Chapter 24

In the forest, Eren and Aya slowly wake up, Reiner says, "Oh, Eren and Aya. You're awake?"

They see Reiner and Bertolt standing in front of them, Aya notices Eren's arms and says, "Eren! Your arms!"

"Damn it... I guess it is to prevent me from transforming..." Eren says.

"You're not the only one." Ymir says as she shows her almost healed arm. "I guess the three of us are having a bad day."

"I kinda was in a hurry. When I rushed to bite your nape, I neglected to take your arms into account." Reiner says.

"I see..." Eren stares at them. Aya looks down and notices the Titans around them. "Where are we?"

"We're in the giant forest within Wall Maria..." Ymir says. "It's not even close to any of the walls. In other words, we're deep in Titan territory."

Aya mutters, "I think that one down there's an Abnormal. It looks like he's just lounging around, but he's not taking his eyes off us. There are a lot of small ones down there as well."

She tries to find the gear, only to find that they're in Reiner and Bertolt's hands. Ymir says, "Those dirty bastards. They're the only ones with any ODM gear on. They took your gears. So I don't think we can do anything, even if we change into a Titan."

"I guess you're right..." Eren says, "Though I must say that I'm disappointed. Reiner, Bertolt. You realize how hard it is to act during these three years."

"So it's true that the Attack Titan has the ability to see the future?" Reiner asks.

"What about it? I only see that Ymir and I were the ones who get captured, not Aya. Why are you capturing her as well?" Eren asks.

"We'll take you to our hometown." Reiner says.

"Marley, I assume?" Aya asks, causing them to flinch. Eren says, "There's no point in hiding. My Dad was an Eldian who lived in Marley, I already knew everything about it."

This causes Reiner and Bertolt to be surprised, but Reiner continues, "Like Ymir was saying, this place is swarming with Titans. We could beat the shit out of each other right now, but when we're weak, the other Titans would just come and eat us. So until nightfall, when the Titans can't move, we have no choice but to wait here. Whether you try to run and escape from us...or don't and we take you away...either way, we wait for night."

"Why don't you just stay the Armored Titan and run home? I'm sure that your mother will be happy to see you back..." Eren says with a sarcastic tone. "What's the point of stopping here? Too tired and had to take a break?"

"Why don't you use your imagination?" Reiner asks, which causes Eren to shut up.

"Are you simply waiting here for it to become night?" Aya asks.

"Maybe I am." Reiner says. "How do you know about my mother? Eren? How much of the future have you seen?"

"Let me think, how about us Scouts launching an attack at your home? And you were helpless to see your friends and family being killed?" Eren says with a mocking tone.

"You..." Reiner is now getting angry, and Aya says, "You don't need to worry about that, the glimpse of the future might have been broken considering the changes that we made to prevent it. Right now it is just a possibility."

Reiner calms a little and Eren is concerned about his friends coming towards them.

Ymir asks, "Those Titans at the castle moved just fine at night. Won't those Titans, too?"

"The Titans here can't move at night. You should know all about it." Reiner says.

Aya whispers to Eren, "Eren... is Ymir really on our side? When did she become a Titan and what's her goal?"

"I don't know...she's hard to understand as it is." Eren says. "Right now we need to gather more information about Marley."

"You're right about that." Aya says.

"So what is special about Aya that you want to kidnap her?" Eren yells.

"Aya's last name is Neumann, right?" Reiner asks, "She belonged to a special bloodline who is related to the Founder and she has the ability to transfer Titan abilities."

"Transfer Titan abilities?" Aya asks with confusion.

"Enough, Reiner. What are you doing?" Bertolt asks.

"If Captain Levi gets here then he should be happy that we've saved his daughter right? I mean she is very important to all of the Scouts." Reiner asks.

"What the hell..." Aya mutters.

"What? Ever since the Titans showed up yesterday morning, we've been working our asses off. With nothing to eat or drink and not even a wink of sleep. Fortunately, the wall wasn't broken or anything. So I think we deserve to take a break for once. We'll see about getting promoted later."

"Reiner?" Bertolt asks again.

"What? We've done plenty enough to deserve it." Reiner says. "I think we've performed outstandingly, considering all we've been put through. I know soldiers like us are expected to fulfill their duties, but I think we've all earned it."

Ymir asks, "Reiner... What in the world are you talking about?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Reiner asks. "I'm not saying we go demand to be promoted to captains or something."

"That's... not what I mean." Ymir says.

"Oh, yeah. Where did you all get that cannon from?" Reiner adds. "That really saved my ass. It's a good thing Christa helped me after that. To be honest, I think she has a thing for me."

"Seriously?" Eren mutters.

"Now that I think about it, Christa has always treated me especially-"

"Hey!" Aya yells, which cuts off Reiner. "You bastard... You've gotta be kidding me."

"Huh? What are you so angry about, Aya?" Reiner asks with confusion. "Did I... say something wrong?"

"Yeah. If you want to die, just keep talking!" Aya yells.

Eren says, "Aya, enough. Reiner has a split personality, and that isn't normal. Right, Bertolt? If you know something, quit with the silence and come out and say it!"

"Huh?" Reiner turns to Bertolt.

"Reiner... You're not... a soldier, remember? You and I... are both warriors!" Bertolt says.

Reiner panics again as another personality takes over. "That's... how it is."

"You mean that split personality is why he gets along with us?" Aya asks Eren.

"Yeah. And everything he does is contradictory, but he doesn't realize it himself. I don't know why ended up like this, but he was originally a Marleyan Warrior, whose goal was to break the wall. But after pretending to be a soldier for so long, he lost sight of who he was and couldn't tell which one was real." Eren says.

"No." Ymir says. "Unable to bear the weight of his sins, he convinced himself he was a soldier protecting the wall to maintain emotional balance within his own heart. And in the end, he believed it. As a result, his heart was split and his memories broken. This must not be the first time Reiner's talked and made no sense...judging by Bertolt's grim expression. It's amazing, really. For someone excessively honest like you to-"

"Enough!" Reiner yells. "Shut your mouth!"

"Sorry about that. I might've pried too much." Ymir says.

"So you're trying to pretend the victim here?" Eren asks. "That day, what the hell were you thinking when you talked to us? Tell me, Bertolt? I'm talking to you, you damn lackey. I told you everything while you looked me right in the eyes. About the day when we lost our home... Isn't that right? Thanks to the piece of wall you kicked, that went flying straight into my house, my mother couldn't escape or run away. You remember, right? I told you my story. What were you thinking? What were you thinking when I told you?"

"Back then... I thought... I felt sorry for you." Bertolt says.

"Oh... I see... you guys are just murderers who've killed countless innocent people who never did anything wrong." Eren says.

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT?!" Reiner yells at him. "I DON'T NEED YOU TO POINT THAT OUT TO ME!"

"THEN DON'T PRETEND TO HAVE EMOTIONS LIKE YOU'RE ONE OF US! YOU GUYS AREN'T EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE! IT'S YOU TWO WHO'VE TURNED THIS WORLD INTO A LIVING HELL! DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY, MURDERERS?" Aya yells.

"What are you after by calling us murderers?" Reiner asks. "Do you want us to regret it? Do you want us to apologize? Would that give you satisfaction? The people you thought we were no longer exist! If screaming will make you feel better, then scream your damn head off!"

"There is no need." Eren says. "Maybe I should have gone with the future that was set in stone. 4 years later, I'll join the Marleyan Military just like how you joined the Training Corps, and then wait for the right moment to strike, killing the people who are already dear to you. You will suffer and die in the worst way possible."

"And we will make sure it happens as well..." Aya says. "You've got it coming..."

"You can't be serious..." Ymir mutters.

"Yeah, that was just the first strike, the real deal is actually the Titans in the wall, they will wake up and walk on the earth and kill 80% of the population outside of the island." Eren says.

This causes everyone except for Aya to widen their eyes. Reiner asks, "You know about the Founding Titan and the Rumbling?"

"I told you that my father was from Marley, didn't I?" Eren says, "Maybe I should tell you another secret. Where is that Beast Titan?"

"Beast Titan? What are you talking about?" Reiner asks.

"The Beast Titan is what caused this recent fiasco." Ymir says. "It made Titans rise up from within the wall. I wonder if he was trying to assess our strength. That's where these guys are trying to get. If you guys get to him, you'll be able to go back home, right?"

"Eren, Ymir. Do you guys think there's any future for this world?" Reiner asks. "If you know so much, think about what you want to do. It's not out of the question for you to join our side."

"And trust you?" Ymir asks. "Yeah, right. You two don't even trust us."

"Wrong, we can trust you. Because your goals... are to protect Christa and Aya. When it comes to those two, we should be able to trust one another. You might think I'm joking, but is it that hard to believe that we might want the best for Christa and Aya as well?"

"Best for me? Stop screwing around!" Aya yells.

"You're probably thinking your best chance is to escape from here once you healed your powers. Because if you're taken by us, there's little chance for your rescue." Reiner says. "To be honest, that's pretty much true. Even if you come with us, we can't guarantee your safety. But if it's Christa and Aya we're talking about, we might be able to do something for them."

"You bastards..." Eren growls. "I am pretty sure that Beast Titan wouldn't want his half-brother to be killed, isn't it?"

"Half-brother?" Ymir turns to Eren with surprise.

"You two already know! The Beast Titan's true identity is Zeke Yeager! He was the reason why my Father came to this island!" Eren says.

Before Reiner and the others can answer, they find that green smoke appears in the sky, meaning the scouts have come.

And here is another chapter, since I have something planned for Season 4 of the story, I am going to have Eren reveal the truth to Reiner and Bertolt to let them fear a little.