Not the longest chapter but still, I hope you enjoy it.
Pov/Eren
"Eren Yeager," his head shot up to see Pixis standing before him looking down at him ominously.
"That is your name. Isn't it?" Pixis asked him taking a flask from his coat pocket.
"Yes, it is," he deadpanned. Pixis stood motionless before him hands behind his back his face unreadable. I let this man get transformed into a Titan, and then I left him here to die.
He had let so many of his fellow Eldians die and their deaths were not even caused by the rumbling, he let them die simply because he didn't think to use the power of the founder to save them, he had the power so why didn't he?
"So" Pixis began you transformed into a Titan and sealed Trost. By crystalizing you Titan form," he stated utterly confused by the word coming from his mouth.
"Yes sir," he answered trying to keep his face emotionless.
Pixis was still trying to process the information but after another moment of silence, he spoke.
"You seem to have considerable control over this new power. From what I learned from you comrades you were able to transform two times the first no one saw the second you did so on your own accord… How is this?"
Pixis was eyeing him, most likely trying to catch a lie or anything that would give away his motives.
"I don't know. I only remember attacking the colossal titan and then getting hit with a blast of steam, then it was darkness" He stopped looking at Pixis who simply nodded at his statement.
"But. I remember something else, something I didn't tell my comrades. It was a memory from the day my father went missing. He was telling me that the secret to defeating the Titans, lies in the basement of our home, in Shiganshina."
"The secret of defeating the Titans… And what Is this secret? Do you know what it might be?" Pixis asked.
"No, I don't," he replied.
Pixis nodded then took another sip of his drink. This was the cause of your fall Pixis, drinking.
"Is that all?" He asked him putting the drink back into his coat pocket
He nodded in reply and looked at the ground of the cell.
Pixis turned and walked out the room without another word, leaving him on his own once again. I wonder when I'll get to leave this place.
Change Pov/Armin
"Armin!" Sasha shouted running towards him and Mikasa. They had been stood there for some time now being some of the few cadets who were alive and uninjured.
After Eren and Mikasa had charged forward they had watched from atop the wall waiting for help, it came quickly to his surprise but after learning that Eren had been taken into custody he had feared for his friend's life.
But it soon became certain that Eren would at the very least have a trial, the public had seen him from all around and the military as hard as they tried could not hide his existence. The public was split after this, many thought Eren to be the savior of humanity and a gift from the gods. But just as many thought him to be a devil, a demon, and in some cases king of the Titans who had come to try to extinguish the last remnant of humanity.
Sasha looked like she was about to collapse but managed to start speaking after a moment of rest.
"I. Overheard the officers speaking. Eren's trial has been confirmed," she managed to say before sitting down next to them.
No one looked too surprised by this as he had shared his theory on what might happen to Eren sometime earlier.
"Is that it?" Jean asked her.
"No," Sasha replied. "The scouts are trying to get Eren into their possession and so are the MPs."
Shock spread amongst them. What did the MPs want Eren for? He could guess what the scouts wanted him for but with the Military Police, it couldn't be good.
"Sasha, do you know what either of them wants with Eren?" Mikasa asked.
Sasha shook her head.
"I don't know, but the trial should take place in a few days. But I heard they're moving him to a more secure location first."
He looked around at the surviving cadets, out of the 218 graduates from the southern division at least three dozen were dead and another four dozen injured. Overall, they counted over two hundred dead or missing alongside eight hundred wounded, but it was considerably better than when Maria and Shiganshina with no civilian casualties.
Marco and Jean seemed to be far happier than anybody else. Probably because they can both join the MPs. Milieus and Mina, who both were in his and Eren's squad during the campaign, both like everybody else were in shock but with Milieus, he carried the guilt of being the one to end Thomas's life after the crippling injury.
Ymir and Krista were talking to Connie, while neither Ymir nor Krista had been around when they sealed Trost both had most likely seen Eren in his Titan form atop the wall, who could miss it after all.
"So, have you guys changed your mind about what regiment you're joining?" Jean asked them walking over to their group with Marco by his side.
"No, I'm still joining the scouts," he told Jean.
Jean looked confused by their reply.
"But why would you join them, you do realize that you're going to have to fight the Titans every other week. You saw what they did today, right
"Well, it's like Eren said, we're going to have to fight them eventually."
Jean looked to Mikasa who answered his question quickly.
I'm going with the scouts," Mikasa told him.
Jean sighed before speaking.
"So, your all going to the Scouts?" Jean asked them looking around to see that at least half of the cadets were agreeing with him and Mikasa.
Annie and the other half of the cadets silently agreed with Jean. He couldn't blame them either, after what they had seen today it completely surprised him that anyone would want to continue the fight against the Titans when a lavish lifestyle could be had in the interior.
Maybe Eren inspired them so much that they're willing to die for the cause.
Time skip/Eren's trial begins
The door of the courtroom finally opened filling the once quiet room with sound, though the sound of creaking wood was not one he usually welcomed this time it was different.
They had been sat in the courtroom for at least half an hour, waiting for Eren and Zackly in complete silence.
Eren walked towards the podium where Zackly would soon sit and decide his fate. Like much of the building it was made of marble and had straps of bronze around it, sitting several feet higher than any other seat in the room it would allow those who sat in it to look down upon all others in the room.
But that was its purpose, it made whoever sat on it seem far more powerful than they truly are.
Eren was shoved down in front of the podium, he kneeled on a marble square which like the podium had bands of bronze around it. It was elevated slightly and had a deep hole just behind the center of it.
A steel beam was quickly carried over and placed in the hole. Eren was unmoving while this happened, the court was once again filled with silence.
Mere moments after Eren was locked down Zackly walked into the room and made his way to the podium.
Finally, upon his seat, Zackly spoke.
"Can the defendant please state his name for court records," Zackly said breaking the silence of the room?
"My name is Eren Yeager," Eren stated looking up at Zackly with a cold stare.
"Good." Clearing his throat, he quickly continued. "Now let's proceed. As a soldier, you have pledged your life to serve the public, correct."
"Yes sir," Eren replied, and unsurprisingly there was little emotion in Eren's voice.
Zackly was unfazed by Eren's emotionless response and continued. "Since regular law cannot apply to these exceptional circumstances there for this will be a military tribunal. The ultimate authority has been given to me. Do you have any objections?"
"No sir," Eren replied.
"I'm glad you understand, now there are those who call you demons that will lead us to destruction, and those who call you a savior who will bring hope to the human race. As expected, it proved impossible to hide your existence from the general public. When we are forced to make an announcement, it will undoubtedly lead to another threat in addition to the Titans." Zackly told him
"We are here to decide what military branch will be responsible for your activities," Zackly began. "That decision will determine how you are dealt with. The branches that wish to take you are the Military Police Brigade and the Survey Corps.
"We will start with the Military Police Brigade first," Zackly finished.
"I am chief Nile Dok of the Military Police Brigade and we believe that after a thorough investigation of Eren Yeager's body he should be disposed of immediately. But after careful consideration of what damage that would bring, we have come to this conclusion," Nile said beginning his argument.
"With the masses of people who see Eren as a hero for what he did, killing him would spark outrage and could cause a civil war to consume what little territory we have left. It is undeniable that his Titan power deserves credit for sealing Trost and repelling the Titans."
"However, his very existence causes harm, and he is likely to become a highly politicized figure. Therefore, after we extract as much information as we can from him, we intend to turn him into a martyr for the human race," next to him Mikasa was trying to hold back her anger, she stared at Nile Dok who looked back unfazed by the glare.
"THAT isn't necessary, he is a pest that circumvented the divine protection of the wall's through trickery, he should be executed immediately," one of the followers of the wall religion spoke up
"Minister Nick be quiet. Now, we will hear from the Survey Corps," Zackly stated.
"Sir." Erwin began. "I'm Erwin Smith, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps. We plan to induct Eren into the Survey Corps as a fully fledged member and use his power to retake wall, Maria. That is all."
"Hm?" Zackly said confused. "That's all you have to say?"
"Yes sir," came the reply from Erwin.
"With his strength, we can recover Maria. I believe our priorities are clear."
"I see. What base do you plan to use to launch expeditions outside the wall going forward? Pixis?" Zackly asked. "The Trost district wall is now completely sealed is it not?"
"Yes, that gate will never open again," Pixis answered.
"We wish to set out from the eastern Karanes district." Erwin started. "We need to develop a new route to Shiganshina district, completely from scratch."
"Hold on! Isn't it time we sealed off all the gates permanently?" A merchant shouted out a look of distress on his face.
"The colossus Titan has only been able to destroy the gates in the walls! If we just reinforce those areas, they would never be able to attack again." The merchant continued.
Of course, the merchants would want to seal off the walls.
"All you people do is blurt out unrealistic ideals while plunging us further into ruin!" The Merchant shouted continuing his rant. "We won't let you play the heroes any longer!"
"You're full of talk, you pig." Captain Levi told the merchant who looked at Levi with fear in his eyes, who wouldn't be scared, looking into the eyes of humanity's greatest soldier.
"But where's the guarantee that the Titans will wait patiently while we wall up the gates?" Levi asked. "And when you say 'we,' you're talking about my friends, who will protect you while you get fat. You pigs take no more notice of the people who can't eat because there isn't enough land," Levi finished coldly.
"A-all I said was that we'd be safe if we sealed up the gates," the merchant replied sweat rolling down his face.
"That's enough insolent scoundrel! Wall Rose is a gift from god! Do you mean to say humans should lay a hand on it?" The minister screamed at the merchant.
"How can you fools look upon that wall, that divine mast piece beyond human knowledge and still not comprehend?!
Let's move on." Zackly said silencing both of the men.
"Eren I have a question for you. It seems you wanted to join the Survey Corps, but can you continue as a soldier and use this power for the benefit of the human race?"
"Yes sir, I can," Eren replied.
"Hmm. Well, is there anything else?" Zackly asked looking from Nile to Erwin.
"There is, when researching Eren Yeager we found that at the age of nine astonishingly, he and Mikasa Ackerman stabbed three adult robbers to death," Nile spoke up.
As soon as Nile finished dozens of voices shouted up hurling insults at Eren and each other, some tried defending Eren who was still motionless.
Zackly and everyone else looked on as Eren finally snapped.
"If you do not trust me, then assign me to Captain Levi. If I go out of control then he can kill me," the court went silent at this.
"Levi, can you do it?" Zackly asked.
"If you mean killing him, then it's no problem," Levi answered.
"I see we have exhausted this line of inquiry. I will now make my decision," Zackly told them.
"Please wait!" Dok shouted out.
"Erwin, I want to ask you, what will you do about the interior?" Dok asked.
"I'm quite aware that our activities outside the wall depend on the stability of the human race. I don't take the problems of the interior lightly. So, let me propose that to calm the public, we will prove that Eren is a valuable asset to humanity in our next expedition beyond the wall. I would like to decide his future based on those results.
"I see. So, you're going outside the wall… Then It's settled. Eren Yeager will be placed in the care of the Survey Corps, however, he may return here depending on his accomplishments.
Please review this story, give it any criticism or feedback you have, and ask any questions you have. The next chapter will be out next Sunday.