Things were troubling times for us. I was unsure of how much longer the people would last while under my father's tyranny. I've heard stories from my mother of the peaceful times, times that were before my birth. The times before my father was king. Everyone seemed to be living in harmony. Those with extraordinary gifts lived with normal people. The land flourished with peace and everything seemed to be wonderful. That was until my father came into power. I worry that he will fall to the curse.
Father believed that normal people didn't share equality with people like us. Pure blooded Titans. He saw them as inferior beings. He would torment and ridicule them. It was disgusting to watch as I got older. I couldn't stand what he was putting our people through. I knew that the people couldn't stand it much longer either.
I tried to convince him to stop, but my words meant nothing to him. My dearest sister Serena felt the same way. She too couldn't stand for my father's actions much longer. However, her motives were much different from my own. She believed that we were not worthy of the gifts that had been bestowed upon us. She left the kingdom and pursued an uprising which would lead to our demise.
She befriended a man named Ulric LeBlanc from a different land, and that is where it all began. The man was researcher a man of science, he along with a few others used my sister. They used what they could get out of her and created a concoction unlike anything that I have ever seen before. Ulric had the ability of gifting someone the powers and abilities of a titan. They were fighting fire with fire and it didn't stop there. Although it seemed that this magical elixir's powers didn't last, nor did the person who drank it.
My sister used what powers she could and convinced other bloodlines to fall subject to these experiments. Ulric was able to create many types elixirs, each with their own properties. With this, he began an uprising. Those who fell captive to Ulric's experiments disappeared. I do not know what had happened to those poor people, but I do know that my sister had a hand in the matter.
Many people perished in this Great War. The kingdom was falling apart, and my father was to blame for everything. If he had simply acknowledged the people for who they were and not inferior beings, then we could have continued the peace and harmony. But, he created hatred and fear amongst his people.
It was my duty to prepare for the worst. I was to lead an army and prevent the uprising from occurring. But deep down in my heart I didn't want to face anyone in battle. No one deserved what was going to happen to them. It pained me to think about what we were going to face.
Ulric and his army infiltrated the castle. With the help of these newly transform beings, they were able to slaughter my father and mother. Even with their capabilities and those of the army, everyone perished. Ulric knew what to do to prevent us from shifting. He knew that by severely injuring our kind, we would be completely defenceless. The army fell to Ulric and so did the kingdom.
I luckily managed to escape and fled like the coward I am. I almost shared the same fate as many and I am thankful to be alive. I gathered as many survivors of the war as I could. We lived in solitude as Ulric took the throne from us. The war was over, and yet the battle was just beginning.
With my sister at his side, those of my kind were captured and fell subject to Ulric's experiments to perfect his elixir. Those who were fortunate enough, perished before more could be done to them. There were those who tried to survive and suffered because of it.
I couldn't stand it anymore. After months of just watching Ulric kill my people, I decided to take action. I fought my way into the castle. I did all in my power to try and take down Ulric by any means possible.
However, I met an unexpected face. During my trials within the castle I confronted my sister. She was the only thing standing in my way of taking the kingdom back. She was brainwashed with Ulric's ideologies that reflected my own father's. She felt that peace could not be obtained and that the humans were superior and our kind were unworthy creatures.
Without fear, she attacked me. I did all that I could to save her, but it wasn't enough. I killed my own sister. This war had taken much from me, and it had finally taken the last piece of my family from me. Never did I believe that it would be by my own hands. Her lifeless body resting in my arms will forever be engraved in my mind. May her soul rest in peace.
I was outnumbered and therefore was doomed to failure. I fled the area leaving her there on the ground. I located the research facility that Ulric had created within the castle. There were many who were chained up calling out for help. All suffered severe injuries. The smell of their blood was enough to make me feel sick let alone the sight that was before me. I wish I was able to rescue every last one of them, but I couldn't with Ulric's men right behind me. I destroyed all that I could that was in the room. All papers, all elixirs, everything within the room.
There were a few items that I grabbed in the hopes of preventing further advancements to Ulric's disgusting experiments. They were elixirs that were more important than the others.
In my journey out of the castle I broke several of the containers, but managed to keep one. I had located my sister's daughter and rescued her from her future demise. What I had done was reckless, I should have never done it. Then maybe my dearest Serena would be alive and my hands would remain clean. What needed to be done had been done.
My people were continuously hunted down. They called to me, but there was nothing more I could do. I was hopeless. I was a failure. I was also a coward. There was no way I would go through the castle again. There were so few of us. Many went into hiding and I was unable to reach out to them. Even with the gifts we were given, we were no match for Ulric and his knights. Day after day, the knights were on the lookout for me and the elixir. I had to do what I could to remain out of sight.
For my own safety I fled the country with the elixir. I travelled across the ocean into unknown waters. I knew that if I were to at least get off the continent, then maybe I could make a difference somehow.
I landed in a place I've only heard from father. Here I was able to start a new beginning, a new way of life. Here is where I met the darling Ymir. Her charm captivated me, but I was scared of showing her who I really was.
I gathered enough courage to finally tell her everything. I showed her my true form. She neither screamed, nor ran away from me. She was in awe as to what I was. The twinkling in her eyes was the first signs of hope. I decided that it was my opportunity to start all over again. I plan on giving her the elixir to be the sole protector of it.
With her help, we were going to create an empire. An empire that would be nothing like my father's or LeBlanc's. However, she was just a human and so were her people. It was going to be troubling times, but we came to a decision. It was in tiring journey to discover the components of the elixir that we came across a peculiar older women. She called herself a witch of the old ways. She was willing to help us achieve what we want but at the cost of one thing. In order to grant Ymir the full power of the elixir she must shorten her lifespan for the sake of the power. I was against it right away, believing that we would find other means. However, Ymir was more determined than ever. She accepted the offer and the witch gave her the new elixir. I went through excruciating pain to make this possible. Many tests were conducted before the final product was created. We did all that we could, and I'm thankful for it.
With the new kingdom underway I was looking forward to living a life here in this new land. However, there was one thing we both wanted to do before we could seal our fate. We wanted to travel to Rhea in the efforts of peace. It was a risk we were both willing to take.
It didn't take much for those to recognize me. We were brought before the now king of Rhea, Ulric LeBlanc. We spoke before him in the hopes that the two lands would find peace but what we faced was worse. We were discriminated for who and what we were. We were condemned as nothing more than worthless beings. Our efforts were proven to be a failure as we were removed from the castle.
We were lucky that he allowed us to live and return to our home. Once there we established the kingdom where Ymir would rule.
I wanted to create an army to better defend the growing empire. Using what knowledge I had from the witch we made the attempt to recreate the elixir that she had. I spent day and night, trying to find the right components used. There were many who assisted me.
We finally tested the product of our elixir and found that they had one disturbing effect. The person did turn into a titan, but there were several abnormalities to their figure. It was a mindless being, something of a nightmare. We had to kill them for the safety of the others. What we had thought was a full success was a failure. We needed to make modifications.
Before the man was killed, we learned that it responded to us. Mainly myself. It was drawn to me. We tried testing it on someone once more. When they had turned once again they were drawn to me more than the others. This enabled the others to inject the creature with various substances to see which one would turn them back. Once we found the right substance, we learned that it was the spinal fluid that had been extracted from me for the elixir that caused the creature to react. However, the amount was so small and only led to their death afterwards.
I looked to the witch for help once more. She was going to help me at the cost of one thing. I accepted her terms. She was going to create an elixir so grand that it would enable all of Ymir's people to partake. This was going to help Ymir achieve her dream of a land for her people of Eldia even at the cost of my own life. I will become one with the elixir that they will drink. Every part of me will be a part of them. The witch believes that my powers will help her people more connected than ever. This is more than even I could have hoped. A chance of a new beginning. For the people will now be my people and I will be with them. The witch says that they will not become titans. Even though they will not be as strong as a titan, together they will be much stronger. This was something my father was unable to do. Through my powers of connecting the minds of my bloodline, she will be able to rule the people in just ways. In theory it should work, and I hope to the Gods that for our sake that it does.
From here on out I will sacrifice myself in the name of the Eldian people. I believe that she will create a powerful Empire that will live in peace and harmony. Something that Rhea lost long ago. When Ymir partakes in the elixir, she should be able to harness my full powers. For Rhea, I will bring about a new kingdom through Ymir and save everyone who remain lost as she creates a better kingdom for her people.
In respect for the people of this land, this page will be written in the words of their own. I have come to this land to seek refuge from the tyranny that has become of my own kingdom. The banishment and disgrace I have felt from my own people is of disgust. The fear they felt from someone of a different kind has caused a disgraceful anarchy to rise. Out of fear, my people fought and our family fled. I hope that by leaving my homeland I will be able to create a kingdom glory of its name and without fear. I pray that my actions here are just. However, I fear that the kingdom of this land will fall just as my own has, for humanity is weak of the mind. I dare say it, but my words are true. I want to believe otherwise. I believe that in the right hands, this kingdom will surely flourish. I have the faith in the rulers to not make the same mistakes that we have made of our own kingdom. Fear was brought on to the people of our land from the abuse of our power. Be true. Be just. Be righteous. Use the power for good.
With that, I Prince Emil Weismann, grant all of my wishes and blessings to the people of this land in the hopes that you do not follow the same path we have.
Keith calmly closed the book and reflected on the words that he had just read. What he had just discovered was the starting point for everything. Like some cliché moment, everything that was going on in the world was related to each other. The disappearance of the pure blooded titans, the titan shifters, all originated from the same serum that was created many years ago. Keith almost couldn't believe it himself. He wondered if this was something he should address with the others. But then it occurred to him, he couldn't prove anything. The document was written in a language that they couldn't speak. To be able to say that he was able to read it would perhaps strike some sort of suspicion within them. He wanted to keep his own past a secret even after all of these years, but the journal in front of him opened many doors for them.
He wanted to know more, he wanted to see what else he could find within the archives. He wanted to know what happened to Prince Weismann, what happened to Ymir Fritz. With the recent history Keith deduced that the Prince had been eaten by Ymir to turn her back into a person again. But there was nothing that he knew that would clarify that. He believed that perhaps in Lana's research she may have found something that may relate to the documents he had read.
Keith began to hear footsteps approach the door. He quickly threw the book on a shelf and waited to see who was there. It was just the two guards that were at the front from earlier.
"Hey, what are you doing down here? This area is off limits."
"Sorry, I was just looking stuff up. I'll be on my way out, no harm done," Keith replied quickly walking past them.
He knew that at that moment things were going to be worse for him. After finding him in a blocked off area, questions were soon to arise risking himself and potentially his family too.
Keith made his way back to the barracks where he found Lucas tending to the kitchen as per usual. Keith quickly went inside and pulled Lucas out. Lucas pulled himself from his grasp and questioned his actions. Keith carefully watched the area as he made sure that the coast was clear.
"I know what happened," Keith began. He shut his mouth the minute he saw another soldier. He quickly grabbed Lucas' shoulder and guided him away from prying ears. "I know what happened to…Lana's kind."
"You're joking right?"
"No I'm not hear me out, it's hard to explain. But the pure blooded titans were experimented on. When LeBlanc took over and the titans began to disappear, they were to be subjected to experiments. Experiments that resulted in serums. Do you see where I am going with this?"
"Serums…so you think that the reason why the pure blooded titans were disappearing was because of the serums that were created here?"
"Not exactly, but there is a connection between the two."
"How did you get this information?"
Keith grabbed his face in frustration, "It's complicated. I found a book but…but the book isn't in our language."
"Then how the hell were you able to figure out what was in it?"
"Uhh…it…" Keith stammered.
"Keith if this is your way of playing some sick joke, I'm not having it. I have work to do."
"Lucas listen to me, I'm on to something here!"
"No, you're not. You're blabbering on about some crazy shit just to start something. This is the same thing that happened with the Jack ordeal."
"But look at what happened!" Keith shouted. He quickly scanned the area and lowered his voice. "I'm really on to something here."
"No Keith, I'm done. You can go about and get into whatever trouble you want to get yourself into. But unless you tell me the full truth, I am not going to have any part in this," Lucas proclaimed and walked away.
Keith couldn't believe what just happened. He was flustered. He was unsure of what to do next. There was no one who would believe him. Keith wanted to keep Lana in the dark about it fearing that she would be even more reckless than she already was. He was in complete disbelief that Lucas was behaving in this way. Normally Lucas was right there by his side, but something in him made him change.
Later that afternoon, Keith was in the weapons room maintaining his maneuvering gear. He didn't say a word to anyone about anything. He kept to his thoughts by himself. Lucas came into the room and leaned up against a couple of crates. Keith did nothing but look at him and continued his work.
"Look man, I'm sorry for earlier." Lucas stated. "It's just that…"
"It's just what exactly. You don't trust me anymore. I'm crazy, is that what it is. I am a reckless moron who wants to make the world a better place!" Keith abruptly said throwing his rag down on the ground.
"Keith calm down. I trust you, I really do. It's just that there are times that I wonder where your mind is. During the Jack ordeal I swear that you were completely obsessed with it. It was driving me crazy just watching you pace back and forth contemplating the conspiracies. I don't want you to go through that again. Besides, there is word that people think you're the next Nicholas."
"What are you talking about?"
"They think that you're going to be the next one to snap. I mean people think that already! You were there when Jack was, you know, found dead along with the rest of the squad. Not to mention the death of Nina too. You were there for all of it. When Nicholas went berserk, you were there. People are growing suspicious of you. It's even worse now that we are in the position that we are in now. Literally and figuratively."
Keith reflected on Lucas' words. He was trying to comprehend everything. Never once had it occurred to him what others may have thought about him in everything. He was just thinking for himself. He never realized the amount of talk that his actions had caused.
"You need to calm down with your conspiracy theories or else something bad is going to happen to you."
"Holy shit, you're right. This whole time I never realized any of this. I was only thinking about trying to put a stop to it that I never thought about the after math of things."
"Good, glad that we are finally on the same page."
"Listen, there is one thing though. Spencer told me to check out the archives within the castle. I did find it and I found the journal, the one I was telling you about. The journal was written in a language that isn't around here except for the last page. The journal had information about Emil Weismann heir to the throne of Rhea."
"If you said that it was in a language not from around here, how are you able to read it and know what's in it?"
Keith let out a sigh, he knew exactly that he couldn't keep the secret much longer from Lucas. After all, it had been almost twenty years since he had kept the secret from anyone within the circus. It was time for him to start coming clean with his past and now was his chance to do so.
"It's the language mostly spoken by those who familiar with the Weismann line. The language of the Weismann kingdom or the titan language even. I've been fluent in it since I could speak thanks to my mother and father."
Lucas gave Keith a questioning look. No matter what Keith could come up with, he knew that there wasn't much he could tell Lucas that didn't reveal who he was. He calmly walked up to Lucas and glanced around. After making sure that no one was near, Keith got as close to Lucas as he could. He lifted his arm up with his sleeve pulled up and stared at Lucas straight in the eye. A piece of sharp pointed bone began to protrude from his wrist.
Lucas' eyes widened at the sight. He took a step back as Keith began to retract the bone back into his body. Keith kept his composer as he waited for Lucas to say something.
"What the FUCK!" He shouted.
"Keep your voice down you moron!" Keith shushed Lucas.
"You…you…no…no…oh hell no."
"The reason why I can read and speak the language is because I am a pure blooded titan. I am of the Aberdeen bloodline, guardians of the Weismann family. On top of that, it was a common language spoken between Crovus Clan members. It was a way for them to speak to each other without others interfering and allowed them to communicate to people like me."
"Wait how would…for fucks sakes Keith you have one messed up past."
"The Crovus Clan took on the language to better connect themselves to the titans. They wanted to use whatever means they could to get the upper hand and gain power. It was a way to gain their trust. My parents and I were lucky and managed to keep it a secret. But that didn't last long," Keith solemnly looked down at his hands. He quickly looked back up and said with a laugh, "Anyways enough about me, tell me about yourself."
"Ok so you're telling me that this entire time you've been a titan shifter, a pure blooded shifter like Lana. You lived with your parents who weren't just assassins, but assassins of the Corvus Clan whose very desire was to obtain the power of the titans. Only to be put in the hands of a circus after said parents died who worked with the Corvus Clan, kept the secret about everything for eighteen years and continued to work with the circus knowing that it was working with Crovus Clan. The same clan that eventually vowed to capture Lana for her power, the very reason why Nina and Jack kept her to themselves. The very same titan abilities that everyone was after. You then went on a goose chance to this secluded place and trained to be a soldier designed to kill titans. WHILE STILL KEEPING THIS SECRET!"
"Well when you put it that way, yes that is accurate," Keith replied with a smirk on his face.
"Unbelievable. How…I…I don't even know what to say right now."
"Well I do have to say that you took it much better than Robin did. I swear I couldn't been in the same room as her for two weeks before she finally came around to accepting me again. I remember the punch to the face knocking a tooth out."
Keith sat Lucas down and told him everything. It felt good coming clean to him. After all of these years Lucas was going to be able to know Keith for who he really was. Granted things were going to be different between the two of them, at least there were no more secrets.
Finally Keith began to explain the contents that he had read in the journal. Things began to make more sense than ever to Lucas. Everything was starting to come together. All of the questions were began to mold into answers.
"Thank you Keith. Thank you for telling me everything."
"To be honest I wasn't really planning on doing this, it just sort of happened."
"So can I ask you one question?"
Keith nodded.
"So if you're this mighty powerful titan that can heal and has all of these strength, how come you have to wear those dorky glasses of yours?"
"They're not dorky!" Keith began to laugh. "To be honest I don't have the answers to everything. I can't see well without them. Who knows what it would be like if I were to actually shift?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I haven't exactly gone full titan in, well, over eighteen years. In fact I haven't even used any of my powers up until the last few months."
"Wait, it's been that long? Do you think you can still even do it?"
"Well, probably," Keith replied pulling his glasses off of his face to clean them. "I'm thinking if I tried hard enough I could. Or better yet it probably would happen in a fight or flight response. I mean, it's not like it goes away. This is who I am and I'm just thankful that I have things under control. For the most part."
"The most part?"
"Well, the other night I had a bit of an accident per say."
"An accident. What kind of accident exactly?"
"You know how sometimes when people have bad dreams they can injure themselves or something of the likes?"
Lucas nodded in response.
"Well, I kind of stabbed a lot of holes into my bed one night."
"So that's why you've been actually making the bed."
The two cleaned their maneuvering gear, had a few more laughs, and packed things up. Keith was finally feeling more relaxed than ever before. Lucas was very accepting of Keith and it made him feel much better about his life. Things were looking up and it all started with the journal of Prince Emil Weismann.