Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan, Devil May Cry, or any of its characters...
When Eren finally came to his senses, he found himself lying on a warm blanket as he noticed that he was finally back at the refugee camp. He sat up and gently held his head, feeling a jolt of pain in his mind that was enough to bother him. He turned and saw his mom still leaning against the wall, although she was asleep and had her hand within someone else's hair.. Beside her was Mikasa, who was sleeping peacefully as well; apparently, it looked like the older woman put her to sleep before succumbing to it as well.
Despite his headache, the scene was beside him was still able to put a small smile on Eren's face. It just showed that Mikasa was starting to become comfortable with Carla; that was something that she needed to have though, if she was really serious in sticking with him and his family.
Eren then slapped his hand against his forehead, the mild headache somehow becoming worse. He grunted several times, trying to suppress the pain he felt. However, that failed horribly when a memory from not too long ago started to fill his mind. He clearly remembered what Grisha did to him, talking to Dante and everything he learned from the devil hunter. What suddenly popped into his mind though, was something that happened after those…
A bloody hand on the ground.
It all came back to him like a meteor crashing to the ground. What he saw after speaking with Dante… what he realized after seeing that bloody object on the ground… what's left of Grisha's words in his head… and how Dante talked about an 'unstable' serum entering his body. If he had never talked to Dante before he realized it, he would be bawling his eyes right now and cry himself to sleep. What he didn't understand though, was why did his dad choose to inject a serum into him, while knowing its effects and the fact that he was going to be eaten? This was another mystery he needed to solve.
But compared to everything that he learned and found out from the devil hunter, this was just another mystery that he had to get to the bottom of. Finding out that he turned into a titan couldn't really compare to when Dante told him that there was a world beyond the walls. To be fair, titans did have human faces despite being considered as mindless monsters. Could this mean that the titans were once humans but somehow turned into giant beings?
That was a story that he needs to push aside for now but at the very least… Eren could be glad that he wasn't really a demon, now that he knows about their existence and despite the demon blood running through his veins. If he had to ask himself, he would say that demons were worse than titans and a prime example of that would be Mundus, from what he learned while listening to Dante's life. There were too many mysteries surrounding the titans for now and he needed to look into it, but demons are who they are. Except for Sparda, of course. Even Dante didn't know what titans are, and he didn't say they were some special kind of demons or anything.
Right now, Eren was focused on three particular goals in his mind. One was to have a meaningful talk with his mother about the truth, the other was to train himself starting now like what Dante said so that, when he finally joins the military which was his third goal, he'll have some experience going into the boot camp. He might be focusing on training to be able to fight demons for now, but the titans were still his enemy and he needed to prepare for them as well.
"Eren? You're awake?"
The white-haired boy turned, as he saw his mother slowly waking up. He only nodded in response, and Carla beckoned him to come closer. Eren did so, as she gave him a small kiss on the top of his head. After that, she made him turn to look at her before speaking again.
"Sweetie, what happened out there?" she asked with an expression that had both confusion and worry. "When you got carried back here, a soldier told me that you were found unconscious in the forest. And where did your father run off to? He didn't even say he was going away again."
"Mom…" he began, looking down for a moment before turning to face her. This was it. But seriously, why didn't he notice it before? His hair color was entirely different from his parents and most likely everyone else, that was the most obvious sign. Was it because no one bothered to comment about it?
"…is it true that you and dad found me on the doorstep of our home?" he asked, straight to the point like he always is. Almost immediately, the color from his mother's face slowly started to disappear which already confirmed Eren's suspicion. Dante was telling the truth.
"And where… And where did you get that sudden question from, Eren?" she asked with a nervous voice, her eyes telling the whole story.
Okay… now that was something that he had no answer to. He was so focused on getting the straight answer that he didn't think of anything that his mom would ask him in return. Maybe a simple lie would be enough for now? He was planning to tell her the whole story everything later on, anyway.
Yeah… even the part where he had the blood of a demon inside him… everything about demons too.
Sorry, Dante.
"Because… Because… Because Dad told me something like that before he… went away." he lied, while also trying not to sound nervous. That would give it away. Also, that last part wasn't a complete lie. Grisha did leave them, but not in the literal sense. He was also going to tell her about that later on…
Turning his attention back to his mother, Carla already had tears forming in her eyes as she covered her mouth with both her hands. For a moment he felt bad for asking and was about to apologize but Carla beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry Eren! Please… Please forgive me for hiding it from you! I didn't mean to!" Eren froze when his mom quickly pulled him into a hug and whisper-shouted into his ear. He glanced to the side and could only sigh in relief that Mikasa didn't wake up from that. Turning his head back to Carla, he looked a bit distraught for doing this but he knew that he had to.
"Mom… what are you doing?" he feigned ignorance just as Carla broke the hug and looked into her son's eyes. Wait, can she even call him that after this? "Oi… why are you crying?"
She wiped off some of her tears but they kept on coming, and at that point Eren was starting to reconsider his actions. Nevertheless, Carla then looked to the side before she spoke. "Your father… he…he's right, I'm… I'm not your mother, Eren… your father… he's not your real one either…" she said through her tears. Eren didn't change his expression as if he was expecting it, yet he listened fully well to everything Carla said. "Eleven years ago… we found you on the doorstep…"
The sound of footsteps outside made Carla think there was someone at the door. They rarely received any visitors or guests, but when they do, it was usually just the patients that Grisha attends to so it was all business. There was no one that bothered to greet them, or even drop by for a cup of tea.
She didn't have any hope for guests though, by now she was used to having her husband's patients over. It's not as if she didn't like them, it just felt like their home was starting to be like a real clinic if it kept happening.
Opening the door, she frowned upon seeing that there was nobody there. What were those footsteps she was hearing then? Probably street kids who do nothing but cause mischief everywhere… Oh well, she should just head back inside and —
Her eyes barely, just barely, caught a glance of something on the doorstep and she was quick to notice what it was. A large basket with a pink cloth covering its contents, or at least most of it. Something was sticking out from the end of it, but she couldn't make out what it was. Curiosity filled the woman. Was someone nice enough to leave a package or something? If that was the case, why didn't that person stay until she got outside? She would've invited him/her to tea and thank that person for doing such a thing.
Anyway, she bent down and lifted up the cloth to see what was inside. Hopefully, it would be food or something that can help her and Grisha in the long-running, since it was getting hard to balance paying taxes and buying their everyday needs. She's not asking for it, but it would be infinitely better if there was some meat inside.
However, as she took off the cloth, her eyes slowly widened at what she saw…
A little toddler.
Inside a basket.
Ignoring the weird patch of white hair on the baby's head, Carla, almost instantly, dropped the cloth that she was holding. Did someone really left a child on their doorstep? First of all, she suddenly had the urge to punch whoever left an innocent baby here and second, why was she having the sudden intention of taking the child with her and hug the little kid as if there was no tomorrow?
Why the sudden urge? She could've asked herself that question but Carla solely had her attention on the sleeping infant before her, while everything else around her.
Then it clicked in her mind. The child was left here by someone for a reason, right? Someone would dare be heartless enough to leave an innocent baby out here without anyone to take care of him. Poor little guy, if only someone can take him in and give him that care and love he deserves…
Without a second thought, Carla carefully took the baby in her arms and turned around, calling for her husband to come outside with her. She already had tears forming in her eyes as she realized that the dream she had desired for so long, was finally becoming a reality. It hurt her a ton when she find out that she wasn't able to become pregnant, which robbed her the opportunity of being a mother. There might be a chance to change that now…
Grisha answered his wife's calls as he went to the door, where he saw her donning the biggest smile she has mustered in years as she held a sleeping baby in her arms.
"...we actually waited for a few days to see if someone was going to look for you, but no one did. We decided to take care of you ourselves, because… I always wanted a baby of my own, but then I…" Carla said with a sad tone before coming to a stop, since she didn't want to come back to the single truth that was she can't get pregnant and Eren was nothing more than a desperate wish of her that came as a miracle.
"Mom…?" he called out to her, and Carla looked at him with a sad look. "It…It's fine." he assured with a small nod. "You're still my mom and… you always will be. You took me in without question and… never asked for anything in return. I can't be more grateful for that." he smiled afterwards, and it only caused Carla to shed more tears before hugging her son close. Despite learning the truth, Eren still saw her as his mother, and she couldn't have asked for anything more.
However this time, it was Eren who willingly broke off their embrace as he looked a bit distressed. After he just reassured Carla that nothing changed and he still saw her as his mom, was she going to do the same for him? If not, well, at least it was nice knowing someone cared for him in the past years… right?
"I need to tell you something too… it's about me." he said bluntly.
"What is it, dear?" she asked, wiping away her tears.
He looked at her with pleading eyes. "It might change the way you see and think about me, but… please hear me out until the end. And please…please don't tell anyone else what you hear from me. This is something I'm going to reveal only to you… because… you're my mom and I feel I can trust you."
"All right, what is it you need to tell me?" Her worry grew again, fearing that this was something that was truly serious, considering how Eren looked just now. But he was right, she was his mom and he could open up to her whenever he wanted. If he wanted her to keep a secret as well, so be it.
Eren took a deep breath and went to explain everyhing; starting from the legend of Sparda and his existence, to his sons and their dysfunctional relationship, to their eventual reconciliation and later lives, which all led to the birth of one Eren Yeager, or his real name, Nero. Though it was hard to reveal, Eren made sure to emphasize that he only had demon blood in him, and there was still a significant part of him that was human. He also said that his right arm was the source of his power, which led to its remarkable change yesterday.
However, Eren intentionally left out the part where he met Dante in his mind as well as him turning into a titan that ate his father. He felt that it would give his mom a heart attack because of too much shock, and well, because just the mention of 'titans' was enough to drive anyone crazy. He would be lucky if Carla can understand and accept that he was part-demon, but the same couldn't be surely said if he was a titan. He also made sure not to mention anything about 'Marley' or the the 'outside world' as Dante told him to do, and he simply opted to say that Anne Yeager was a family member of Grisha in Wall Sina.
For Carla, to say that she was shocked would be an understatement. She wanted to think this was just a dream and that she would wake up, but everything Eren said made too much sense. The white hair on his head, his mysterious right arm, and the story of how he ended up on their doorstep eleven years ago. She was having time processing everything in her mind that everything was silent between them for the next few moments, and Eren simply let her absorb the information.
It remained silent before Eren felt that he could finally speak up. He needed to find out what his mother feels about this, before he would go to his second point. "Are you…Are you afraid of me?" he asked with a worried tone. "Do…Do you think I'm an evil person for being… like them?"
His words seemed to have an impact on Carla as she was brought out of her trance and looked at Eren in confusion. "What? No! No, I would never think of you as an evil person, Eren. You're my son, and you always will be." Her words managed to surprise the boy, since he was expecting her to at least have a common reaction like fear or even worry. She put her hand on her forehead before closing her eyes. "It's just… I'm taking time to take all of this in, this is too much for me to handle." She looked at Eren and stared straight into his eyes. "But you should know this Eren… what you are on the outside doesn't define you as a whole. You might be a demon but I'm going to look past that. It's what you are and what you choose to be on the inside that matters. Even if you're a demon, you're still my son and I know that you are a good person inside. So all of it doesn't matter to me… even if your arm is like that." she finished with a smile, before placing her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.
Eren wanted to cry after hearing those words from his mom, because she completely went against what he expected her to be like after he explained. He wanted nothing more than to hug and be close to his mother after that, but he had to keep it together, otherwise he might never get another opportunity.
"T-Thanks, mom… I… I don't know I can ever make it up to you…" he hung his head low, but there was clearly a smile on his face if looked at closely.
"Don't be. I'm just doing my responsibility as your mother, that's all." Carla smiled, finally coming back to normal after the state of shock she went through earlier. Looks like that need of assurance by her son was enough for her to forget about it.
"Then that means… I can go to my next point." Carla raised a brow. "There's something else I have to tell you."
Carla rolled her eyes playfully and sighed. "It can't be worse than you being a demon, right? So, what is it you want to tell me?"
"I'm joining the military."
Actually, that was worse than Eren being part-demon… maybe?
"What?" was all that she could muster.
"I'm joining the military… whether you like it or not," he added for good measure.
Her face suddenly became more serious. "Eren, you know that we already talked —" she tried to answer, but was cut off.
"I have to." he made sure to emphasize 'have' as if he was saying that the military needed him. "Now that you know about demons and their existence, you know exactly why I'm doing this, mom. I have a responsibility to fulfill." Yeah, he would join the military and train to fight titans but at the same time, he would be there to fend off against demons if they ever show up. Carla shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to avoid the truth in that thought.
"I can't… I don't want to lose you." she tried to argue, but it was more of like being desperate to avoid losing her son. "You're my son and… you're all that I have, Eren. I just can't agree with it."
"If you're about it being dangerous, then you don't have to worry. I'll be fine." She sent him a look that said she doesn't believe him. "It may not be much, but I have demon blood in me. You see my arm?" he raised his right arm to give her a clear view. "You said that the choices we make is what defines us as a person, and I'm making a choice, mom. I'll use this power to protect the people I care about and save others. The only way for me to be able to do that is by joining the military." Carla looked down, unable to give an answer to that. "Also, Mikasa has my back just to let you know."
That made her jolt up in surprise. "Mikasa?"
"She's joining the military too." When he saw his mother about to open her mouth, he quickly cut her off. "She's making a choice for herself too, mom… so you should let her decide what she wants to do. If she wants to join the military, then let her. It's of her own —"
"All right, all right, I get it!" she stopped him there, nearly raising her voice out of slight irritation. She wanted to tell Eren that she was his mother and he had to listen to her since he was still young, but she couldn't. She clearly understood the meaning behind her son's words and she honestly hated it. But at the same time, she felt a bit proud to see Eren acting mature at a young age, which was a sign of growing up.
Leaning forward, she grasped the boy's shoulders and pulled him close. "But you have to promise me one thing, Eren." she said, her voice becoming more of a whisper. "You have to be careful, okay? You and Mikasa look have to look out for each other at all costs, especially for her. She's not like you, Eren. She's just a human with limits." Eren nodded, understanding Mikasa's situation just as Carla had tears in her eyes again. "And if you see something bigger than you or if you can't handle it, just run away, Eren. You don't need to throw yourself so recklessly, okay? If you can't handle it, just run. Please… you have to stay safe… I… I don't want to lose my son… I don't want him to go away…"
Eren nodded. "I understand." he replied and with that, Carla pulled him in for another hug. This time, Eren was contented with what just transpired that he returned the hug and leaned against her, eventually falling back into sleep.
After dropping the shocking truth to his mother, two years waiting for the opportunity to enlist in the military flew by for Eren. Sometimes, things got interesting and sometimes, it was depressing. Carla was given a single crutch so she can finally move around on her own, because her right leg sustained less lasting damage than her left one. It allowed her to take care of her children again, because she didn't want to be a crippled old woman forever who was better off dead.
Speaking of children, Carla would treat Mikasa like a real daughter despite not being related to her at all and that made the girl feel indebted to her at a massive level. Carla insisted that Mikasa didn't owe her anything and that she simply wanted the girl to live properly while she was still alive. Although there were a few times where she would tease Mikasa about repaying her back by marrying Eren, after noticing that her son had a soft spot for her despite his usually cool demeanor, emphasized when he would smile and laugh with her every time they bonded. This would always embarrass her whenever it happened, while it annoyed Eren since it was only, as he quoted, "concern and care for a dear friend".
While Eren would spend every morning spending time with Armin and Mikasa, help his mom in any way, or just rest and sleep, he began to train himself alone in the same forest where Grisha took him during the afternoon at a daily basis. Dante had told him to train so that he would be able to use his father's weapon efficiently, and maybe even Dante's weapons. Mikasa and Armin would always be curious and ask what was he doing during the afternoon, but Carla would be there for him and come up with a reasonable excuse herself. Plus, he replaced the cloth that covered his arm with a bandage, only taking it off when he was going to train.
Six months into his training, Eren felt that he was physically ready to wield Yamato and he tried summoning it in his hand the way Dante told him to, but was shocked to find a large grey double-edged broadsword with a skull design instead. This caused the boy to find himself with Dante again a few seconds later, having pulled Eren into his subconscious so they could talk.
He then explained that Eren had summoned the Rebellion instead of the Yamato, Dante's sword that had the powerful ability to awaken the demonic power inside an individual. Dante revealed that it was him who made the sword show up in Eren's hand, before telling that the boy needed it in order to awaken his demonic side, and that physical training is not enough to do that. After his death too, the Rebellion went back to its dormant state since it needed his blood to be awakened.
Eren paled immediately when Dante told he needed to stab himself with the sword in order to awaken his power, before asking if there was another way since he didn't want to take the risk. Dante told him that it was either that or jump off a building or maybe even the wall but since those two weren't available options, stabbing himself was the only way. He assured Nero that he would heal the wound and that he wouldn't die from it since the same thing happened to him already, but Eren was hesitant.
Finally, Eren decided to get it over with; taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he stabbed himself with the Rebellion and screamed out in pain before feeling a surge of power flow into his body, that it was too much for a child with not that much physical training fit for someone like him. The last thing Eren saw his left arm transforming its appearance into that of a demon's, similar to what his right arm looked.
He woke up in his subconscious state of mind, meeting with Dante again as the devil hunter explained how his nephew transformed into his demon form, better known as the Devil Trigger which heightens all of his demonic powers and making him stronger. He then went on to tell Eren that the training he was doing was not enough because the sign that he was ready to wield either the Rebellion or Yamato is once surpasses a human's limits. Dante offered to show Nero the right way in training himself, at the risk of using up the remaining power that he left in the boy's arm, likely resulting in the devil hunter's complete disappearance in the future.
Nero wanted to refuse since he felt like he needed Dante to guide him along the way, until he remembered what his uncle told him about doing things his own way from now on, which led to the young boy realizing that he has his own path to follow.
Eren agreed to Dante's offer and the older man smirked, since he was looking for that exact answer from his nephew. The next thing that Eren knew was that he woke up in the real world a few seconds after accepting, before noticing that his body was back to normal with the wound from his earlier stabbed already healed. The Rebellion was still in his hand as it changed form, once again awakening from its dormant state. He then heard Dante's voice speaking in his mind, and Eren's training continued.
The following year was tough times for Eren but in the end, it all paid off. If he could describe it, he basically went through "hell itself" while training under Dante, and was ready to give up multiple times but he never let the temptation win, his will and resolve stronger than the tears he shed. The devil hunter didn't go easy on him at all, wanting to push his nephew past the boundaries of a human's limits.
Needless to say, the results were the fruit of Eren's hard work. He was now able to summon and wield both Yamato and Rebellion with some skill, but not to his father's and Dante's level. He would reach that point eventually, but he was still learning for now. Nero also managed to recreate some of his family's abilities, including his father's Air Trick and Dante's taunting/sarcasm (was this even an ability though?). Dante didn't do anything about Eren's Devil Trigger yet despite the boy insisting that he wanted to know more, which annoyed him that the older man was hiding something, but what could that be? In truth, Dante was slightly afraid that Nero might get attracted too much to the power of the Devil Trigger and end up lusting for it like what happened to his father. He'll need to see if Eren is anything like that before coming to a decision.
More importantly, Dante managed to pass on to Eren the beauty and art of the pizza while he trained the kid, and the devil hunter could only shed comical tears of joy when Nero immediately fell in love the moment he tasted it. Although it wasn't the real thing since it only happened in his mind, Eren could still feel the taste of pizza in his mouth and it left him wanting more after only one bite. The young boy tackled Dante to the ground and greedily asked for more of that "heavenly taste", but the devil hunter told him that Eren would have to find or even make one for himself, since they were only in his mind. Eren made it one of his personal missions from there, and knew it would be hard. Bread was the only resource he could use right now because it was the daily food of the refugees in Trost, while cheese had to be processed from livestock and meat was a luxurious food. It made Dante laugh because the kid's reaction reminded him of himself, but it also made him feel bad for Nero since he lived in a place where pizza is next to an impossible dream. Glad he wasn't born there…
Outside of training, the less interesting and even depressing things happened for Eren. There was a shortage of food due to the massive number of refugees from Wall Maria, though Eren didn't mind much. Having demon blood allowed him to survive and live even with scarcity in food, but he was worried for his mom, Mikasa and Armin. They were human unlike him, and they needed food to stay healthy and survive.
To solve it, the government sent thousands of refugees beyond Wall Rose to scavenge the land for food. It was nothing more than a scheduled massacre, due to the goverment's inability to handle the situation. The event caused Eren to become more determined in finding out what's going on behind the scenes in the Royal Capital.
Armin even lost his grandfather in during that phenomenon, which pushed him in wanting to enlist in the military with Eren and Mikasa. His decision alarmed Carla and attempted to make the blonde boy change his mind, but eventually relented. Food was never a shortage for them as time passed, since Eren always volunteers to get them food whenever it was available. A simple Air Trick was enough for him to steal away some bread for himself, Armin, Mikasa and Carla; he could only thank Dante in his mind for helping him achieve that ability.
Then finally when the year 847 arrived, he, Armin and Mikasa had enlisted in the army and were lined up with the other cadets for their first day of training that would last for the next three years.
That ends this chapter! I consider this as a filler one, because nothing much happens other than revealing the truth to his mom and summarizing everything else before military days. Next chapter for sure, we'll get back to the good stuff now that their military are about to begin. What can possibly happen now that Eren has an advantage in training and has some "perks" up his sleeve? Tune in next chap!
Eren's harem (Try and guess the remaining members XD):
-Mikasa
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Goodbye… and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*
-Lance
