla were fast asleep.
Eren lit a match for a lantern to get more light. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It looked like a simple doctor's office. Except for the vial of green substance on the desk.
'Stuff looks sketchy.'
As Eren toured around the basement, one emotion dominated his thoughts.
Disappointment.
It was just a regular doctor's office.
After walking around aimlessly, Eren decided that was enough. However, as Eren was about to leave, he noticed a hole on the side of Grisha's desk.
He would have missed it if he wasn't so short. That is one advantage of being a six year old.
Upon closer investigation, it was revealed to be a key hole.
'Interesting. I should have know that there was something like this here.'
With that thought, Eren got out the stiff bit of wire to try and pick the lock.
With a satisfying "click", Eren opened the drawer to find…
Nothing.
'Such a hidden spot, do you really believe that most would accept that this is empty?'
Eren reached down to grasp the bottom of the drawer, and found that it could slide up.
What was revealed was a set of books.
Eren took no time to open them and read them.
So he read.
And read.
And read.
"Pfft." Eren snorted.
"Hehehe." A light chuckle began.
"HmmfHmmfHmmfHmmf!" What would have been full blown laughter if Eren hadn't muffled his mouth to keep quiet was heard.
"So this is the secret you were hiding, Grisha!" A smile that did not belong on a child was formed.
"This is what the world has become! Hehe, I can't wait. Such an interesting concept!"
For the first time in a long time The Führer felt something.
Excitement.
Sure, the aspects of this world held his interest a few times.
But nothing like this.
The contents of those three books were very interesting.
With the knowledge they provided, it will surely be a fun road up ahead.
"Now then…
"Let's conquer the world."
Author's note:
This is the rewritten version.
I don't have an update schedule, so expect that to be slow.
If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me.
Thank you for your time and have a good day.