A/N: Woo hoo, chapter 25! Now we're going places. This chapter, I'm dropping the biggest hint possible for the future plot line before completely spilling the beans next chapter because why not? Also, I would usually update about every week and a half but I'm pushing it back to two weeks now. One thing I noticed was many stories I've found have just dropped off after the first few chapters, and it's pretty sad because a lot of them have potential if the author did continue it. Just know that I will NEVER leave any story I write unfinished, it's not my style. But all things aside, happy reading! :)
"How long have you had it?"
"Maybe 5 years now? I don't fully remember."
Moblit scribbles down the information into his notebook.
"Do you have the slightest idea how to use it?"
Eren shifts uncomfortably. "No, as far as I know. My dad's basement might have an answer though. I think he was the one who gave me my powers."
"Do you know where he is?" Moblit asks, writing a side note to visit Eren's old basement.
"He disappeared after Wall Maria fell. I have no idea where he is," Eren admitted.
"Very well. Thank you Eren. You may go now," Moblit replies.
The brunette nods respectfully and takes his leave. Moblit sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. 3 more months have passed and still no new information was gained. Even Annie didn't have answers. On top of that, Erwin's trial was coming up and all missions were on hold until after the fate of the commander was decided. All of this was giving him a massive headache. Reaching for his hip flask, he unscrews the cap and takes a drink.
His eyes wander lazily towards the clock. Almost noon. He had agreed to help Hange at the archives after talking with Eren to see if they could find something about his father. Standing up, Moblit grabbed his notebook and strode out the door. He walked to the end of the hall and down a set of spiraling stairs. Torchlight lit up the musty corridor. A wooden door was slightly ajar, the sound of shuffling papers coming from behind them.
"Any new information this session?" Hange asks, as Moblit pushes open the door.
"Sort of. Eren mentioned his dad's basement again. Did you find anything on in the archives?" Moblit asked.
"Yep. This file," Hange says, plopping down a stack of papers. "I haven't read it yet."
Hange pulls a chair next to Moblit and puts on her glasses. Flipping open the folder, she takes a citizenship document from the thick stack. As she scanned the page, something catches her eye.
"Wait Moblit, look at this," Hange said, squinting at the words.
Moblit looked over to what Hange was pointing to, Grisha's birthplace. Besides it were words written in neat handwriting. 40th expedition, found beyond the Walls. Moblit squinted at the words.
"He was found beyond the walls? How is that possible?" Moblit asked incredulously.
"I don't know. We know from Annie that we are not the last of humanity. Grisha may very well be from one the same place Annie was from but that's not what I'm concerned about. Look at the date that he was found," Hange says.
Moblit continues down the sentence. The 40th expedition? Moblit scavenges the messy desk and pulls the military records from beneath several other papers begins to scan the page. Year 828, 829, and 830. Year 830? Running his finger down the line, he eventually comes to a stop.
"40th expedition. Huh. So that was when he was found," Moblit noted. "15 years before the fall of Wall Maria."
"Look at the name of the commander at that time," Hange said.
Moblit turns back to his paper and his eyes widened to the size of a silver coin.
"No way. Instructor Shadis?! The Keith Shadis?" Moblit asked shocked.
"We just found our new lead," Hange replied, beaming with joy.
"Focus, Yeager!" Levi barks as Annie goes for another kick which Eren barely manages to dodge.
Grunting, he throws a left hook at the blond. Slipping under his arm, Annie snakes upwards, grabbing it and twists it behind his back, forcing Eren to tap out.
"You're getting sloppier," Annie notes, letting go of his arm. "Your stance is still too wide."
"Captain Levi! Squad Leader Hange has some questions for Annie and Eren!" George calls out, running out from a portal. "It's information about Eren's dad!"
"What?!" Eren shouts excitedly. "Did they find something in the archives?"
"Yeah! Hange has a theory that she wants to confirm," George replies. "I mean, if that's okay with you Captain."
Sighing, Levi waves his hand dismissively. "Alright, go ahead."
Annie and Eren walk towards the portal, leaving the courtyard and into Hange's office. The dimensional doorway closes with a flicker. Hange turns around in her seat to face the three teens.
"Sorry to pull you from your training," Hange apologizes briskly, organizing the papers on the oak table. "So as you know, we have some information about your father Eren. Take a look at his file."
Hange hands Eren Grisha's citizenship document and the boy begins to read, muttering to himself as he scans the page. A look of curiosity filled his face as he hands the paper back to Hange.
"Crazy right?" Hange asked Eren, taking back the sheet. "Those were my exact thoughts when I first read it."
"What is it?" Annie asked suspiciously, looking between the scientist and the green eyed boy.
"It says on that document that my father wasn't born in Shiganshina. He was from beyond the walls, found during the Survey Corp's 40th expedition," Eren said. "But still, it doesn't explain much."
"Well, we know Grisha was a doctor-"
"Wait, Grisha? As in Grisha Yeager?" George asks surprised.
"Why? You know him?" Annie questions.
"Actually I do. He was our doctor when we were kids," George answered. "He was hired by the undercover Marley officials to keep us in health."
"Do you know if he had any previous connections with Marley?" Hange asked.
"Hmm. I don't know, it was what? 11 years ago maybe? Anyways, you should ask Rachel. She has the memory of an elephant."
"What's an elephant?" Eren asked.
"Oh, it was an animal with a really long nose made of over 40,000 muscles. Apparently they were really good at remembering things," Hange explained.
"Oh."
A portal opened, revealing clothes on a hanger.
"Oy, Rachel!" George shouted.
"George! What the hell are you doing in my closet?!" Rachel demanded behind the closet doors.
"Sorry, Hange wanted to ask you a question about our old doctor, ," George shouted. "She want to know if he had any previous connections with Marley."
A moment of silence welled up before Rachel finally answered. "It was like 11 years ago but I do remember this since my cell was the closest to the office. The official had threatened to dispose of Dr. Yeager's family if he didn't cooperate, but the thing that disturbed me the most was when he said that he escaped with the titan. We know Marley possessed several titans so Dr. Yeager must've fled after stealing one of the titans."
"Thanks Rachel!" George replied before closing the portal.
"So he was from Marley. That would explain why he was found beyond the walls," Hange mused.
"She also mentioned that your dad escaped with the titan. Do you think it is possible that your dad was the Attack titan before you?" Annie asked.
"There would be a high likelihood. I mean, I'm his son so who else would've given it to me?" Eren replied. "It still doesn't answer where he is though."
"Err," Hange said awkwardly. "It kinda does if you did indeed receive the Attack Titan from your father."
"What do you mean?" Eren demanded.
"Eren, do you know how titan shifters pass their powers?" Annie asks.
The boy shook his head, uneasiness growing in his stomach. "No, how?"
"When a titan eats a shifter, the powers get passed on. Ergo, you were a titan and ate your father," Annie deadpans.
"Annie!" George exclaims. "He's right there!"
"Well, he asked for it," she replies.
"You're kidding me, right?" Eren asked disbelief growing on his face.
"Nope."
"How is that possible?! I don't recall anything at all!" he exclaimed.
"If I remember correctly, you told us about a dream you had. Your dad was holding onto you, injecting you with something. Am I right?" George asked.
"That wasn't a dream. I imagine it happened sometime after Reiner and Bertholt breached Wall Maria. Your dad injected you with a titan serum, turning you into one," Annie explained. "We'll have more time to dwell on this later. Hange, was there anything else you wanted to show us in particular besides that?"
"Take a look at the year that he was found," Hange instructed, after taking a gulp of water.
"The 40th expedition. Wasn't that like 20 some years ago?" George asked.
"25 to be precise. The commander at the time, believe it or not was Keith Shadis," Hange replied.
"Then I think our next step would be to ask Shadis himself then," Eren concludes. "See if he has anymore information about what happened."
"Yes, that would be a good idea. George, do you think your range can extend to the training grounds?" Hange inquired.
"Pfft. If I can go from Trost to the titan forest, then this will be a walk in the park," he replies before opening the portal. "All aboard."
"TEN MORE, YOU MAGGOTS!" Shadis yelled. "IF YOU CAN'T KEEP UP, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE TITAN FODDER!"
Shadis walks around the struggling recruits, watching them with a critical eye.
"Feels like yesterday, doesn't it sir?"
Whirling around, Shadis comes face to face with Eren.
"Yeager, how did you get here?" Shadis asked surprised.
"I had help," he chuckled, gesturing to the rest of his friends behind him.
"Shadis, it's been too long," Hange greets, shaking the bewildered instructor. "We have several questions for you."
"Of course. Wait for me in my office. I shall be with you shortly," Shadis grunts. "MAGGOTS! IT IS TIME FOR YOUR LUNCH! DISMISSED!"
"Things have changed now," Shadis sighed, walking towards the lone building at the edge of the training grounds. "3 titans on our side. Never thought I live to see that. My condolences for your lost Leonhart. He was a good soldier."
"Thank you sir," Annie replies stiffly.
"Instructor, we have become aware that 25 years ago, you found a man beyond the walls. Eren's father to be exact," Hange asked.
Shadis sighed and rubbed his bald head.
Flashback Starts
"We found him on the way back from the 40th expedition. We were riding along when we spotted Grisha by himself, wandering and muttering to himself. It had appeared at the time that he had gone mad. He was talking about titans and how he was one of them. I didn't understand what he was saying at the time."
The hooves clopped slowly against the ground. Spirits were dimmed, good men were lost. Shadis looked up wearily from his horse.
'Commander, take a look,' his assistant said puzzled. 'It looks like a person.'
Shadis, now perked up, took the scope from the man and raised it to his eye. Indeed, it was a person, but how did he get all the way out here? The man was walking in circles, clearly delirious. Tripping over his own feet, the man falls down.
'Squad 4, come with me! We are investigating,' Shadis ordered.
'Yes sir!'
The squad moves away from the group towards the fallen man. Dismounting, Keith rushed to him and flipped him onto his back. The man's lips were cracked from dehydration.
'Medics, carry this man back with us. I have some questions for him,' Keith ordered.
"By the time we had returned Grisha had regained consciousness."
Keith opened the door and crossed the room, taking a seat besides a now fully conscious Grisha.
'Thank you for saving my life,' he rasped out. 'I would've died for sure.'
'Take it easy there. Have some more water,' Keith offered. 'What's your name?'
'I don't remember anything,' Grisha replied in between gulps of water.
'How did you escape the walls?' Keith wondered.
'Walls? What walls?' Grisha asked, putting back on his glasses.
'The walls humanity built to fend of the titans,' Keith replied confused. 'Do you have amnesia?'
'I must've. I would've remembered something as important as that,' Grisha answered.
"Grisha was disinclined to give us more information after that. Within a day, he had made a full recovery. I took him to the local hub later where he asked about the life within the walls. He did recognize the works of the Survey Corps which was surprising at first.
'Hello Keith! Another round for you and your friend?' the waitress asked. 'I hope you're not trying to convince him to join.'
'Oh hello, Carla. Of course not,' Keith replied, Grisha nodded in agreement.
'What's your name?' Carla asked, flashing a smile.
'Grisha, Grisha Yeager,' he replied, pushing up his glasses.
'Nice to meet you! See you around,' Carla replied.
"A few weeks later, Grisha was employed at a hospital for his exceptional skills a s doctor. It was just in a nick of time as well. A plague was sweeping over Shiganshina, many citizens falling ill."
'Please! You have to help them! My parents, they'll die soon if you don't,' Carla sobbed.
'Don't worry, I will. You're sick as well. Get some rest. You're just wearing yourself out,' Grisha replied.
"Your father single handedly cured the entire population, including your mother and her parents. Several years later, Carla and Grisha married, eventually giving birth to you. Not much has happened until the fall of Wall Maria."
'Eren!" Grisha exclaimed, running up to his son and hugging him, tears at his eyes.
'Dad?' Eren groaned, rubbing his eyes.
'Grisha, you really should let him sleep. It's one in the morning,' Keith replied.
'Come with me, my son,' Grisha said, taking Eren by his hand.
'Grisha! Where are you going?! Have you gone mad?!' Keith asked panicked.
'Don't worry about me, and please, don't follow us,' Grisha replied.
"And that was the last time I ever saw him."
'Dad! What are you doing?! Let go of me,' Eren shouted, panic swelling inside the boy.
'Eren! Listen to me!' Grisha said, tears falling from his face. 'Take this key. Don't ever let it leave your side!'
Grisha proceeded to take the key dangling on a cord and put it around his son's neck. Reaching into his coat pocket, he took out a slim black box. Opening it, Eren could see an empty needle and a bottle of cloudy liquid. Taking the needle, Grisha proceeded to draw out the liquid.
'Give me your hand,' Grisha said, syringe in one hand.
'No!' Eren screamed, falling back. 'Mom's death made you crazy!'
'Eren, listen to me!' Grisha pleaded, grabbing his son's arm. 'If you are to ever avenge your mother, protect Armin and Mikasa, you need this! Their memories will guide you. Tell him! He will help you!'
Without warning, Grisha plunged the needle into Eren's arm and stepped back. Falling to his knees, Grisha began to sob. Eren staggered away from his father, an intense burning coursed through his veins. His vision went cloudy, swimming before his eyes before he blacked out entirely.
A bolt of lightning struck down upon Eren, transforming him. In his place stood a 4 meter titan with short rugged hair. His lipless mouth revealing his jagged teeth. The eyes homed in on Grisha before reaching out and grabbing him. Grisha watched as his son turned titan brought him closer and closer to its gaping maw.
'Learn your powers and protect them, my son. I love you.' Grisha thought before his world went black.
Shadis turned towards the forest in surprise.
'Lightning?! How is this possible? There isn't a single cloud in sight!' he muttered to himself, walking towards the grove.
Arriving at the scene, Shadis looked around confused. Eren was lying in the middle of the clearing but Grisha was nowhere in sight. Even more confusing was the fact that there seemed to be no damage at all from when the lightning struck. Picking up Eren in his arms, Shadis returned to the camp, shaking his head.
Flashback Ends
"And after I brought you back, I just put you back to sleep. I still don't know where he is to this day," Shadis concluded.
"Instructor, we appreciate your time. We must get back to the headquarters now. Thank you," Hange replied, scribbling down the last of her notes.
"Of course. I understand that you're busy. About time I yell at them for goofing off," Shadis grumbled.
"George, if you would be so kind," Hange asked.
A portal swirled opened, revealing Hange's office. The group stepped through the dimensional wormhole and disappeared. Keith tore his eyes away from the spot, returning outside.
"ALL RIGHT MAGGOTS! 30 LAPS AROUND THE COURT! DOUBLE TIME!" Keith screamed.
"Helos, about time," a woman greeted him.
"Ymir, it's been to long. Please, show me the way," Helos replied.
"Very well, follow me. I should tell you, he has the devil's powers," Ymir informed. "You must teach him to control it."
"It's been awhile since I used them. One should not take them too lightly. After all, since he has risen, he must take caution in using them or the devil could possess him again," Helos warned.
"Maria," Ymir greeted.
"My lady. Helos, it's a pleasure to see you," Maria greeted, bowing slightly.
"How is he?" Ymir asked.
"Recovering quite well," Maria replied. "Although he should wake soon. He'll be demanding explanations."
"I am fully aware," Ymir replied gently.
The pristine white door opened noiselessly, revealing a single bed. Helos strode across the room, studying the boy that laid in it. The tips of white feathery wing could be seen poking from underneath the covers. He was lean but muscular, scars riddling his body. His shaggy black hair ruffled and messy.
"So this is him," Helos mused. "This is promising. Do you know the full extent of his capabilities?"
"Not yet, but maybe you should ask him yourself," Maria replied, smirking just as the boy's gold eyes blazed open.