Die Flügel der Freiheit
Prologue: The Notebook
The ancient tree groans and the giant breaks loose;
Still standing, the ash Yggdrasill trembles.
-Vōluspá (The Prophecy)
It spoke…the Titan spoke. It's impossible…it produced words that had meaning.
"What do you think?"
Commander Erwin Smith looked up from the weathered notebook he was reading. He had made his way delicately through the pages, making sure to read as much as he could, which wasn't that much since the sun dried some of the pages to the point to where many were nearly impossible to hold in place and rains caused entire pages to become illegible. However, it was the last couple of pages that had caught his attention and he had been re-reading them when Captain Levi interrupted him.
He looked at the dark haired man who was sitting in one of the chairs across from his desk. Erwin was not surprised to see that his arms were crossed and that his eyes were following the dust particles that the sunlight revealed floating down to the desk.
It must be taking him a lot of effort not to take off his ascot and start dusting the entire room, Erwin thought.
Most members of the Survey Corps knew that Levi was a clean-freak, but very few had any idea of just how much of a clean-freak he was. Levi often times made his squad use the 3-D maneuvering gear to wash the outside the headquarters' windows and would have them clean a single plate at least five times before he deemed it clean. However, even though Levi couldn't stand a filthy living space he could handle being splattered with Titan blood (so long as he could clean it off at the first opportune moment).
"It would appear that Ilse's sacrifice has uncovered something useful about the Titans," Erwin replied, making sure not to betray anything. "It would appear that the Titans can achieve some level of intelligence."
"If that's the case then we may have to be more cautious in our expeditions," Levi replied.
"If there are to be more expeditions it will be to reclaim Wall Maria," Erwin said. He turned his attention to the bespectacled woman sitting next to Levi.
"Squad Leader Zoë, what are your thoughts about what Ilse reported?"
Hange Zoë folded her hands in front of her and smiled.
"It would be intriguing to find the Titan she encountered. Think of the things we can learn from it."
"I don't think that was what the Commander was asking about," Levi said.
"Well, it does support my theory that Titans can evolve. Think of the possibilities if we found one that could actually communicate with us." Her eyes widened and Erwin noticed drool beginning to trail out of one corner of her mouth. Levi scowled in disgust when he saw the drool and took out his handkerchief.
"Wipe your mouth," he said. Hange took the handkerchief and wiped at the drool. "And make sure you clean it before returning it to me."
"Sorry about that," she said. "I guess the thought of actually communicating with a Titan got me a little excited."
Levi ignored her. Instead his focus was on the man sitting on the other side of the desk. Erwin's face maintained its stoic appearance, but Levi thought he saw something flash in Erwin's blue eyes. It could have been surprise or fear. However, Levi decided he wouldn't pursue it. He knew so little about the man who recruited him from the Capital's Underworld and Erwin would tell him about it when he was ready.
"Tell me, do you think it might reveal something about the nature of the Colossal Titan?" Erwin asked.
"Huh?" Hange asked. "I don't see how, but…"
Commander Erwin looked at the notebook and sighed.
"The Titan confused Ilse with someone named Ymir. We know that, ordinarily, Titans would devour a human. So why didn't it do so right away? Why did it greet her as though she was nobility? The only satisfactory answer is that …there might be some Titans who can become human."
Levi and Hange looked at the Survey Corps Commander, unable to say anything.
There were stories from the days before the Walls of Titans coming in human form to mountain villages and destroying the village in a single night. However, no one really took them seriously, at least no one sane.
"Commander, I think that you've been around Kitz Weilman too much," Levi said. "He hasn't exactly been in his right mind since the fall of Wall Maria and he's becoming more paranoid about Titans in human form."
"I assure you, Levi, that I have not listened to his ramblings," Erwin said. "However, even though the idea is based more in myth than reality that does not mean that I will dismiss the possibility."
"Do you think that there might be humans that can become Titans and that the Colossal Titan might be such an entity?" Hange asked. She leaned forward, eagerly waiting for his response.
Erwin remained calm, but he wondered why he brought up the idea. It had just come out of his mouth because it was at the forefront of his mind since Wall Maria fell the year before.
Still, how much should he tell them? He decided that it would be best to tell them nothing of what he knew, and at least suspected, at least not now. Humanity suffered a devastating blow and he needed all of his officers to focus on the immediate problems.
"It's possible," Erwin said. "I am certain that in the days before the first Titans emerged that no one would have thought them to be anything other than a mere legend. So, I must recognize that the idea of a Titan Shifter to be plausible."
The three sat in silence. Erwin was glad that neither pursued it any further and returned his attention to the journal.
I don't believe it. For the first time in human history I communicated with a Titan.
Erwin reread Ilse's words and put the notebook down.
"Tell me, did my predecessor know of this?" he asked.
"We never got a chance to show it to him," Hange said. "We planned on showing it to him after we made a thorough examination of the text, but…"
She didn't need to say anything else. Shortly after they returned from that expedition, Wall Maria fell. The Survey Corps spent much of the time between the fall of Wall Maria and the failed recovery offensive trying to recover any remaining survivors trapped in the districts between Wall Maria and Wall Rose. It only made sense that they would forget about the journal, at least until now.
"Levi, Hange, you are dismissed. You did well in bringing this to my attention."
"Thank you, Commander," Hange said and stood. She closed her hands into fists and pressed the right over her heart and the left behind her back in the traditional salute.
Levi watched as Hange left. When the door closed behind her, Levi turned his attention back to Erwin.
"You know something, don't you?" Levi asked. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Erwin did not say anything. Instead he met Levi's gaze until the young Captain looked away. He stood and saluted before turning to leave.
"I suppose that you have your own secrets as well."
Erwin watched Levi leave and then sat back in his chair. He picked up Ilse's notebook again. She did well in maintaining her account of what occurred during the 34th Expedition beyond the Walls. He could see where she struggled to continue writing. He could read her terror and her pain where the words became shaky and blurred. Her handwriting told of cold nights and harsh storms where ice fell like rain. He read her journal again.
When he finished he put it down and stood up. He looked out the window and was not surprised to see Hange's squad chasing after her. It was obvious that she must have heard about a Titan spotted close to Wall Rose and was rushing off to see it. He hoped that her squad would be able to keep her from jumping off the Wall in hopes of gaining a new specimen to examine.
He sat at his desk, thinking about the consequences of the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan breaching Wall Maria. It was strange to think that the Survey Corps' main objective had changed yet again. Before it had been to map out the lands beyond the Walls in order to find any potential safe zones where humanity could move once the lands within the Walls could not sustain their numbers. Now, its purpose was to map out a course that could be used to reclaim Wall Maria.
However, the idea of Titans becoming human haunted him. He spoke it aloud, knowing that the majority of humanity would think such an idea as lunacy. He supposed that Pastor Nick and the other followers of the Wall of Faith would not think it too far-fetched. Such an idea was laughable to most, but Erwin knew otherwise. He witnessed things in his youth that would make most reconsider how they viewed the Titans.
Was that their goal? Was their goal to infiltrate our ranks again?
If that was the case, then maybe the events of twenty years before were nothing more than the staging of something else.
"Doctor Jaeger would know," he whispered. "Perhaps that's why he's in hiding, or perhaps…"
No, he could not see Doctor Jaeger as being a Titan Shifter himself. Such an idea was laughable and yet it was still plausible. The good doctor had disappeared shortly after the fall of Wall Maria and many were saying that he was dead. Erwin, however, did not believe Doctor Grisha Jaeger to be dead and that there was more to him than just another doctor who treated broken fingers and hangovers. Was it possible that Doctor Grisha Jaeger was himself a Titan Shifter?
Stop it. You're becoming as paranoid as Weilman.
Erwin rubbed his forehead. It had been a long week and the responsibilities of being Commander was starting to weigh heavily on him. He wished that Keith Sadies hadn't resigned from his post as Commander of the Survey Corps and that Secondary-Commander Joshua Richards had survived the mission to retake Wall Maria. However, Richards wanted to redeem himself of his past failures and the only way he thought he could do that was to die in a battle against the Titans.
Erwin remembered standing on top of Wall Rose and watching the once proud man march out at the head of the procession of sacrificial lambs and he understood that Joshua Richards had most likely been among the first to be devoured. Of the 250,000 men and women sent out that day, less than 200 returned. None of the members of the Survey Corps sent out on the mission returned. Erwin understood the reason behind the sacrifice, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.
"A leader must be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary," Joshua Richards told him on the night before the operation to reclaim Wall Maria was sent out. "If the Survey Corps is to continue to be humanity's hope then I must be willing to sacrifice myself so that someone better can take command. I have failed too many times and those who died under my command died in vain. Erwin, I give you this last charge: do not let those who will die under your command die in vain."
Erwin didn't know if he would be able to do that. However, he would be willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary to ensure that humanity at least had a glimmer of hope. The Survey Corps understood sacrifice better than the other branches of the military. It was what made them strong enough to go beyond the Walls time and time again.
There was a knock at the door.
"Enter," Erwin said.
The door opened and a man with sandy blonde hair and a faded goatee enter. His light green eyes were constant narrowed, giving him an exhausted look. He sniffed as he sat down.
"Mike."
"Figures," Mike Zacharias said. "I suspected that you would become my superior one day and summon me to his office just to chew me out. I guess that day finally came."
"If you're worried that I'm going to give you the more difficult assignment out of revenge for those times you always knocked me on the head then you're right," Erwin said.
"I thought that would be the case, and I'll accept whatever you throw my way. However, don't be surprised if I pass them off to my squad while I just sit on my horse and whistle a song or two."
"I would have to think that something was wrong with you if you didn't. It's what you did with us greenhorns back in the day." Erwin paused and passed the notebook that Levi handed over to him forward.
"What's this?" Mike asked as he eyed the weathered notebook.
"The words of a dead soldier. There's a section that records an encounter with an intelligent Titan."
Mike looked at the notebook, wrinkling his nose. He sighed and pulled out a flask from his jacket's inner pocket.
"I think that we could both use a drink. In the meantime, what are we going to do about this?"
"We've followed Commander Faust's order long enough and someone else needs to know what we know."
"I suppose," Mike said. "We're the only two left after all. All of the others who saw what happened nearly twenty years ago are now dead or missing. Who do you want to tell?"
"Levi suspects something, and I'm sure that our eyewitness testimony could give Hange something to think about in her research as well as bring some closure for her."
"I suppose. When did you want to talk to them?"
"Tomorrow," Erwin said. "We'll swear them to secrecy as Commander Faust did. The last thing we need is for people to panic or for the officials to order some kind of witch hunt."
"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" Mike asked.
Erwin remained silent for a moment, thinking about Mike's question, and sighed.
"I don't know, and I'm sure that Commander Faust didn't really know either. However, for better or worse, we obeyed that order. Even now, I'm not sure that what we did wasn't the right decision. Would it have made a difference if we did go to the King or any of the other ruling nobles? I don't think so. I think that the fall of Wall Maria would have happened anyways.
"But that's in the past. We need to focus on the present and how we can map the course of the future for our own advantage."
Mike smiled.
"Alright, Erwin, I suppose that I can get behind you on this. Just get some rest. I doubt you'll get a lot of opportunities to do so."
That night, Erwin's sleep was disturbed by dreams of memories, long suppressed, returning to the surface.
The next day, Erwin sat in his office, his hands were folded in front of him. Mike Zacharias stood to one side. The door opened and Levi and Hange entered.
"You wished to see us, Commander?" Hange asked as she took her seat.
Levi didn't say anything. He could tell that Erwin was troubled about something and wondered if it had to do with the notebook they showed him the day before.
"Yes, and thank you for coming," Erwin said as he looked at the two. "Before I begin, I must ask that you both take an oath of secrecy as far as anything that is said in this room."
Levi looked at Mike who only gave a sniff.
"Mike knows what is going to be said. In fact, we both took an oath of secrecy concerning the events I am about to share with you."
"Oh?" Levi asked. His eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Erwin said. He sat back. "Do I have your word that you will not tell anyone outside of this room what Mike and I are about to tell you?"
"Do you even have to ask that of me, Erwin?" Levi said.
"Of course," Hange said. "If you're swearing us to secrecy then it must be something important. I'm curious."
"Good," Erwin said. He folded his hands in front of him and watched them as he began.
End of Prologue
Current Publicly Available Information 1: The Walls
Humanity's domain is reduced to a radius of roughly 480 km (298 miles and 454 yards) that is divided by three Walls. The walls are 50 meters (about 164 feet) tall, thus making it impossible for the Titans to breach. The three Walls are named: Wall Sina (the innermost Wall), Wall Rose, and Wall Maria (the outermost Wall).
Wall Sina: The districts behind Wall Sina are the least populated (roughly 200,000 at last census) and are the centers of human culture and social order. The Military Police have their central Headquarters close to the Royal Palace and the Halls of Justice, where the laws of humanity are made, and the Merchant Association has their central Guild Hall within the safety of Wall Sina. Only members of the Royal Family, nobility, and members of the Military appointed due to service of merit may inhabit the districts behind Wall Sina. The radius of Wall Sina is 250 km (155 miles and 603 yards).
Wall Rose: The majority of humanity lives in the lands between Wall Sina and Wall Rose. Before the fall of Wall Maria, the districts behind Wall Rose were used for mining in the mountainous districts with some agriculture and raising livestock, but their primary resource was trade between the districts behind Wall Maria with those behind Wall Sina. After the fall of Wall Maria, Wall Rose became the new boundary for humanity. The distance of Wall Rose from Wall Sina is 130 km (80 miles and 1370 yards).
Wall Maria: The outermost wall and the second least populated. Before Wall Maria was breached in 845 the districts behind Wall Maria were mostly used as farmland and raising livestock. After Wall Maria's breach, the districts behind Wall Rose had to make up the difference. The distance from Wall Maria to Wall Rose is 100 km (62 miles and 241 yards).
The order in which the Walls were built have divided scholars into two main camps:
The first camp says that Wall Sina was built first and then each Wall was made after humanity reclaimed their territory. This theory is supported by various myths surrounding the early days of the Human-Titan War, especially in the Dämmerung der Menschheit (the most complete record of the early years of the Human-Titan War that begins with the coming of the Titans and ends with humanity fleeing behind the Walls) and the Wall of Faith's sacred text: Wände von Gott.
The second camp, however, says that Wall Maria was built first and that the other two Walls were made to serve as areas of retreat for humanity should Wall Maria fall. This theory is supported by military records that date back to the fifth year of the Human-Titan War as well as the simple fact that humanity has never regained any of its territory prior to the Trost Offensive in 850.
The biggest mystery of the walls is how they were constructed. The Walls themselves appear to have been constructed from a single block of stone with only the towers built to support the gates showing to have been made by known means. Only the officials of the Walls of Faith (also called the "Church of the Walls") and members of some of the noble families truly know the story behind it.
There are rumors that an account of how the Walls were built can be found in the oldest copy of Dämmerung der Menschheit that is kept in the Royal Palace. Unfortunately this cannot be verified as the Royal Family has declined all access to the volume save to Church officials.
However, copies available to the public have this curious passage that may shed light on the Walls' construction:
"And the Sons of Cain were brought to the plains and there their hands made the first of humanity's havens: the Valley of Utopia. - Dämmerung der Menschheit, pg. 237 (Translated by Livy Arlert in the year 786)
Then there is another passage from Wände von Gott that says:
"Then God said to the Three, 'Let man's domain increase and let the Sons of Cain raise up other havens for them so that my favored creation may not die.' And the Sons of Cain obeyed and God cleansed the lands beyond the Valley of Utopia unto a hundred leagues of the Sons of Kronos so that humanity could thrive and renew their numbers."- Wände von Gott, 75:43-44 (Translated by Livy Arlert in the year 789)
Some scholars have maintained that the Valley of Utopia could be another name of the districts behind Wall Sina. However, the vast majority of scholars have dismissed this passage as being nothing more than wishful thinking on the authors' part, pointing out that there is no evidence of the existence of the "Sons of Cain" and that these "Sons of Cain" are little more than the equivalent of the Ancient myth of Prometheus. If that is the case then it is curious that these benefactors of humanity are ascribed to Cain since in another early human myth it is told that Cain murdered his brother out of spite.
Regardless of how the Walls came to be, this much is certain: without the Walls humanity could never have survived as long as it has.
A.N.: The idea for this story was inspired by the Female Titan arc where Erwin Smith is revealed to suspect the existence of Titans being able to shift into humans. It got me curious of as to where such a thought could come from and the idea that perhaps there were encounters with Titan Shifters in the past struck me.
I will try to be as canonically faithful as I can up to Chapter 50. After that, I know that some elements and details will be different than from the manga.
The main story itself, which begins next chapter, takes place in the year 827.
Thank you for reading.
Translation Notes:
Dämmerung der Menschheit: Twilight of Humanity
WändevonGott: Walls of God