Mikasa looked around the room, feeling slightly bored.
A week had passed since the battle at Shiganshina, and she along with the other survivors were now at a meeting with the government and military officials, including Historia and Zackley, to decide what to do next. All of them were present except for Sasha, who was still recovering from her injuries at a nearby hospital. The survivors were grouped near the center of the room, with Erwin, Hange, and Levi in the front row, Eren, Armin, and herself in the middle row, and Jean, Connie, and Floch in the back row.
At the moment Hange was explaining to everyone what they had discovered in the basement, namely the contents of the three books left by Grisha Yeager. As she already knew the information being discussed, Mikasa found her mind wandering.
The general public had naturally been ecstatic over the news, as retaking Wall Maria was the first step toward reclaiming the lands beyond Wall Rose. However, most of the public didn't seem to bat an eye at the obscenely high death toll of the battle, seeming to expect that sort of thing from the Survey Corp. However, Mikasa was glad that at least this time those who perished would be remembered as heroes, rather than just dismissed as wasted tax money.
Mikasa glanced behind her and spotted Floch, his face looking somber, and she once again felt pity for the newer recruit. While the battle had been a traumatic event, at least everyone she cared about had made it through alive. Floch, on the other hand, had watched all of his closest friends and acquaintances die right in front of him, and it was only through some quirk of fate that he had survived.
Mikasa lowered her eyes. While those she cared about were still alive, they had not gotten through unscathed. During the past week, both Eren and Armin had been haunted by the memories of the previous owner of their Titan. In Armin's case he'd caught some glimpses of Bertolt's training days as a Warrior, and some glimpses of Bertolt's training days as a soldier. Funnily enough, Armin said that they weren't all that different.
But Armin had confided in her that Eren had woken up screaming from a nightmare several times the past few nights, and later admitted that they were actually memories from his father, which seemed to confirm what they had found in the books. Eren wouldn't say exactly what he had seen, though, which caused Armin and her to worry.
But what really weighed on her mind was one particular fact they had discovered in the books, namely the curse of Ymir. She knew there would likely be consequences to the Titan powers, but learning that those who inherit one of the Titan powers will only have 13 years to live was a disturbing idea that she had yet to come to terms with.
After everything they had been through, everything they had suffered, she had managed to keep their little family safe and together. And yet it wouldn't amount to anything in the end, because regardless of what they accomplished, regardless of what they wanted, Eren had at the most 8 years left, while Armin had only 13.
She tried to look on the bright side. She reminded herself that the Titan powers had saved Eren's life several times, and while Armin might only live for 13 more years, that was still 13 years more than he would have lived otherwise. But it was a small comfort, knowing that one day in the near future, she would still be there, and suddenly they wouldn't anymore.
Mikasa shook herself and tried to focus in on the talk. They had moved on to discussing the power of the Founding Titan, and how despite not being of royal blood, Eren had managed to use it once.
"COULD IT BE!?"
Mikasa jumped violently at Eren's unexpected yell, and she wasn't the only one. She looked at him, puzzled.
Eren was standing up, and all eyes were suddenly on him.
Hange looked back at him uncertainly. "You startled me. What's the matter all of a sudden?"
Eren looked flustered. "Ah...um...I just…"
Zackley motioned at him. "Continue, our Titan."
Eren hesitated, then abruptly sat back down. "It's nothing. Sorry for causing a disturbance."
Levi looked at him incredulously. "What?"
Eren looked down. "I apologize for interrupting the meeting."
Everyone was still staring at him uncertainly. Erwin looked at him, his gaze calculating.
Erwin spoke up. "Perhaps he was disturbed by the memories of the previous owner of his Titan."
Eren's eyes widened.
Zackley frowned. "What do you mean?"
Erwin faced forward. "Ever since we visited the basement, Eren, Armin, and myself have seen glimpses of the memories of the people who had the power of the Titans before us. It seems he suddenly remembered something shocking that caused him to unintentionally yell out, but was not necessarily relevant to what we are discussing today."
Eren nodded slowly. "Yeah...something like that."
The people around them began to murmur, but seemed to accept this.
Mikasa looked at Eren uncertainly, then back at Erwin.
Erwin slowly stood up. "Now, we need to discuss what we need to do going forward. As Hanji stated, the world despises us, and wishes for our destruction. But the situation is not hopeless. While the world hates Eldians, the world is not a monolith. They are also divided among various nations and peoples, and have their own disagreements and conflicts with each other. Most of the world has ignored this island for the past century, and will likely continue to do so in the near future."
Pixis spoke up. "But Marley will surely return, and attempt to finish what they started."
Erwin smiled grimly. "I am sure that they intend to. But unfortunately for them, they may have other problems to deal with. Based on what was revealed in those books and on the few memories I gained from the previous Beast Titan, Marley is still a military superpower, but they have become too dependent on the power of the Titans. Over the past few years, they have used their Titans to crush the resistance of other nations when disputes over territory and resources arose. Naturally this has caused a lot of resentment from the subjugated nations. But so long as Marley kept the six Titan powers held by their Warrior division, the other countries wouldn't dare to openly oppose Marley. However, Marley has now lost the Female Titan, the Beast Titan, and the Colossal Titan. I very much doubt that they will be able to keep this a secret for long, and so it is very likely that other nations will take this opportunity to declare war on Marley while they're weakened."
The people around them began to murmur again, and looked a little less somber than before.
Erwin continued. "This should hopefully buy us some more time before we have to deal with the rest of the world. Now that we have reclaimed Wall Maria, our first goal must be to eradicate all of the Titans within Wall Maria. To that end, we'll continue using the hammers on the outer districts, and in the meantime learn more about our Titan powers."
Zackley nodded. "Well, that is at least a little reassuring. Still, we'll need to go beyond Wall Maria and verify the state of affairs outside of this island as soon as we can."
Erwin nodded. "Of course."
Zackley straightened up. "Now, the final thing we need to discuss today is what we're going to tell the public. While some details will obviously need to be kept confidential, I feel that it would be best to reveal most of what we know to the people."
One of the MP officials protested. "But, the walls will fall into chaos if we were to make this public!"
The person sitting next to him agreed. "That's right. Even we aren't able to fully assess the scale of what's going on here."
Pixis slowly stood up. "So we should deceive the people again? You're suggesting that we keep the people ignorant and domesticated, just as King Reiss did? If that's the case, what cause were we fighting for when we snatched the crown from his head?"
The MPs looked down uncomfortably.
Historia spoke up. "We will make an announcement. We will be returning the memories King Reiss took from the people a century ago back to the people a century later. That's all. We are all the people of the walls. We must now unite as one and work together."
Niles nodded. "I agree. Besides, we now have the power of the Beast Titan and the Colossal Titan, so while there may be some unrest among the people, I doubt they will try anything extreme."
Mikasa grimaced at the implication, but could see his point.
After some more discussion, the meeting came to a close.
Sasha yawned. "So, the meeting went well?"
Connie nodded. "Yeah. It's a shame you couldn't make it."
Sasha shrugged. "Eh, I don't mind. It sounds like a lot of it was kind of boring."
A few hours after the meeting ended, the survivors of the battle all went to visit Sasha in the hospital.
Erwin allowed them to make some small talk for a few minutes before clearing his throat and getting their attention.
Erwin looked at them all seriously. "So, we'll naturally have a lot of things to discuss over the next few days, but there's one thing that I think we need to at least touch on right now. Namely, the issue of succession."
Sasha frowned. "Succession?"
Armin grimaced. "He's talking about who will inherit the Titan powers once our….tenure is up."
Mikasa fiddled with her scarf, while the others became more somber.
Erwin nodded. "Naturally we still have a number of years before we need to come to any final decisions about this, but once our time is up, we'll need to hand our powers on to the next person in line. In my case, the Beast Titan seems to have been passed from leader to leader when it was in Marley's hands, and since it's now in my possession, passing it on to the next Commander of the Scouts would make the most sense."
Erwin glanced at Hanji. "In which case, the most likely candidate would be you, Hange."
Hange's eyes widened. "Really? But…"
Mikasa interrupted. "But shouldn't we be trying to find some sort of cure for the curse of Ymir? Or at least some way of passing on the power without killing the previous owner?"
Eren glanced away uncomfortably.
Erwin looked at her seriously. "I agree that we should do research and try to find such a cure. But we have to be realistic. It's possible we won't find a cure, or that we won't find a cure before our time is up. And in that case, we'll need to do what needs to be done, namely passing on the power to the next soldier in line so the power isn't lost and forced upon an unsuspecting Eldian child."
Floch nodded. "He's right. It may not be what we want, but that's the reality of the situation."
Jean spoke up. "So, how will we decide who should inherit the powers?"
Erwin shook his head. "I'm not sure, but there should be some system in place to ensure that those who are most qualified will inherit them. As I said, we still have a number of years before we need to give more serious thought to this, but we can't ignore it completely in the meantime."
Hange nodded. "Agreed. Still, the idea of actually being able to become a Titan one day…"
Hange's expression became dreamy.
Levi scowled. "So, what do we do now?"
Erwin replied. "Well, naturally we'll need to recruit more people for the Scouts. We can't remain a ten person organization forever."
Levi scoffed. "Yeah, good luck getting anyone to join after how many people died this time."
Erwin smiled knowingly. "I have a few ideas. In addition, we'll need to get to work studying our respective powers. We already know a fair amount about Eren's, but we know next to nothing about mine or Armin's yet."
Hange's eyes gleamed. "I can't wait to get started!"
After some more discussion, they all gradually dispersed.
Erwin tapped Eren on the shoulder. "Eren, a word with you?"
Eren looked at him uncertainly. "Sure. What is it?"
After seeing that no one else was within ear shot, Erwin looked at him seriously.
"Listen, about that outburst at the meeting earlier today…"
Eren grimaced and looked slightly anxious.
"I can understand why you may not have wanted to discuss whatever it was in front of all of those people, but if it's important, you need to tell us."
Eren hesitated. "Well...it might be important...but...I don't even know if I'm right…"
Erwin shook his head. "All right. I'll let it slide for now, but we need all the information we can get right now if we're going to protect the people of the walls. If it's really not important, then you don't have to share, but if it is I expect you to share it at some point, okay?"
Eren nodded reluctantly. "Okay."
Eren walked away, his head slightly bowed.
"So, how are you holding up?"
Erwin turned around to see Levi staring at him.
Erwin shrugged. "Fairly well. It's funny, I had just gotten used to having only one arm, and then suddenly I get it back. It does make certain tasks a lot easier though."
Levi looked at him seriously. "So...did you find what you were looking for in the basement?"
Erwin sighed. "...well, yes and no. We're no longer groping in the dark, completely ignorant of what's really going on, so I'm grateful for that at least. But the answers we gained raise even more questions, and it's clear our work is far from over."
Levi glanced away. "When you first woke up, you almost seemed...disappointed. And then, when we read about the curse of Ymir, you seemed...relieved. What was that about?"
Erwin looked at Levi, his expression solemn. "Over the years, I've put my life on the line countless times. But during that final charge, that was the first time I really let go of any hope of making it back home. I accepted that this is where it would end. It terrified me, but at the same it was a comfort, knowing that the burden of being the strong leader, of putting my humanity aside for the greater good, was finally going to be taken from me. So when I woke up, I was a little disappointed, as I had yet again survived after sending countless soldiers to their deaths. And when I learned that I only had 13 years to live, it was a bit of a relief. I may have to carry this burden for a while longer, but at least there is a definitive end point that I can't go past."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you're almost hoping there is no cure for this curse."
Erwin grimaced. "If it can be found, I will be happy for the others, but I'll admit the selfish part of me hopes that there is no cure."
Levi shook his head. "Well, we're stuck with you in the meantime, so don't let us down, ok?"
Erwin smiled softly. "No. I will do my best not to let our comrades down."
Levi scowled. "Hange, would it kill you to shut up for five minutes?"
Hange giggled. "How can I keep quiet?! This is so amazing!"
Hange peered down at the ground, which was almost 60 meters away. "Eren was incredible enough as it was, but you Armin, you are a magnificent creature!"
Levi shook his head in exasperation, while the Colossal Titan's eyes gleamed with amusement.
The experiments on Armin and Erwin had started a few days ago, and while Levi's enthusiasm had faded before long, Hanji remained as excited as ever.
With Armin they had started simply by having him transform, making sure to keep a safe distance. This was the part that they had been the most nervous about, as they were concerned Armin might lose control, hence why the experiments were taking place far away from any civilians.
Fortunately, Armin was able to retain control of his Titan right away, which made things easier. After transforming, Hange simply analyzed his form for a while, noting the differences and similarities between his Titan and Bertolt's. Then, the more involving experimentation began.
Over the course of the experiments, they learned that Armin's Titan was slightly faster than Bertolt's, but still much slower than an average Titan. They also discovered that maintaining balance was actually fairly difficult for the Colossal Titan. They learned this the hard way when Hange had accidentally overworked Armin after having him try several of the same exercises she'd had Eren go through, and caused Armin to lose his balance and fall to the ground. The impact had come close to killing Hange, and after that Levi had been tasked with babysitting Hange and preventing her from letting her enthusiasm get the better of her.
It was after this incident that they also found out that Armin could only transform about once a day, as even one transformation took a lot out of him. As a result, they were more careful after that.
Today they had Armin walking alongside Wall Rose, in order to see how long and how far he could walk in Titan form. Hange was perched on his right shoulder, busy taking notes and squealing with excitement every two minutes, while Levi was perched on his left shoulder, trying to gauge how tired Armin was and keeping an eye on Hange.
After a while, Levi did his best to ignore Hange and focused on Armin. While Armin was being a good sport and trying to keep going as long as he could for Hange, Levi could tell that he was reaching his limits.
His suspicion was confirmed a few minutes later, when Armin burst out of the nape, the outer layers of skin on his face stripped away.
He took a few deep breaths before calling out. "Captain, I think this is far enough for today."
Hange looked disappointed. "Aw, but we just got started."
Levi gritted his teeth. "Hange, we've been here for four fucking hours. I've just been standing here and I'm tired. If Armin says we're done, we're done. Don't make me drag you away."
Hange sighed. "Okay."
Hange readied her gear and latched onto the wall. Levi then secured Armin and followed Hange onto the top of the wall. As soon as Levi pulled Armin away, the Titan body fell to the ground like a marionette that had suddenly had its strings cut.
Jean, Sasha, and Connie were already prepared for them on the wall, and had laid out several blankets for Armin to lie down on, as well as a flask of water for him to quench his thirst.
Armin accepted the flask. "Thanks guys."
He took a long drink before sinking down onto the blankets with a weary sigh.
Connie smiled softly. "This is so weird. The Colossal Titan was once our greatest enemy, and now here it is, taking a stroll right by the wall."
Sasha smirked. "Well, I think your Titan is much more handsome than Bertolt's, not to mention nowhere near as scary."
Jean shrugged. "Speak for yourself. It still looks like an ugly SOB to me, but it is nice knowing the Colossal is on our side now."
Hange looked at Jean incredulously. "Are you kidding me? He's not ugly, he's beautiful!"
Jean shook his head, but didn't say anything.
Levi ignored their banter and glanced back into the interior of the wall. They'd decided until they had a better handle on their respective powers, they would only have one person transform at a time, so if something went wrong they would only have one Titan to worry about at any given time.
While they were busy with the experiments with Armin, Erwin, along with Eren, Mikasa, and Floch, were busy training the newest recruits, of which there was a surprisingly high number.
Levi had to give Erwin credit, he knew how to handle people. When going out to recruit new members, the commander had been incredibly blunt about the high death tolls of the battle, and the dangers that still lay ahead of them. At the same time, though, he'd really played up the fact that the vast majority of the deaths in the battle were due to the Beast and Colossal Titans, the very same Titans that were now under their control. It was a clever move, being honest about the unknown perils ahead while still pointing out that the dangers they'd encountered at Shiganshina had not only been eliminated, but turned into advantages for their side.
He'd also mentioned the speech he'd given before the suicide charge, about how it was up to them to give those who had died meaning, and ensure their sacrifices meant something. It was an effective method that had yielded good results so far.
Some of the new recruits were younger soldiers from other divisions, like Floch had been. Others, however, were older members of the garrison and even a few MPs, who, emboldened by the success of the Survey Corp and no longer content to sit back and let others decide their fate, had chosen to participate in the new war, where Titans would soon be replaced by other humans as the main enemy.
Erwin's duties as commander had kept him fairly busy, so they hadn't done as many experiments with his Titan yet as they had with Armin, but they had done a few. Like Armin, Erwin seemed able to control his Titan from the very beginning. Appearance wise his Titan looked fairly similar to the previous Beast Titan, with the only notable exception being his head. First, like his pure Titan form, the head was noticeably a bit too small for the body, which gave him a slightly funny look. Another difference was that the Titan's face now had a full beard despite Erwin not having a beard, which Levi found ironic, as the previous Beast Titan did not have a beard even though the shifter did.
Erwin also had the ability to speak while in Titan form, which made communication easier, and made him seem less threatening. Levi could tell that his Titan powers would make Erwin an even greater leader than he had already been.
Levi glanced back at Hange, who was busy examining Armin's face as it healed. Of the original Survey Corps, the only ones left were Erwin, Hange, and himself. He'd come to accept that the high death tolls were a part of life when venturing beyond the walls, and didn't let it bother him too much.
But a part of him hoped that the latest battle was the beginning of a new era, one where joining the Survey Corps wasn't practically the same as signing your death warrant. And he hoped that Erwin would be able to guide them through this new era and set them on a better path during the time he had left.
Erwin stood on top of Wall Rose, his Titan form giving him an even higher view than normal. Behind him was Trost district, the site of humanity's first victory. Ahead of him lay the lands of Wall Maria. The lands that had once belonged to them, and would belong to them again soon.
Erwin cleared his throat and let out a roar, projecting the sound as far as he could.
Erwin glanced down to his left, and saw the members of the Garrison covering their ears.
Erwin smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that gentlemen."
The Garrison captain shook his head and laughed good naturedly. "Ah, don't worry about it Commander. You're doing humanity a great service, we can handle a little noise."
Erwin nodded, and glanced down to his right, where several of the newest members of the Survey Corp were gathered. Directly next to him was a large wooden cart containing a large pile of rocks.
Floch, who was looking through a pair of binoculars, suddenly yelled out. "Here they come, Commander! From the Southwest this time, just beyond that small cluster of trees."
Erwin faced forward. "Very good."
A group of between one and two dozen Titans were walking toward the city, like moths drawn to a flame.
And just as doomed. Erwin thought grimly.
Once the Titans had gotten a little closer, Erwin reached down and picked up some of the rocks in the cart. He then drew back his arm, aimed carefully, and hurled the rocks at the Titans.
His aim was slightly off, however. Three of the Titans on the far right edge of the group were killed instantly, while several more standing next to them were injured but not fatally so. The bulk of the group didn't even seem to notice the deadly barrage that had just wiped out their companions, and continued to lumber forward.
Erwin frowned. "Hmm, my aim was slightly off again."
Floch admonished him. "Commander, remember, your first goal is to eliminate the Titans. Let them get close before throwing the stones, you can worry about practicing your long range throws later."
Erwin smiled. "Right. Sorry, I just couldn't resist trying with this first group."
It was still early in the morning, and the days work had just begun. It had been about two weeks since Erwin's first transformation, and during that time they had learned a number of things about his Titan powers.
The first major discovery they'd made was that Erwin could speak while in Titan form, which was useful. After further experimentation they'd discovered other things as well. The Beast Titan's roar had a similar effect as the Female Titan's, and could be used to attract other Titans. They'd also discovered that the ability to command other Titans was not an ability inherent to the Beast Titan, but rather a power unique to the previous owner of the Beast Titan, which was disappointing but important to know.
They'd also found that the Beast Titan was most effective at a distance, and wasn't really suited for close quarter combat. After learning this, and remembering how effective the Beast Titan's throws were at the Battle of Shiganshina, Erwin began trying to learn and master the same technique. He was getting there, but his throws still weren't as powerful or as accurate as those of the previous Beast Titan.
That was where it had started. Floch had suggested that perhaps Erwin could stand atop Wall Rose and hurl rocks at the Titans, practicing his throwing technique while also eliminating some of the mindless Titans still within the walls. Floch had mostly been kidding, but Erwin had taken the idea seriously and acted upon it.
Between his roar that attracted the mindless Titans and his still deadly if not yet perfected throws, Erwin was able to mow down far more Titans per day than the Titan guillotines could ever hope to. After realizing the implications, Erwin announced that he would continue to practice his throws on top of the wall in order to speed up the rate at which the Titans were eliminated, and thus reduce the amount of time it would take before the Walls were safe once again.
Which led him to now, where he was perched on top of the Wall of Trost, using the creatures that had once been their greatest foe as target practice. As this task would take up a lot of his time, he'd entrusted many of his duties to Hange for the time being.
He spotted another group of Titans coming in from the East, and reached down for more rocks. It was a good plan, but it was going to be a long day.
After Erwin began using his Titan power to eliminate the Titans within Wall Maria safely from atop Wall Rose, they made progress fairly quickly.
Erwin started with Trost district, which had the most Titans nearby, as it was the Southern District. Eventually, though, there came a day when there were no Titans in sight, and no matter how loud or how often Erwin roared, no Titans appeared. Erwin then repeated the process with Karanes District, with Krolva District, and finally with Utopia District. Only three months after the battle of Shiganshina had passed before most of the Titans were killed.
The Survey Corps then cautiously and carefully combed the lands of Wall Maria, with Eren, Armin, or Erwin always present, in order to eliminate the remaining Titans scattered throughout the lost territory. Only five months after the battle of Shiganshina, about half a year after the attack on Trost, and Wall Maria was declared safe for resettlement, which led to a large migration of people. Many of them were refugees returning to their lost homes, but others were simply citizens of Wall Rose who had grown tired of being cooped up behind Wall Rose, and wanted to see the lands beyond.
While Wall Maria was declared safe, the lands beyond Wall Maria were not, and citizens were not yet allowed to travel freely outside of the walls. However, based on their observations, they determined that most of the Titans had entered the walls to get closer to humanity, and by killing all of the Titans within Wall Maria, they had killed most of the Titans on the island, so it wouldn't be much longer before the lands beyond the walls were safe as well.
About two months after the resettlement of Wall Maria began, for the first time in six years an expedition beyond Wall Maria was approved.
Jean looked up sharply when he spotted the red signal flare.
He grimaced. "A Titan."
Connie nodded. "One finally showed up. Be careful!"
However, before long several of the scouts had directed their horses toward the Titan. After getting closer, Connie was able to see why.
The Titan had a massive body, but stubby little arms and legs, and its mouth was buried into the ground.
Connie frowned. "It can't move?"
Sasha nodded grimly. "It must have slowly been trying to crawl its way toward the wall. "
Erwin looked at the trail behind the Titan carefully. "Based on the pattern it left behind, it looks like it took a very, very long time just to cover a tiny distance. We must be getting close."
Erwin moved his horse forward. "Let's move."
Sure enough, they soon found the spot described by Grisha's book and Eren's inherited memories where Eldians were turned into Titans.
And just beyond that, they found a sight that none of them were fully prepared for.
The ocean. Clear blue water, spreading out in every direction as far as the eye could see.
After making sure there were no Titans nearby, Erwin approved for the Scouts to have a little fun near the shore.
Erwin stood nearby, taking in the salty air, and just quietly observed the serene scene for a while.
Armin was simply standing with his feet bare, the water lapping at his ankles as it moved in and out. Connie and Sasha were splashing each other, while Jean tried tasting the water, only to quickly spit it out in disgust.
Hange was studying the water and the objects brought in by the tides onto the shore with nearly the same enthusiasm as she would have when studying Titans, while Levi was keeping his distance and scolding her for touching things that could be poisonous.
Mikasa soon joined Armin, and after some encouragement from Floch the other newer recruits got over their self consciousness and joined in as well.
Erwin smiled, grateful to have been able to finally see this happy moment.
Off to the side, Eren was standing in the water by himself. Unlike the others, he didn't seem to be enjoying himself. Rather, he looked lost in thought, as if something was troubling him.
Erwin felt sympathy for the young man. While they had gained a great deal from their recent victory, they had also given up a lot. And after all that hardship, Eren's reward was to be given a bunch of horrific memories of past tragedies and atrocities, and to learn that he had less than 8 years to live.
Erwin shook his head. He'd have to keep an eye on him. While Eren had matured a great deal over the past year, he still needed to be watched over, lest he do something stupid.
Erwin shifted his gaze to the horizon, and his eyes softened. While he didn't know exactly what they would do going forward, he knew they would figure something out. He smiled, and for once felt hopeful about the future.
Several seagulls flew by overhead, calling out joyfully to each other as they soared over the shore.
Author's Note: So, I've been giving this story a lot of thought, and I have a number of ideas I want to try with it. At the same time, though, I want to make sure my story is as accurate as possible. I know of a number of AoT stories that were decent or even really good, but ended up being partially or completely wrong about the nature of the world in AoT, and as a result are kind of hard to read now, knowing that they're way off about how the world of AoT works. So I kind of want to wait until the manga has concluded before I continue so that I can do this right. I may do one more chapter, as what I have in mind next should be fine regardless of what revelations the manga throws at us in the coming months, but beyond that I would want to hold off until the manga is finished so I can make the story as good and as accurate as I can. Hopefully this chapter was good, let me know what you think.
One quick thing, some people might try to argue that Zeke's Beast Titan did have a beard, but I would disagree. He did have a lot of hair on his head, but hardly any on his face, the hair is more like a mane around his face. Also, if I got any facts wrong, let me know so I can correct them. As far as I'm aware I got things right, but I'm not sure.
