"All of us suffered. We've lost parents, siblings, comrades... Trying to save Paradis. I'm planning on stopping that cycle once and for all -"

"Everyone will look at you differently."

"Doesn't matter. We'll be safe. They can see me as the monster as much as they want then."

"The destruction you've unleashed now is already enough to make them and everyone else for generations to come safe, if you just stopped and considered the idea of the neutrality pact-"

"I'm going to make sure that we never have to worry about some pact being broken, can't you see?"

"...I understand! But no one wants their freedom to be born out of... out of this!"

"Maybe, but it's us or them and I'm the only one willing to make the choice right now. So I'll take on the burden."

Opening his eyes was the hardest part for Eren Yeager. It wasn't because he'd be waking up to the worries of the day, knowing he was going to spend part of the day hunting or scavenging for food, or that if there was an expedition close to him, he would spend the day avoiding detection. No, it was the headache that threatened to split his head in two that made waking up a living hell.

Sometimes, if the dreams had pulled Eren in too deep - he'd wake up screaming from the pain, having completely forgotten that it existed.

Now... Now he just felt dizzy. He clutched at his head, his breathing becoming heavy and a small cry breaking out of his closed mouth. His vision grew increasingly blurry, but he fought to stay conscious. Going back into the darkness wouldn't do now, despite how hard avoiding it seemed to be with his mind screaming at him to give in, and just fall down unconscious so the pain would stop.

Everything always seemed impossible during mornings like these. He felt compelled to go to the walls or simply to hand himself over to the scouts. Maybe everything would make more sense if he was inside the walls, when he was surrounded by people. Maybe then he could actually identify the man and others that appeared in the...visions

It felt like hours before it began to subside, but it could have only been a few minutes. There was an uncomfortable sensation on his cheek, and he was slow to wipe away the wetness on them upon realising that he had been crying, but his hands came up with a familiar clank.

Erens eyes blinked open immediately, and he sat up quickly, intensifying the persisting headache but he was too worried to care. He was in a small, brightly lit, room, with a bucket in one corner, a desk and chair close to another corner, and he was on what he remembered to be a bed. There was a closed window to his right, and a shut wooden door to his left

"Where...How..."His voice was raspy and quiet. Strange, since he spoke to himself more often than he thought in his mind. How could it have gotten so underused?...

Inside the walls? But...That makes no sense, He had been in the forest - on the boughs of a tree, where he usually slept - some ways away from even the fallen wall Maria - how was it possible that he was back inside the walls? Being in constant danger outside the walls had made him a light sleeper, there was no way he could have been moved without him waking up.

Eren looked down to his hands, and found them shackled - his eyes followed the chains of the shackles to the wall behind him. The length was enough for him to sleep comfortably, and move around the room somewhat and but he doubted he could reach the door or window.

Most importantly, he could bite take a bite out of his hand - something that told him that whoever had put him here, didn't know that he could transform into a Titan. A fact that made him a bit more calm. If he was back in the walls, he shouldn't be in too much danger, they would see him as just another human, likely after some questions about how he survived in Titan territory as a boy.

He would answer some of them honestly, but he would keep his Titan abilities a secret.

The sound of approaching people drew his eyes up to the door. Two men walked into his vision, one was a tall man, with neatly kept blond hair and dressed in-

'No way,' He raised his head to get a better view of them. They were both in military uniform, and they were both part of the Survey Corps at that - the winged insignia on their uniform giving them away. That told him that he was in the walls, something that he had still mounted despite the impossibility of it all. Now he felt like a bit of an idiot, where else could he have possibly been?

The taller, blond man stared at him with a calm expression, as did his shorter, dark-haired counter-part.

"You didn't need to put me in chains," It felt right to say. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong - as far as he could recall...Then again, he couldn't even recall getting here.

His words were met with momentary silence, something that worried Eren. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken at all, he might have just made them more sus-

"Being outside of the walls is illegal. And besides, we have no idea of your intentions, "The blond man spoke calmly, in a voice that did not betray his trust or distrust for Eren, "Nor do we know who you are. This feels appropriate," He paused, still staring at Eren passively, "I'm Commander Erwin from the Survey Corps, and this is Captain Levi - also of the Survey Corps."

"I'm Eren Jaeger," He said it clearly, his voice starting to recover and try not to convey his worry about the potential trouble he was in for being outside the wall. He had been a child when he had gone out, how was he to know? Mentally shaking his head, he refocused on them. For a moment, he stared at Levi - he looked familiar to Eren, but he knew he's never seen the man in his life.

'So they're from the scouts... Did they find me?' No, they couldn't have - it was difficult to travel at night, even with a torch. The chances of them find him in a tree were slim, but, he had to assume, "How did you find me?"

"We found you in the morning three days ago, dazed and unconscious close to Wall Rose. I had assumed you were dead at first, but you looked untouched and uninjured. Although you were quite thin, you looked otherwise fine - which was strange. It almost looked like you had fallen on your way to the Wall from some long journey. The Titans around didn't seem to have any interest in your body either, for reasons we're curious of...And that's all we know," The Commander took a step closer to him, "Care to explain to us where you came from?"

"Outside the walls," That felt a bit obvious to Eren, so figured they wanted to know his story, "I've been out there since the Maria was breached-"

"That's bullshit. You expect us to believe you survived in Titan territory for five years? How old were you when it was breached... 9?" The shorter man - Levi - interjected

"Enough," Erwin looked back to his companion for a moment, before turning back to Eren, "You understand that being out there from such a young age, alone and surviving for five years is questionable, at best."

"I wasn't alone... Not whilst I was still learning to survive, anyway," It was an honest answer, even though he didn't fully understand it himself, "I never saw whoever was with me out there, but I saw the things they did for me. I usually slept atop the trees, because I felt it was the safest place to be, and when I woke up I'd find food close to me and dead Titans at the base of the trees I slept on. I was confused at first, but I got to understand that someone else was with me there, and whoever it was, was helping me get by."

They didn't convey it with their features, but Eren knew that it perplexed them - that, or they didn't believe him at all.

"You said whilst you were still learning, how long did this go on for?" Erwin asked him.

"Two years... After that, the person just stopped... And I just lived on my own. Scavenging as best as I could during moonless nights, and surviving" 'Learning how to control my Titan and having dreams that made me want to give up, he left that part unsaid, "I don't remember leaving the forest, let alone trying to make my way to the walls. I don't know how I could've gotten as close I did, or why the Titans had no interest in me."

This time, his words were met with silence as they both kept their gaze on him. It was almost unnerving for him, how they didn't seem to be surprised by anything he said despite them hearing it all for the first time...Maybe that was why they did it. To unnerve him, and make him tell them everything without withholding information. Just as he was now.

"Did you plan on living out there forever? Or did you have plan?" Levi questioned stoically.

'Study my Titan,' "I had no plan. The forest was the safest place I could've been at the time, and the Survey Corps made no attempts at retaking the Shiganshina District as far as I could see. My only intention was to survive for as long as I could," That was partly honest. At the beginning, it was his intention, but that had changed to trying to understand his abilities when he found out he could transform into a Titan. Still, even then coming back was impossible, because other Titans still pursued him even in his Titan form, and say he did make it back, his life would still be in danger, because of the people he was running to seeing him as a Titan.

"I see," Erwin was the one to speak this time, his voice steady, "Well, you don't have to worry about getting into trouble for being outside the Walls. It's clear that this is no fault of your own, after all, the wall was breached and you had to find means of survival, and so you were not purposefully out there. I see no need to subject you to a case. I'll put you down as a rescued civilian."

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" Erens gaze shifted to the shackles.

"It does, but how do you feel about being subject to research?"

His eyes snapped to the commander "Research?"

"I've never seen Titans react the way they did with you," The blond man explained, "I've seen them devour men who fell off their horses unconscious and others who were sick or otherwise unwell... They didn't care, but with you...If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were protecting you, but I understand that they were simply ignoring you. It would be invaluable if we were to understand why, and if it's special to you," He paused, staring at Eren intently, "You would be an invaluable member of the scout's regiment."

'He's asking me to join the scouts?'Erens eyes widened, and he found himself remembering his mother forbidding him from doing just that. The memory almost made him smile. Actually considering the idea, he wasn't sure, because he didn't understand why Titans left him alone. He knew it had something to do with his Titan form, and likely it was an ability he couldn't control. He didn't want it to manifest in a way that would betray him, but then, he wasn't sure how he would survive inside the Walls. Where would he even go?

"Don't I need training to join a regiment?"

"You do, which is why I'll get permission for you to receive special training whilst we see about the Titans avoiding you," Erwin retorted, "It'll be some years before you're allowed to leave on an expedition with the rest of the regiment."

"If I can't leave the walls, how will you look into the Titans avoiding me?" It didn't make sense to Eren, and disliked the idea of being incapable of helping to kill the Titans for years. How could they confirm anything, if he wasn't anywhere near the Titans?

"Hanji is responsible for Titan research, and she has some ideas for that. I have some of my own, but they will bring great risk to you."

He paused, and Eren was sure it was purposely done.

"Which is why we need your consent."