I have decided that the talk between 'future' Eren and the Warriors will remain a secret for now. While it is important to the story, it has some surprises which I want to keep hidden for the mean time. The chapter with the other Scouts talking was scrapped, mainly due to lack of ideas, and not much writing, so i've merged it with this one.

This chapter has taken me 16 hours to write, plus a further 12 hours to make sure it is not too similar to three other stories that involve someone telling the characters about Eldia, Marley and everything else. I do apologise if anything is similar, but all my facts have been cobbled together from the anime, the manga and the AOT wiki.

A/N Thank you random guest for telling me the chapter got cut off near the end. Hopefully, it has been fixed now.

Ymir opened her mouth to begin her story but was stopped by the sight of their host coming down the steps, followed by the three warriors. "Ymir, please wait for these three to tell them the truth. Afterwards you can talk about your past." The host limped back to the front and sat down, while Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt held looks of sadness, confusion and shock.

"You may hate them for what they did, but it doesn't matter. If Annie, Reiner and Bert didn't attack the wall, you never would've known everything you know and will know." The host said cryptically.

While Eren and the other Scouts still growled and fixed them with stares of pain and death, Annie began the tale first.

"Hundreds of years ago, the power of the Titans was under the control of a nation known as the Eldian Empire. They used this power to maintain control and order, and used it to decimate their opponents and enemies. Eventually, the Eldians began fighting amongst themselves, causing their downfall. The Marleyans, a race that had been dominated by the Eldians, took the chance to overthrow the tyrants. With the help of the Tybur's; a sympathetic Eldian family in possession of one of the nine Titan powers, the Marleyans successfully destroyed the Eldian empire."

The Scouts remained partially silent, with whispers of, 'nine', 'Eldians' and 'Marleyans'. Reiner picked up from there.

"The Marleyans gained control of seven of the Titan powers; The Colossal, The Armoured, The Female, The Jaw, The Warhammer, The Beast, and The Cart. Of the remaining two, one was lost. Until Eren showed up holding it in Trost."

All eyes turned to Eren for a moment before facing towards their enemies, "I assume Eren's titan has a better name than 'The Rogue Titan.'" Hange asked,

Reiner nodded, "It's called the Attack Titan. Then there is the final Titan power which belonged to the king of Eldia. This power was known as the Founding Titan, and it is the most powerful and most dangerous. With this power, the holder can create and control Titans at will. After the empire collapsed, the king moved almost a million Eldians off the main continent and onto the nearby island of Paradis. He then used his Titan power to create thousands of Colossal Titans, and used them to construct three massive walls, Maria, Rose, and Sina."

Levi glared at him sharply. "Wait. Inside the walls are..."

Reiner nodded. "Yes. Inside the walls, Colossal Titans lie dormant even to this day."

The Scouts murmured amongst themselves.

Bertholdt continued. "After building the walls, the King turned Paradis into a hermit kingdom, cut off from the rest of the world. In order to guarantee a temporary peace for the people inside the walls, the king left behind a warning to the rest of the world. He said that if the peace of Paradis Island was ever disturbed, he would unleash the Wall Titans, and use them to trample the earth."

If anyone noticed, they would've heard a small sound come from the host.

Armin piped up. "So, we're not the last of humanity."

Bert shook his head. "No. Paradis barely makes up a tenth of the worlds population."

"And Marley, they- you hate us all and want us dead, because of the warning from the king."

"Yes."

Armin deflated, so much for the grandeur of the outside world.

Moblit looked thoughtful. "So that's why you attacked Wall Maria. But why would you risk angering the king's descendants if it could mean the destruction of the world?" As Moblit spoke, there was something in his head that didn't make sense. The peace was disturbed 5 years ago, so why didn't the Founding Titan do anything at the time? The same thought was bouncing around in the other Scouts heads.

The Warriors looked at each other before Reiner continued. "There are a few reasons. First of all, Marley believes that Paradis is a ticking time bomb, and that it's only a matter of time before the Wall Titans are released. Obviously, they want to eliminate this threat. The other reason is they want to recover the Founding Titan. While Marley has managed to stay as a strong empire because of the power of the Titans, the world is changing, empires are becoming a thing of the past. It won't be long before weapons that can take down mine and Bert's titans will be made. In order to maintain their position in the world, they need to take back the Founding Titan."

Mike frowned. "But why didn't the king's descendants do anything when the Walls in Shingashina or Maria fell? If the Founding Titan can control other Titans, they could have used this power to make the Titans leave Wall Maria, or prevented them from entering in the first place. Why did they do nothing?"

Bert scratched his head, "To be honest, we don't know. Maybe the holder was in Sina at the time or something. We were fully expecting to go up against The Founder when we destroyed Maria and when nothing happened, it confused us all." At the reminder of Maria; Eren, Mikasa and Armin along with a few others glared at the warriors again.

The host stood up and took over. "It was because of a cowardly vow the 145th King, Karl Fritz, made, when he moved the Eldians to Paradis. While he spoke a threat to trample the world, in his head he never intended to. It was an empty threat meant to create a temporary peace. Before inheriting the Founding Titan, the King pitied the Marleyans, and all the people that had been subjugated by the Eldian empire. When he inherited the Founding Titan, he worked with the Tybur family and led to the destruction of the Eldian Empire, betraying his own people in the process. He gave power to the Marleyans, who had been oppressed by Eldia. He then created the Walls, and made a vow that would renounce any war Paradis had."

It was clear to the Scouts that not even the warriors knew this, judging by their looks of surprise.

"The Founding Titan's true power of awakening the Wall Titans can only be used by royal blood. But because of the vow the 145th King made, all of his descendants who inherit the power of the Founding Titan cannot use it, as they are bound by his will. The King knew that eventually the Walls would be attacked, and he planned to allow everyone inside the walls to die as payment for all the blood spilled when the Eldian Empire had power."

Erwin's face became grave as he processed what the host was saying, and the implications. Bert felt his chest tighten as he realised all those deaths he caused were pointless. They were never going to succeed, if the Founding Titan was never to actually be used. Annie felt much more hatred for Marley, knowing now that all that pain and suffering she had caused were all for nothing.

The host waited before speaking again. "Something that only the King knew was that in order to keep peace within the walls, and to make sure nobody questioned humanity outside the walls, he erased their memories, and led them to believe that they were the last of humanity in a world that had been overrun by Titans. Now, as the Marleyans were once oppressed by the Eldian Empire, the situation has reversed, and now the Marleyan Empire oppress the Eldians, only keeping them around for their Titan abilities."

Erwin smiled bitterly. "So, my father was right." Mike patted his shoulder.

Eren looked at the host strangely. "But how do you know all of this?"

The host lowered his head. "I am... very old, I have seen everything that has happened, is happening and will happen." The host's head snapped up, "I've seen everyone's future, especially yours. Eren. Jaeger." The host snarled, practically spitting out Eren's name.

Mikasa glared at the host angrily. How dare he speak to him like that.

Meanwhile Hange was stewing over something in their head. The ELDIANS had titan powers. ELDIANS killed others with Titan powers. But surely nine titans couldn't kill so many people. And if they existed more than 100 years ago then how is Annie, Reiner and Bert still alive? Unless...

"Hey, Annie…" Hange interrupted with such a serious tone, everyone, including Erwin and Levi, stopped speaking and looked at them. "You said the Eldians have special titan powers. And the Eldian Empire existed 100 years ago. And now Marleyans are keeping Eldians for their titan abilities. Tell me it isn't true. Titans. They weren't, were they?" Erwin, Mike and Levi had quickly caught on and snapped their eyes towards Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt.

Ymir stepped forward, "Yes Hange. Titans were once Eldians. They were once human."

1 hour later

Ymir, Annie, Reiner and Bert were talking to each other at the front while the rest of the Scouts tried to get their shit together.

Erwin held his head in his hands while Mike paced behind him, saying, "Humans. Titans were humans. Titans were fucking humans." Hange had lain on the floor and did nothing but stare at the ever-lasting ceiling. Levi was slowly sipping a cup of tea, that had been finished a long time ago. Nobody else was faring any better. Some were puking their guts up. Others were staring blankly at the floor.

Sasha could barely touch the food, knowing every Titan she killed was once human. Ymir had told them, they could've been men, women or children. Connie's heart had dropped, seeing all those smaller titans in the supply room in Trost. Could one of them been a child? A girl or boy that was Sunny or Martin's age? That one he failed to kill. Did he fail because somehow, he felt it? Could he sense the titan was once a child? It was these thoughts that made Connie and a few other Scouts sick.

"W-We can be turned into titans?!" Jean sounded winded like he couldn't believe what Ymir had said. "T-That means, all those titans in Trost... and Wall Maria a-and outside the walls! H-hundreds and thousands of them!" Tears ran down Jean's face as he hyperventilated, while Oluo of all people tried to calm him down.

'What the hell have we been fighting for all this time? All those we lost! Everyone who died, has it all been for nothing?!' Gunther grounded his teeth together, His teammates weren't faring so well either. Looking over at them he noticed Eld had clutched his fist so tight that fingernails dug into his skin and drew blood. Petra was rapidly blinking to clear the tears from her eyes. He shook his head, fuck this world.

"I regret none of it," Erwin spoke quietly to the other superiors. He removed his head from his hands and schooled his face into a look of determination. "Everything I've done was for the purpose of uncovering the truth of the world we live in. I've minimilised casualties where I could, while getting as far as possible with what we have. There was nothing I can do. I cannot feel guilty about taking down those titans." Levi glared at the man. "Do you feel guilt for the ones we've lost? The ones you've sacrificed for your own selfish wants. Farlan and Isabel. Did you even care about any of them? I know we have to sacrifice some to save others. But do you not feel anything for those that could've survived?" Erwin staying silent was enough for Levi.

Hange was barely paying attention to the conversation. 'Sonny...Bean...all those titans I've experimented on… I-I stabbed them in the eyes, sliced their skins, skewered their hearts, pulled and cut out their tongues,...they must have felt pain, right? But even so, it was for the better wasn't it? They could learn more about the enemy this way.' Hange sighed and pulled themselves off the floor. "Let's rein the others in Mike. It looks like they've got more to tell us." Hange nodded to the four on the stage.

'All those titans we killed in Trost.' Mikasa closed her eyes, 'No, if I hadn't taken out those titans in Trost, then they would've eaten those people. I did the right thing. didn't I…'

'The titans..are humans?' Unlike Mikasa, Eren's eyes were wide and his jaw had fallen to the floor long ago, 'The titans that killed mom, Marco, Ian, Armin's grandpa, Thomas, and everyone else...they were human? This wasn't fair. He swore to drive out the titans, and now the titans were once human. True, they weren't human anymore and its not like he hasn't killed humans before. But this is different. Right?'

While the Scouts were dealing with their breakdown, the four titan shifters sat in a circle. "So, Ymir. I'm going to guess you're that titan that ate Marcel." Reiner stated nonchalantly. Annie glared at Reiner while Bert face-palmed. Ymir smiled sadly, "Yeah. I am. In my defence, I had zero control in that situation." Reiner nodded. He was more angry with himself if anything else.

It was silent between the four before Ymir spoke up again, "What was that about upstairs?" It would appear that was the wrong thing to say as Annie stiffened, Bert's jaw tightened and Reiner's fist clenched. "Don't worry about it." The three grounded out at the same time. Ymir nodded slowly before turning around, "looks like they're getting ready. Let's finish this."

They stood up and turned towards the settling crowd.

Moblit was one of the few who managed to keep his head, "You said the Founding Titan can only be held by someone with royal blood, shouldn't the King or one of his family members hold the power?"

The host intervened again. "No. The current King is a fraud, a patsy to hide the true ruler's identity. The one who holds the power of the Founding Titan is a man named Rod Reiss."

Krista gasped as a small memory came back to her, 'A girl with flowing, black hair and light green eyes hugged her tight.' A small tear escaped her eye as she remembered someone. Freida.

Erwin looked at the man sharply. "The noble?"

The man nodded and turned to Bertholdt. "Tell them about the curse." Bertholdt sweated more than usual, when the man spoke to him, making Ymir wonder what the hell they spoke about to make them so afraid of the host.

Eren looked at Bert warily. "What curse?"

Bert sighed. "When it comes to the power of the Titans, there's something known as the Curse of Ymir. No, not this Ymir, but I have a feeling her story is connected somehow. I'm talking about the original Titan shifter, Ymir Fritz, died thirteen years after she gained her power. None of the other titan shifter powers were better than hers, so everyone who inherits the power of the Titans will die thirteen years after they inherit it."

Mikasa and Armin's eyes widened. "But that means…"

Eren closed his eyes. "I have about eight years left."

"Hold on a second." Mike interrupted before the waterworks began. "How do you become a titan shifter if you die after 13 years?" Bert looked at Reiner to answer, who sighed before stepping forward. "You eat one. Meaning it's likely Eren's dad was the original Attack Titan and Eren ate him."

All eyes turned to Eren who had passed out from shock.

Mike shook his head, "This kid watched his mom get eaten by a titan, and then eats his da- Wait, what?" He face Bert, "But how do you become a Titan shifter?" Bertholdt glanced at the man before looking back at Eren. "You have to become a titan and eat the titan shifter. Eren's dad was probably on his last year if he was desperate enough to make Eren the Attack Titan."

Hange deflated, "So the only way of saving a titan is to kill one?" Ymir nodded. "Speaking from experience, those times were horrible. I had wanted somebody, anybody to kill me and end my misery for all those years...it was like a nightmare that never ended. Remembering every single person that you ate."

"Honestly you're lucky it was me who was turned back, most of the people sent to Paradis were either anti-Marley or criminals in the past. The chance that they'll side with you is slim, as far as they're concerned, you're worse than they ever could be."

Jean looked at the passed out Eren before standing up resolutely. "Which happened to Marco? Bertholdt already gave it away that you know. So tell me." Silence reigned in the room as Jean stared at the three warriors. Annie sighed and murmured, "I took away his gear while Reiner held him down. We let him get devoured by a titan." Jean glared intensely at Annie before Reiner intervened. "It's not her fault, or Bert's. They were following my orders. Marco heard something he wasn't meant to hear, so I thought the best way to silence him was to... you know." Jean turned his head away so they wouldn't see his tears. "Did he- did he have any last words?"

"He said, 'we still haven't talked about this', before we watched him get eaten."

Jean sobbed before glaring angrily at Reiner, and then gasped in shock at the screen behind him.

The screen showed Marco's crying face as he watched people he considered his friends leave him behind to die.

The warriors felt regret at seeing Marco's face again. The 104th could only stare in horror as they watched their kind-hearted friend cry and get eaten alive. The veterans were used to watching their comrades last moments, but something like this was different. It was easier to leave a dying comrade behind, but to actually put them in that position made them feel much worse.

Ymir stepped forward, "I think I should begin my story now and then get back to the reason we are here. Given that our host is currently sleeping," everyone looked at the host who was clearly snoring. "I think we should wrap this up sooner rather than later."

Erwin gestured Jean back to his seat as Eren suddenly jumped awake. After assuring Mikasa that he was fine, they settled down and waited for Ymir to continue.

"I had no parents, I was an orphan on the street; hungry, and nameless. Children's corpses littered the streets, so to survive, we formed groups. No one would let us work for money; mainly because we were Eldians."

"One day, a man found me and took me home." Ymir thought back to those three kids she was with, whatever happened to them? "He gave me food, drink, and shelter. It turns out he wants to build a cult of people who worships Ymir the Founder to resist against Marleyan propaganda. I was given the name 'Ymir' and became a figurehead for those people for a time. The cult consisted of people who believed the Founder Ymir wasn't a devil."

'Wait. That titan Ilse met also said...' Petra gasped as she realised it. "Before the battle of Trost, we went on an expedition. Hange went after a titan and after Oluo's near death with it, we discovered a body hidden in a tree trunk that the titan was trying to protect. On the body was a notebook that belonged to a scout called Ilse Langar." Levi and Erwin nodded their heads in understanding, It all made sense now.

Hange continued from there, "The titan Ilse met had apparently spoken. It said the words 'Lady Ymir, welcome.' and 'Ymir's people'. Ilse looked a lot like you, Ymir. That titan remembered you."

"Well, soon the cult was discovered by the Marleyan police, and the cult leader pinned the blame on me. Saying I tricked them into believing I was the real Ymir. It was then that I realised, the only person you can ever count on is yourself. And so we were delivered to Paradis and turned into titans. That titan must've had a good memory because that was more than sixty years ago."

"You-you've been wandering around the walls for sixty years?" Ness' voice broke, "As a titan?"

'How is she still sane?' Sasha grounded her teeth, 'walking around in the shape of a giant human and eating whoever they come into contact with.'

Ymir looked at the other warriors in pity. "There was a fourth warrior. A boy called Marcel Galliard, he was the owner of the Jaw Titan until I... yeah. When you eat a titan shifter, you regain their memories. It took a while but I saw a few of Marcel's memories in Marley. He loved you guys." Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt looked at Ymir. "He would've sacrificed himself for any of you if it came down to it."

Reiner fell to his knees and hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry guys. We should've turned back when we had the chance. I should've never pretended to be Marcel. I'm not a leader, I'm not a Scout, I'm not a Warrior. I don't know what I am. I never deserved this titan, Porco should've had it, it was because of Marcel that it was given to me. Just so he could protect his little brother. I should've died, not Marcel."

The Scouts watched, unsure of what to do or how to feel. They felt betrayed, they felt pity, they felt confusion. When Reiner started breaking out into sobs of shame. Bertholdt and Annie lifted their sobbing friend and made their way back to their seats. Nobody reacted to them, whether from respect or unwillingness.

Ymir kicked the host's foot, waking him up from his sleep. "Damn it Eren, you knew Zeke would betray you." he mumbled loud enough for Ymir to hear. On the outside, she didn't react but inside, she confirmed a few theories on who the man was. She made her way back to Krista, Sasha and Connie. Krista held her tight, "How long do you have left?" Ymir sighed, "About the same time as Eren does. 8 years. From what I've seen in Marcel's memories, those three barely have 7." She nodded to the warriors.

At the far back of the room, behind all the Scouts was a secret room. Inside this room held three people. Porco Galliard had sat down on a chair, unable to comprehend anything. His brother had lied about him to save him. Tears formed in his eyes at the unfairness of it all. A gobsmacked Pieck turned to Zeke, expecting him to say something. Zeke could barely believe his father had escaped Marley and that he had a little brother. "Well, this changes things."

When Eren had passed out, he felt like he was falling. When he landed on the ground, he stood up and could see thousands of figures standing around him. "Who are you?"

"YOUR PAST."

The voices resonated as one. It was too disembodied to differentiate between male or female. "What do you mean?

"WE ARE YOUR PAST. WE ARE THE ONES WHO FAILED. EVERY PATH WE TOOK WAS WRONG. YOU ARE THE LAST CHANCE."

"What? The last chance at what?"

"A FUTURE WHERE WE LIVE. A PRESENT WHERE WE DIE. IF YOU FAIL WE ALL LOSE."

Eren was confused, "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

"IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MIKASA, ARMIN AND EVERYONE ELSE, YOU MUST SEE IT THROUGH!"

Eren's eyes widened, he heard his dad say that before and... another person as well? One of the figures stepped closer to Eren and grabbed his shoulders, "The world will always fear us and will never accept us. Make the choice Eren. The fates are set in stone, the future isn't. Decide who suffers in the end."

Eren's eyes shot open at the sound of Mikasa and Armin's worried voices. He stared at his friends, the words of those people echoing in his head.

Save them

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