Birthright
Armin, Annie and Levi arrived at Paradis Port and were immediately detained, but Armin presented their diplomatic credentials and requested that the Queen be informed of their arrival for an emergency situation…
Levi: Well, there goes the urgency of this… fuck
A soldier, a minute later, approaches them: You have been authorized save passage. A motorized carriage has been assigned to take you to the Royal Palace, please follow me.
Levi is surprised: What the… how?
Armin: I'll explain in the carriage Captain
The motorized carriage moved quite fast. Levi noticed the entire road now having tall poles connected by strange wires.
Armin: So Captain, there is now a device called a telegraph, that allows almost immediate communications from extremely far distances using a set of codes, it only needs those wires that you see. So, news travel quite fast now here in Paradis.
Levi: Oh… heh. Just a few years ago we didn't even had trains…
Annie: Yeah, and look at Marley now… From having flying boats, crop machines, to barely being able to sustain the population… I guess we had it coming…
Armin grabs Annie's hand and smiles at her: We'll get there Annie, don't worry. We'll make it better than before.
Annie blushes and smiles back at Armin: Yes… you are right.
Levi is watching the moment between the two, emotionless: Annie, I never expected you to be so soft. I guess that tough image you like to show is just an act, right?
Annie is annoyed because Levi ruined the moment: Well Captain, you sure are the one to talk right? Are you not missing those two children that take care of you?
Annie and Levi continue their friendly bickering, while Armin smiles at them and looks at the window…
Armin saying to himself: I wish these moments would be the ones that repeat forever…
An hour before - Mikasa's home
Mikasa is finishing up harvesting the crops while some of the workers are tending the farm. She sees happily how the children of two families are playing with the cows and the horses. Earlier that day Lady Kiyomi and other Hizuru officials visited Mikasa in a friendly manner and were at a meeting in the Assembly Building of the state, a bit far from Mikasa's cabin.
Mikasa, being done with her work, heads to her cabin to rest, but she feels something is wrong… She notices some strange wires coming out of the window of the cabin and rushes inside…
As she opens the door, she sees a slender man sitting in a chair of her living room, carrying some strange device on his hand connected to many wires that go out the window, and wearing vertical maneuvering equipment.
Kaspar: Mikasa Ackerman… what a pleasure to meet you.
Mikasa is stunned and confused: Wh.. Who are you? What are you doing here?
Kaspar: Please excuse my manners, my name is Kaspar Ackerman at your service Lady Ackerman.
Mikasa is shocked but doesn't say anything.
Kaspar: You must be surprised right? Having family besides that midget Levi.
Mikasa closes the door and starts to slowly move towards the kitchen
Kaspar: You can stop that dear, I only want to talk, nothing more. But from my visit to Levi, I now know just how insecure you island Ackerman's are, so I took some precautions.
See this thing in my hand and those wires? Well, they are connected to something called a mine. There is one in every building of this state. A new invention from our friends from Hizuru. They are very powerful explosives that can detonate remotely, only needing some wires and this thing called a detonator. He shows her the device, which has the Azumabito logo on it.
Very smart people these Hizuru, quite ambitious too, a bit too much I would say, it drives them to some very stupid decisions.
Mikasa is shocked, disappointed and worried, but still has her doubts about anything that man is saying is true…
Mikasa: You are threatening me?
Kaspar: Oh no, I would never harm you dear. You are family. I'm threatening your workers.
Mikasa is shocked and starts to get angry: Get the hell out of here right now…
Mikasa continues to approach the kitchen, setting her eyes on a knife at the table.
Kaspar: Aw, so impulsive like Levi. I just want to talk, nothing more and then I'll leave… but I guess you need a demonstration so you know I'm not bluffing.
Kaspar presses one button of the detonator, and a massive explosion occurs. The barn was completely destroyed. All the workers start to run towards it to put out the fire, some are crying inconsolably… there were 3 children playing with the cows…
Mikasa feels a slight headache for the first time in years and starts to tear up.
Kaspar watching the scene: Oh… that's too bad… I thought there was nobody in there… You see what you made me do? You should be more trusting of your family… Are you now going to do as I ask? Please my lady, take a seat.
Mikasa slumps on a chair, extremely distressed.
Kaspar: HEY! I need you to pay attention. Such a softie for the strongest woman of humanity…
Mikasa wipes the tears of her eyes, and resumes her stern and angry stare: What do you want?
Kaspar: That's more like it… Believe it or not, I'm here to offer you a gift. The greatest one there is actually… the truth. The truth about us, and our divine role in this new world.
I come from a branch of the Ackerman's that fled to Marley when the Fritz started to kill us off… Unlike the cowards from this island, my family was proud of our heritage and knew what our destiny was, so they made sure to pass it down to every new member of the family. I'm the last of the line… and the last survivor... thanks to your husband.
But I don't hold him any grudges, he has allowed for our destiny to finally be realized, by removing the Fritz Power from this world…
Mikasa is confused and cannot think clearly, she is not listening to what he is saying and is trying to think how to kill him…
Kaspar: Have you wondered… why is it that we the Ackerman's could not turn into titans and were not influenced by the will of the Founder? But still had powers? At the very least you must be curious to know why you still have that amazing strength exclusive to the Ackerman…
Mikasa starts to pay attention to Kaspar.
Kaspar: That caught your attention now, didn't it? There is a reason why the Fritz's wanted to kill us all, just us, and not the rest of the families that were not affected by the Founder's power…
We have a portion of the Founder's power of our own.
Mikasa is shocked and confused
Kaspar: You see, when the kings were experimenting with the Titan's power to create even more slaves, they stupidly started using their own blood in the experiments. In a fortuitous way, and predestined I would say, we, the Ackerman's were born, with exceptional and unexplained power without any of the troubles of becoming a titan, except with one flaw: free will. We had it in us to control the Founder's power if we acquired it…
So… when that bastard Karl Fritz realized what made the Ackerman's so special, he ordered for us to be killed off. Do you see what this means? Now that the Fritz Power is gone, WE can now control the Founder's Power, we can be the gods of this world… but I need your help to achieve this… we need to find the source…
Mikasa is surprised, slightly intrigued, but still angry: I don't care about any of that… please leave now…
Kaspar disappointed: Oh… I see it's not enough for you… well too bad… you realize that… if you gain the power of the founder… you might just regain your family… your real one I mean… Eren Yeager… maybe even have children of your own.
Mikasa's eyes open up and is immensely shocked.
Kaspar: Ah! That did it. I'm glad. But you know… everything comes at a price… Your friend… the pretty Queen… she is a Reiss… so she must be removed… for our destiny to be fulfilled. But don't worry, I have already taken care of that, with the assistance of our Hizuru friends.
Mikasa is horrified and starts to get extremely angry
Kaspar: She will be having a taste of our friend's inventions in no time.
Mikasa explodes with anger, in a flash grabs the knife of the kitchen and rushes towards Kaspar who escapes through the window using the vertical maneuvering equipment.
As, he escapes through the woods he yells at her: YOU MIGHT WANT TO HOLD IT FOR A MINUTE! REMEMBER I HAVE THE DETONATOR! SEE YOU LATER LADY YEAGER!
Mikasa follows him through the woods, but he is already gone. She notices the telegraph cables have been cut. She punches the ground in frustration…A little further ahead she sees the detonator in the ground, she grabs it and rips the wires from it.
As she leaves the woods, Lady Kiyomi, her aides and several workers approach her concerned.
Kiyomi: LADY MIKASA! Are you ok? Are you hurt? She grabs Mikasa shoulders in concern.
Mikasa with a terrifying look in her eyes, takes one of Kiyomi's hands… and crushes it.
Kiyomi cries in agony while everyone around them is scared and confused.
Mikasa, very angry, but also in pain: You… did this… you… brought that man here…
Kiyomi crying in pain while being attended by her aides: w.. what? What are you talking about?...
Mikasa throws the detonator with the Azumabito logo in it at her. Kiyomi and her aides looks in terror at the device.
Kiyomi: We… we needed to do something… for you to take your rightful place…
Mikasa very hurt and disappointed: You are traitors…
Kiyomi crying intensely: NO! Everything we have done is out of loyalty to you, my lady! Please believe me… That man is from the Rohr family! They have conducted business with our nation for decades! He told us he was related to you and could convince you to become our leader if a crisis was created in this place so you would have no choice but to accept to be the leader of the world… please Lady Mikasa that was our intention…
Mikasa: Your greed has made you stupid… that man deceived you… he doesn't care about any of that… he is… going to kill the Queen…
Kiyomi and her aides are horrified: what?... no…
Mikasa: You are no longer welcome in my home… get out of here. I'll suggest for you to leave Paradis at once, if you do not wish to be jailed for the rest of your life.
Kiyomi is crying devastated.
Mikasa calls one of her workers: I need you to retrieve carefully some strange devices that are somewhere in all of the buildings of the state… and please, get me my horse…
Mikasa returns to her cabin and starts to gear up, putting on her survey corps uniform and taking her swords for the first time in years…
Two hours later – The Royal Palace
Levi is surprised just how fast they managed to arrive at the capital, and at the many technological advancements Paradis had.
As they arrived at the palace, which was very heavily guarded, Queen Historia was expecting them herself at the entrance. Annie and Armin are carrying rifles, while Levi is wearing his vertical maneuvering equipment and his blades… while walking with crutches.
Historia: ARMIN, ANNIE! I'm so happy to see you! And Captain Levi! You are… not looking so good…
Armin: Hello your majesty is so good to see you too, but the situation is quite delicate for us to come here I'm afraid…
Levi: Can we leave the chit chat for later? There is no time to waste…
Historia: Yes of course captain! Please follow me…
Levi, Armin, Annie and Historia start a meeting in private in the Cabinet Hall, being heavily guarded. They notice several wires being all over the places, but Armin notices that there are telegraphs on some desks. Levi begins to tell Historia the situation at hand…
Historia: I can't believe it! Another Ackerman! We had no idea… we really don't know much about the nobles of Marley. There weren't any records of any Ackerman member fleeing the nation… and I never accessed memories from that far back…
Levi: I suggest for you to be moved to a safe place… somewhere the Hizuru don't know anything about…
Historia: I can't believe they would do anything to harm our nation… they have helped us so much… and we have given them all they have asked…
Annie: Well… wasn't Lady Kiyomi hell bent of making Mikasa a queen or something?
Historia: Yes, but Mikasa has turned down any kind of leadership whatsoever…
Armin: I think it's precisely Mikasa's refusal to take any leadership role that could have motivated the Hizuru for such desperate measures… they are quite ambitious people… they just don't understand why Mikasa would refuse power…
Histeria: Yes well, what has Paradis has to do with anything? She would be Hizuru's leader…
Levi: Well, coming back here I almost didn't recognize Paradis anymore… a lot of foreign technologies are here now…
Armin: Precisely… the Hizuru have gained quite some power in the Allied Nations thanks to the resources from Paradis… they don't seem the kind of people to be happy just with what they have…
Historia is shocked: They… have invaded us?!
Armin: Well… not yet. I would call it more of an absorption… blending the nations together… and who better to be the head of such unified nations than Mikasa, being a daughter of both…
Historia is distressed: Still…. I don't think Mikasa would ever allow anything like this to happen…
Levi: If you are dead, and Princess Ymir still being a little child… It's safe to assume there would be no choice…
Historia is horrified.
Armin: What concerns me… is that although what we just said makes perfect sense… it still doesn't seem to explain Kaspar's motivation… He has enough money and resources... what does he gain with this…?
A voice close by: Well, you are as smart as your reputation suggests Minister Armin.
Kaspar reveals himself sitting in one of the ceiling beams of the hall.
Armin and Annie point rifles at him, Levi stands with difficulty in front of Historia and takes out his blades.
Annie: Well, you are not as smart as you think, being here alone with two guns pointing at you…
Kaspar: Levi, I see you are even more crippled than before! It suits you!
Levi: Keep laughing decrepit son of a bitch, there is no way you are getting out of here alive…
Kaspar: Oh my friends you underestimate me… but I guess you already figured that out, didn't you Minister Armin? Here, let me show you. Kaspar takes out a detonator with several wires connected to it.
Kaspar: A surprise from our Hizuru friends!
He pushes all the buttons and several explosions occur, destroying the courtyard and the entire perimeter of the Palace, killing most of the guards; meanwhile one explodes at the entrance of the Cabinet Hall, destroying it and blocking it with rubble.
Annie is lying a few meters away from the explosion, bleeding from the head as she was thrown by the blast and hit by debris.
Armin: ANNIE!
Kaspar gets down from the beam using the vertical maneuvering equipment and hits Armin in the head with a gun, knocking him out.
Levi is still standing in front of Historia with an extremely angry look on his face, while she is looking at Annie's rifle, which is nearby.
Kaspar, while pointing two anti survey corps guns at them: Well… I think we can talk now, just the three of us…