Hello everyone. This is my first fic on AOT. The general idea of the story revolves around what would happen if Eren was born nearly one hundred years in the future after the events of the anime and manga.

I kind of just wanted to do a fic about this because I thought it would be a good opportunity to write a engaging story (hopefully) in a setting that was not cannon to the original series.

I have not exactly checked around to see if there were any other similar stories, so if this fic is very much like another you have read, then I apologize.

Read and enjoy.

-Galaxy

-Prologue-

One hundred years ago, the Marleyan army stormed the island of Paradise and liberated its inhabitants. The founding titan was reclaimed by the attackers, and the world fell into a collective peace. Or at least... a peace for everyone besides the Eldians. The titan race was segregated from everyone else. The restrictions placed upon them by Marleyan officials were harsh. Not to mention the fact that they were forced to work the factory jobs that no one else wanted. Most Eldians tried to flee, but that only got them accused of treason, and therefore sentenced to death.

Eldians are not allowed to have a fighting chance in anything that causes them to stray from their carefully laid out lane. The rules were simple, the foundation set. Follow the rules, or be executed. Needless to say, not many Eldians were interested in the ladder option. So they accepted their punishment for the sins of their ancestors. The children grew up not knowing what the world was like. All they knew was work, work, and work.

It wasn't until just ten years ago when Eldians were given one singular right. It may not sound like much, but a right was all they wanted. It made them feel prideful - like they were real citizens of a society. The grant was nothing major, though. All it was was the right to have a selected delegate to attend governmental meetings. The Marleyans figured that it would be a good way to show their how compassionate they themselves were. No one in the government really wanted a Eldian official at their meetings, however they figured it would be no big deal since the titan shifting race was vastly uneducated compared to the rest of the world. They were wrong. The Marleyans underestimated the strong-willed Eldians. Erwin Smith was the selected delegate meant to represent the Eldian people. Many were shocked at his calm and cool nature. The delegate inspired the titan race by continuously pushing the government to grant his people more rights - and after a while, it worked.

A second right was granted five years ago: The right to form their own law enforcement to uphold justice in their segregated section of the city.

Sure, the newly implemented Eldian police force was noticeably understaffed and unequipped, but it instilled a sense of pride and safety that no living Eldian had ever felt. It was as if the gods were answering their prayers after decades and decades of silence. Erwin was appointed as the chief of police in the Eldian district, and all seemed to be going well. More delegates were granted and the restrictions that once bound the oppressed race down to its knee were slowly lifted.

Against all odds and the world against him, one boy growing up on the south side of Marley's capital city saw his wish come true. Eight months ago, in a humid council room filled with angry government officials, a deal was signed that allowed Eldians to enlist into the Marleyan police force. While seen as a great victory to some, to others, it was a slap in the face. The young boy, however, was as excited as anyone bright eyed teenager could be.

The young boy remembered the exact moment his love for law enforcement sparked. He was the mere age of seven when the old box TV in his living room played the commercial for the first time.

The new version of the ODM gear had just released, and it was quickly issued to all members of police departments. The new gear aloud each officer to zip around with unmatched speed and precision. The swords were remade to be high voltage stun batons rather than the pointed blade that citizens had become so accustomed to. The reason for this change was that titans began to fall behind in terms of strength compared to modern technology.

Nearly one hundred years ago, one single titan had the capability to destroy an entire village without even taking a single attack. However with the steady rise of technological warfare, the titans strength became obsolete. Any Eldian that dared to somehow transform - be it from serum or shifting, were quickly taken down by forces specially designed for that purpose. Officers became rock stars, and everybody wanted to be like them.

That is what led the young boy, Eren Yaeger, to the present day. He yearned for adventure and a change of lifestyle. As far as he was concerned, enlisting in the police force was the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this goal.

-Present Day-

-Marleyan Capital-

Eren's suitcase was filled to the brim with things that would most likely be taken away from him once he arrived to the police academy. Regardless, he felt the need to take anything he could possibly need. Some of these things included an extra change of cloths, his phone and charger, sneakers, and deodorant. His subconscious kept debunking the idea that he would be allowed to keep these possessions once he arrived, though, as the police academy he was going to be attending was known for its strict rules and harsh standards. Some who have failed to complete the one year-long course have described the process as "The most horrendous experience of my life.". Nevertheless, Eren was excited to go. Being apart of the police force had always been his dream. No more are the days where he was considered to young to attend, nor was thought to be inexperienced.

People aged sixteen and up are eligible for entry. Since the course takes one whole year to complete, that puts majority of cadets at age seventeen. In the eyes of the current president, this age is still too young to be participating in dangerous situations. Most seventeen year old cadets are limited to parking duty and typical guard posts. Age eighteen is when these restrictions are lifted, and the cadets - now official officers - get to assist in the real nitty-gritty that the city has to offer. Seeing how the city of Sina is the largest and most pronominal megalopolis in the world, crime rates are high, leading to a constant need for new recruits to be indoctrinated into the force.

There was one small issue that Eren faced, however. He was Eldian, and . Up until a few months ago, Eldians were not aloud to obtain any occupation in the emergency service genre. However, thanks to the large strides of activists and a change by the president, the rule was lifted, leaving a bitter taste in the Marleyan peoples mouth. On one hand, it was great news for Eren, as his dream of becoming a police officer was one step closer, yet on the other hand, it meant that he would be looked down upon by civilians and fellow officers alike.

The world was shifting in a way that nobody could predict, so this new implemented rule of Eldian freedom was going to be a sort of experiment. Eren didn't mind, though. He was more than happy to put his safety on the line if it meant achieving his goals.

"Eren." A dull, quiet voice asked from the doorway to his room.

The young boy spun around and saw Mikasa standing idly by, her red scarf draped around her neck. On her left was a small black suitcase with wheels on the bottom and the handle extended upwards. It was noticeably more empty than Eren's. She was, after all, a light packer.

"Oh, hey, Mikasa." Eren said dismissively as he returned his attention to forcing the zipper on his suitcase closed.

"Here." Mikasa grabbed the zipper and the suitcase and forced it closed with ease. "We're leaving soon, so you need to hurry." She said before promptly leaving.

Eren just stood there in embarrassment. How can she do it so easily? I swear sometimes I think she does these things just to mock me. Eren thought to himself. Mikasa had always been a sort of older sister to Eren. Sure, the two weren't related by blood, but they had been together for the past four and half years after Eren's parents adopted the young girl into their family. Grisha nor Carla told Eren what happened to Mikasa's mom and dad, instead, they just told him 'We'll tell you when you're older'. Apparently - even though Eren was on his way to becoming a police officer, that day has not come yet.

"Whatever." The boy grumbled and wheeled his suitcase out of his room and down the wooden stairs. His house was fairly large, however it was located in a declining part of town. Citizens were rapidly moving away due to high crime rates and government neglect. The kids that used to fill the streets and play kick ball had all vanished one by one, leaving a ghostly imprint of what once was.

Eren took his seat next to Mikasa at the dining room table which was situated between the living room and kitchen. The room was mostly dark aside for a few shining candles - the morning was still young, so the so sun had yet to come up. The sound of water boiling came from the kitchen - most likely the beginning stages of coffee, a drink that Carla religiously prepared for herself and Grisha before work. Before long, the smiling mother entered from the kitchen baring two plates of dull, plain looking toast and egg whites. It was nothing fancy, but as Eldians, the Yeagers have learned not to complain.

"Here you two go." She placed both plates in front of Eren and Mikasa respectively, and the two teens immediately began to eat. Typically, the two siblings would scarf their food down without a care in the world before they would be scurried off to school, however this time, Eren noticed that his sister was having a hard time eating.

"You okay?" Eren asked as he swallow his last bite of toast. He felt a bit disgusting talking with his mouth full, but Mikasa's well being was a bit more important. Sure, the two didn't always get along - in fact Eren sometimes even saw her as a burden. This, however, didn't take away from the fact that they were still close to one another. He looked after her and she looked after him.

The young girl glanced up and met his gaze before her eyes dipped right back down to her plate. "Hm? Oh... Yeah." She said softly.

Not wanting to pry anything out of her, Eren just shrugged and nodded to himself. Today was going to be a long day for both of them, so getting caught up in any emotions now would be a detriment. Mikasa was never keen on joining the police force, yet still she insisted on doing so just because Eren was doing it. Grisha often told his son that the young girl had a troubled past, and since he was the first child she had ever befriended, she latched onto him.

The young Eren never understood why this was the case, though. Surely even Mikasa had friends before him. She wasn't an antisocial shut-in who only spoke when she had to. Well... at least not entirely.

Once the food was finished and the plates were returned to the sink, there was a knock at the door. Knowing full well who it was, Eren and Mikasa quickly grabbed a hold of their suitcases and waltzed over to the door.

"Hey!" Eren said, bright-eyed.

"Eren, Mikasa! Are you guys ready?" Armin said in his typical chipper attitude. The blonde haired boy was Eren's best friend, and the two bonded over ambitions of becoming law enforcement officers. Behind Armin was a junker car with door panels that were colored differently. The steam from the engines exhaust floated into the air as it battled the cold atmosphere.

"Yeah, we're ready... Just give us one sec." The two siblings jogged back into the house and entered the kitchen where Carla was busy pouring coffee into her thermos. She yipped in shock when she felt a pair of armed wrap around her from behind. She turned and saw Eren hugging her tightly while Mikasa stood a few feet behind, a warm smile on her face.

"Oh. Are you two leaving already?" Carla asked and patted her sons head lovingly.

"Yeah. Armin's here. We don't want to keep him waiting." Eren explained. The boy didn't feel sad that he was leaving home, he just felt as though he should show his mother some appreciation for the person she had shaped him into being over the course of the last sixteen years.

Carla pushed her son out a few inches from her and glanced him up and down. "You have your phone?"

"Yes."

"Wallet?"

"Yes, mom."

"Do you need any money?"

Eren groaned. "No mom. We're going to an academy. I won't be needing any money."

Carla just let out a sad sigh and lowered her head. "Yeah, I know... It's just so bizarre to see you guys leave."

"We'll be in touch, Mrs. Yeager." Mikasa smiled coyly. It wasn't a full on smile, but seeing as Eren hardly ever saw her show much emotion, it was nice.

Eren's mother extended her free hand out and cupped the back of Mikasa's head, pulling her into her arms. "Oh, Mikasa. I told you to just call me mom."

The young girl just remained silent, presumably to let the moment sink in. After all, this was the last time they would be home in a whole year - maybe even more. The silence of the peaceful moment was cut off by Armin, who still stood at the front door. "H-Hey you guys? We should probably hurry. The plane is taking off in two hours."

Eren's heart suddenly dropped. He had totally forgotten that they were taking a plane out to the police academy. Since Sina was such a densely populated city, all trainees were required to attend an academy that was located out in a small town far away from the city. The siblings, nor Armin, had even ridden in a plane before. Since they were mere Eldians, travel was restricted heavily. The only Eldians that were permitted to use transportation other than cars and trains were those who were carefully selected by Marleyan officials.

Carla released her two teenagers from her embrace and waved them off. "Go on, don't let me keep you waiting." She smiled and backed away slowly, watching as the two made for the front door with a wave. Once the three friends had closed the door, the young mother slowly turned around and placed both hands on the table, her head dipped low. Deep down, she knew that as a mother, she was suppose to be proud of her children for following their dreams, but her subconscious told her that this was a horrible mistake. We're Eldians. The titan race had been beaten to submission for hundreds of years. Why would today be anything different? Civil rights activists had made tremendous strides over the last few months, however the world was not ready to accept anything that came from a filthy sub-humans mouth. Eren, Mikasa, Armin... They're running headfirst into a world that will not accept them, nor will they respect their courage. The Marleyan people will beat those teenagers to their knees for no reason other than the fact that they don't share the same heritage as them.

Carla bit back the urge to let out a quiet sob. 'You're just overreacting'. She told herself. However was it an over reaction if she knew that her children and their friends would be subjugated and ridiculed if they tried to pursue something out of the ordinary? Surely it wasn't... Unfortunately, that's just how the world works - One group of people suffering so the other can constantly gouge themselves with wealth, fashion, technology, and food. The rest of us on the other hand, are left to find some sort of drive to continue pressing forward until we achieve what we want... Whatever that may be.

-20 Minutes Later-

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stared at the shadowy figure of the ghostly building that hid behind the morning fog. Directly behind them was the entrance to the airport - their destination. Before entering, they silently agreed to analyze the far off building. None of them had ever seen any structure that large in person. Sure, they were aloud to own TV's, however that did these buildings no justice in terms of impressiveness.

In their trans, they didn't realize the crowds of people that were walking around them in order to enter the airport lobby. Not wanting to get in other peoples way, they quickly spun around and made for the doors. The inside was a large carpeted terminal that was easily thousands of square foot large. Eren figured could probably fit twenty average Eldian houses in this one room alone. He grabbed Mikasa and Armin and pulled them to the side.

"Alright, you two." He said sternly. "Do you guys remember where we need to go?"

Armin made a look of confusion as he slung his backpack off his shoulder and began rummaging through it. Eventually, he pulled out his letter of acceptance, which luckily gave the three friends instruction on where to go once inside the Airport. Since the Marleyan capital was the by far the largest city on the mainland, these instructions included in the letter most likely pertained to all cadets since they were all probably from this city anyways.

Armin led the two siblings down many corridors and past many turns as he held the instructions close to his face. After what felt like another ten minutes, they came upon a sign on the wall which bared the insignia of the Marleyan Police Corps - A circular rose bush surrounding a nameless, faceless figure holding a sword. Eren had read about this place online. Apparently it was a room designed to cater to cadets who were about to ship off to training. It essentially gave them one more taste of freedom before enrolling them into the academy where their lives would forever change.

Upon glancing inside, they saw many other kids their age, presumably all fellow cadets and police officer hopefuls.

"Let's be discrete about this." Mikasa warned quietly. Armin and Eren didn't need a clarification - they knew what she meant. Nobody in that room could know that the three friends were Eldian. If anyone were to find out, they would be ridiculed by everyone relentlessly.

"Yeah... I'd rather not have everyone at our throats while we're at the academy." Eren agreed. The room they were about to enter was the beginning of their journey. It was a fairly small room in comparison to the rest of the airport. The floors were made of a dark wood and the walls were lined with blue tinted lights that gave the entire place a modern feel to it. There were table filled to the brim with all kinds of good looking food and all the water one could ever want. This was all foreign to the three Eldians. However, in order to seem like they belonged, Eren, Armin and Mikasa found a place to sit tucked away in the corner away from the many other cadets who all sat around laughing and joking as if they owned this place.

The friends found three chairs surrounding a small circular table. With their bags at their sides, they carefully analyzed the other teenagers around them. None of them looked too intimidating or mean, however looks can be deceiving. There was still about ten minutes before the cadets would need to line up at their designated terminal for transportation. Until that happened, Eren decided to silently observe everyone's vibe to figure out who to avoid, and who to befriend.

Very few people stuck out to him right off the bat - A blonde girl who sat quietly in the corner as she read a book. The book was at an angle to where Eren could not see the cover. The girl had her hair tied back in a bun and her nose was slightly more obtuse than everyone else in the room. She had a face that said 'Don't mess with me or I'll kill you'. Should probably steer clear of her. Eren thought.

The next two people Eren noticed were two well built guys that sat closer to the center of the room. One of them was very tall and lanky, while the other - a blonde, was not as tall, however he made up for his lack of height in muscle mass. The ladder was huge, and Eren made a mental note not to get on his bad side, especially if he was a Marleyan. Both guys seemed calm, collected, and cool.

Last but not least, Eren noticed a pair of girls enter the room carrying little to no luggage. One of them was very short and slim, sporting long blonde hair that ran down her back. The other girl had a face that seemed as though it had seen some dark things, similar to a hardened veteran or police officer - She truly had the looks of a real, fired up cadet.

Once Eren decided he had done enough surveying to conclude that there were no immediate threats to him or his friends, he leaned back in his cushioned chair, watching the second hand on the clock tick by slowly.

"Hey." Armin said joyously. The blonde boy reached to his towards an end table and held up a deck of red-backed playing cards. "Look what I found."

Eren sat up and smirked. "The government really went all out with this room didn't they? It's packed to the brim with all kinds of cool stuff."

"Ah, yes." Armin said sarcastically. "A deck of cards truly is the pinnacle of high class and wealth."

Mikasa silently giggled at her friends quip, much to Eren's dismay.

"Hey!" Eren growled. "I was just making an observation!'

Armin sported a knowing smile on his face as he began to deal cards to each of us. "Oh, calm down, Eren. What'd you say to a game of..." The boy put a finger to his chin and thought. "Twenty-one?"

"Eh, I don't know. I kinda wanna lock in and focus my mind on what's about to come."

Suddenly, a pair of hands fell upon Eren's shoulder, causing the teen to flinch in shock. "Ah, come one!" An unrecognized voice said disappointingly. "This is the last time any of us are gonna have any kind of freedom. You might as well make the most of it." A boy around Eren's age stepped around and plopped down into the last open chair around their table. The stranger was only slightly taller than any of the three friends and was on the skinnier side. His hair was a dark undercut that curled to the left side of his face and he appeared to have golden highlights throughout his locks.

Eren tensed up - Not at the prospect of meeting someone new, but instead at the strangers hair. Highlights in hair was something that Eldians did not have the luxury of obtaining, meaning that this boy was Marleyan. His smile reeked of confidence and it seemed as though whoever this was, was bred for success since the day he was born. A true Marleyan.

"Y-Yeah." Armin cleared his through nervously, seemingly deducting the race of the stranger. "Come on, Eren. Let's play."

Eren groveled silently. He knew that his friend was trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible, so he decided to play along. "Alright." The brunette boy plastered a fake smile across his face.

The stranger leaned forward and tapped the able twice with his index finger. "I'll play, too. Hit me."

Armin suddenly froze, as well as Eren and Mikasa. "H-Hit you?" The blonde asked in confusion.

"Y-Yeah? Poker, right?" The stranger raised an eyebrow.

Poker was a foreign game to the Eldian children. Most of what they knew about cards came from the tiny instruction booklets that were included with the deck. The rules for poker were too long for any child in poverty to care, so most of them settled on simpler games like 'Twenty-one' and 'Go-fish'.

"Oh!" Armin chuckled. "We were gonna play twenty-one. Is that alright?"

The stranger laughed and leaned back into his chair. "Twenty-one? I haven't played that game since I was twelve. Did you guys never learn poker? I thought all the Marleyan schools gave out decks of cards during recess. Surely you've tried poker at some point, right?"

"We uh... We were never given cards at our school." Eren said confidently.

"Oh." The mysterious boy's face fell into doubt. "I see... What school did you three attend?"

Before Eren or Armin could reply, Mikasa suddenly spoke up, "West Monument High School." She said dully. West Monument High School, despite its name, was actually located on the northern side of the city. It was also the largest Marleyan school in the entire country. By claiming they attended there, the three friends blend themselves in with the Marleyan race. The school was so large that even the stranger surely wouldn't be able to call foul.

Everyone's attention suddenly shifted to the quiet girl, expecting an elaboration.

"West Monument..." The stranger glanced down at the ground as he pondered. A smile slowly crept across his lips. "Hm... So... Twenty-one?"

Desperate for an out, Armin let out a quiet sigh of relief and dealt two cards to everyone one at a time. "Ok. I'll be the dealer." Armin declared and placed the stack of un-dealt cards next to him on the table.

"I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Oskar."

"Eren."

"I'm Armin."

"Mikasa."

"Eren, Armin and Mikasa... West Monument High School, huh?"

Dammit... I thought we deceived him. This city is so big, why would he have any reason to doubt what we were saying? Eren thought. "Yeah... What about it?

Before Oskar answered the question, he simply said, "Hit me."

Armin placed a card face down in from the boy.

Oskar continued, "Did any of you attend Mrs. Walsh's class?"

Eren bit the inside of his lip. This guy... he''s totally suspicious of us. By asking us if we took a specific class at this school, he's effectively walked us into a corner. He very well could have made up a random name of a teacher that doesn't exist just to see if we would answer yes. If he did, he'd call our bluff, and our race would be discovered. However if we were to say no, and Mrs. Walsh was an actual teacher, then he'd grow even more suspicious of us and quiz us on the school. There was a fifty-fifty shot at success here.

Calmly and confidently, Eren shrugged. "Never heard of her... Hit me, Armin."

Armin, now glaring at his friend worryingly, placed a card in front of him. Eren picked it up and added it to his hand.

A five, plus an eight, plus a four... Seventeen.

It was Mikasa's turn and she quietly asked for another card, in which Armin complied. Once she placed the card in her hand, she folded her cards over to show everyone that she had busted. The expression on her face made it clear that she didn't care about the game anymore, she was too worried about Oskar discovering who her and her friends really were really were. If what the new boy was saying was true, then this would imply that he actually attended West Monument High School. It wouldn't be so far fetched considering the sheer number of students that have attended it.

Oskar nodded to himself and shrugged. "You've never heard of Mrs. Walsh?"

At this point, Eren had to stick with his story in attempt to sound convincing. "No, never. Why? Was she cool?"

"Oh, definitely. She was probably my favorite teacher in that school by far. She really understood how teach each individual student, you know? Hit me..."

Armin gave Oskar a card.

"Hm... I wish I could've met her before I graduated, then. Hit me."

A two. Nineteen.

"Yeah well..." Oskar shrugged once again. "I'm sure you had some cool teachers as well. Who were some of your favorites?"

Eren's head worked a mile a minute. He tried to think of the most generic name he could possibly think of. It had to sound Marleyan. "Mr. Taylor."

Oskar stared at Eren intently, his bright blue eyes piercing into the Eldians eyes. "Mr. Taylor?"

Eren peaked down at his cards in order to conceal a gulp with his chin. "Yeah. He was a great teacher."

The seconds that passed felt like hours to the young Eren. He felt as though he was on a stage in front of thousands of people ready to give speech that he had not rehearsed.

After thirty seconds of silence - the only noise coming from the other cadets laughing and talking among themselves, totally oblivious to the situation unfolding just a few feet away, Oskar nodded. "Yeah I loved him too."

The three friends shot looks of shock at each other. Did Eren really just deceive this Marleyan? Surly it would be more difficult than that, right? As Eren thought this, a man dressed in typical civilian attire entered the room and cleared his throat. "All cadets, please report to terminal 1A and await further instruction."

Everyone began quickly packing up their bags and making their was to the corridor just outside the room.

Oskar dropped his cards to the table and groaned as he stretched his back. "Welp! Hopefully we end up in the same training group, you guys." He hoisted his back back over his shoulder and smiled. "Be careful, though. I hear there's Eldians joining the force."

And with that, the Marleyan boy took his leave, leaving Eren, Armin, and Mikasa as the last three cadets in the room. Realizing this, they quickly grabbed their things and ran for the door. Before Eren took the first step to begin leaving, he glanced down at the table where Oskar's cards were.

In the order from left to right - the order in which he received them, was a queen, a king, an eight, and a ten. Thirty eight... He had busted after his first hit, yet decided to keep playing despite the fact that he had lost.