The Dagger

Two weeks later

New Essia – Reinburg

Faust and his father returned to their home a week later with a mildly successful expedition. Faust decided to not tell anything to his parents about his encounter with the Entity or the restoration of the dagger, he could sense what he experienced would be dangerous to reveal, yet he couldn't stop to think about what it meant and what he should do.

Rohr Academy

Faust was an excellent student, quite popular and very social. But since he returned from the expedition all of that changed. He lost interest in studying, his Friends, and everything about his life before. He felt he had gained a prominent role in history that had yet to happen.

He brought his dagger to school stashed in his backpack. At recess all he did was stare at it, while sitting alone at the rooftop. Suddenly someone screamed at him

WOAH WHAT THE HELL FAUST!?

Faust: FUCK! You scared me!

Faust looked at his best friend, Niels Raback, who was staring at his dagger in fear and excitement.

Niels: I scared you?! You are all weird today and now I find you with a knife at school?! ARE YOU GOING ON A MURDEROUS RAMPAGE?… because I'm down with it you know…

Faust shoved him: What the fuck are you talking about dumbass you could get expelled for saying stuff like that.

Niels: Oh.. and you with the weapon is safe right?

Faust: Tsk… this is no weapon… well it is but it's not meant for harm. It's a family heirloom…

Niels: Ohhh…. Can I hold it?

Faust was apprehensive about it… but he gave it to him.

Niels: Wow… looks seriously expesive look at all this gems! You are an idiot for carrying this around someone could stole it.

Faust was seeing if anything happened.

Niels: This looks really old, look at this sigils! Like Titan Age stuff… but it looks Brand new!

It seemed nothing happened, Faust felt a bit disappointed.

Faust: Actually it was all rusted and broken. But my dad insisted I carried it with me always as tradition… you know how serious my family is about that stuff.

Niels: Really? Then how come it's so polished and shiny now?

Faust: It's… a secret.

Niels points the dagger at Faust face: You better tell me… if you don't want to get slashed punk

Faust terrified: HEY!

Niels laughs: KIDDING! Here. He hands him the dagger.

Niels: Wish you would tell me thought… I can tell it's something big… you are so different.

Faust: Yeah… maybe later.

Faust became more and more isolated in school. And more and more pissed off because of Niels pestering him about the dagger. That old dagger became the focus of his life. So he decided he had enough of thinking about it and started to do some research. His dad had left again for work, so he had his library all to himself.

Yet he felt a bit apprehensive about going forward with it due to his mom, Sakura Fushima, who always had a resistance to teach him about his father's family, as she wanted him to identify himself completely with her own.

Faust: Um… hey mom?

Sakura: Yes?

Faust: Um… can I… go to dad's library for a bit?

Sakura: Huh? How come?

Faust started to get nervous: Well I… uh… OH… I wanted to do research about the Hell's Horn!

Sakura: Ah… so you are finally catching on about that

Faust: Huh?

Sakura: You know why I agreed for you father to take you to such a dangerous place?

Faust: No.

This was a minor lingering thought in his head after encountering the Entity, but he still felt curious about it.

Sakura: You need to feel the events from the past that are ingrained in your blood Faust. From both families… and that place… Paradis… is such an important place for us… you needed to experience it… maybe then… you'll be different… from your recent ancestor…

Faust: Ok… His mother always talked like that when she mentioned his family history, so he learned to not pay her much attention.

Sakura: In any case… goa head.. just be careful… you know how your dad gets if you disorganize his things.

Faust: GOT IT!

Faust felt relieved. His goal was finding an old book his father showed him when he was Little. It was a family book, telling the stories of his father's ancestry. He remembered his dad mentioned something about the dagger, but he didn't pay attention at the time.

He searched through the library and found the old worn down book on a top shelf.

It was titled "The Secret Lineage" written by Alexander Arlert, his great great uncle.

In the index there where a bunch of chapters that he didn't care about: The Titans, Eren Yeager, The Ackerman Clan, The Azumabito Connection… until he found what he was looking for "Family Heirlooms".

He turned to that chapter's page and started to read:

The Heirlooms of the Ackerman family are varied, most of them imbued with symbolic value, but not many considered to have great economic worth.

By the time this book is written, some heirlooms are still in posesion of members of the family, yet due to time and distance, some members have distanced themselves from…

Faust: Bla bla bla… where is the dagger…

Faust started to look for the Word dagger on the pages.

Faust: Swords… blueprints… crystals… THERE IT IS.

The Empress Dagger

The most valuable heirloom of the Ackerman's is the dagger of Sasha Yeager-Ackerman, the short lived ruler of the restored Eldian Empire, from whose figure it emerged the extinct religion of Paradis that caused the war of the darkness. Many details of her have been lost to time as her story become very muddled with superstition and religious views, as she is known as a legendary figure that had god like Powers and was able to transform into a giant angelic form.

But us, the Ackermans, have proof of her historicity through a secret heirloom that has been passed through generations from her only descendant, Hiro Arlert, a fact known only to the family that I feel free to reveal as the political influence of our family has all but extinguished.

The heirloom in question, is a dagger, whose original owner was Sasha Yeager herself. It is embroidered with her crest of arms, composed from the family sigils of her ascendancy: the Yeager family, House Azumabito of Hizuru, and the Ackerman clan.

This fact alone makes this dagger into a historically invaluable object that has been tasked for eternal safekeeping to our family, as a symbol of our legacy and past. Unfortunately, former heads of our family did not take this sacred task seriously, and through the ages, the gems that once decored the dagger have been pawned off for money, leaving the dagger all to it's original handle and a blunt Blade that started to rust.

I acquired it from my cousin, Albert Sarrazin and tried to restore it, but for some reason, it seems it's not able to be polished… it seems like it has a will of it's own. I hope this is no bad omen for misfortune to our family in the future.

Faust was impressed by what he read, but all it confirmed was it's historical importance, yet nothing about some paranormal aspect of it, except that note that it seemed to refuse to be polished.

Faust looked at the dagger that was laying on a table: I'll uncover your secrets… or else I'll pawn you… again.

5 years later

Faust, now a ragged teenager, never uncovered the secrets of the dagger and tried to forget about it but couldn't. It was a spine in his brain that he couldn't shake off and had learned to live with that annoyance.

He eventualy told Niels about his encounter with the Entity, whose response shook him:

Niels: Maybe you imagined it all? What if your dad gave you in secret the real dagger during the journey? For real it would have been kinda irresponsable to give such a valuable item to a child don't you think?

Faust thought what if that was it? No big mystery or anything, it was just a family heirloom. It was not something ludicrous as his father was a pretty strange person, as well as his mother.

Yet… even if it made sense, he could still feel that what he experienced was real.

Niels: Hey… are you listening?

Faust was walking to school with Niels: Huh?

Niels: Goddamn again? You are still lingering on family history right?

Faust: Maybe…

Niels: Seriously your mom fucked you up. There is no need to be that focused on the past… has she told you your family secrets at least?

Faust: One or two… she says I'm not ready.

Niels: Tsk… what a bother.

Faust: I guess…

Faust did not really thought it was a bother. He got more and more fixed on his family history and became obssesive about the gaping holes and mysteries from his father's ascendancy.

Niels got a call on his phone: Hey Faust I'll go ahead ok? I have to check on the student's council. See ya… DON'T BE LATE.

Faust: Yeah…

Faust walked on and took out the dagger. He discovered that it couldn't hurt him. No matter how hard he tried, the Blade wouldn't pierce his skin at all.

Faust: Why can't I let you go? Why you don't show your secrets?

Faust was so concentrated on the dagger that he did not notice a truck coming his way.

Faust woke up to a crowd gathered around him and the sounds of an ambulance. The truck had hit him and his body was mangled: he had a gaping wound on his head that was bleeding profusely, his legs were broken, his right arm shattered… and the dagger had stabbed him right at his heart.

Faust strangely, couldn't feel any pain.

Faust: Really? Is this how I die? I guess I have brain damage… as it doesn't hurt at all…

Faust moved his left arm and felt the dagger had pierced him, which surprised him.

Faust then felt something like an electrical jolt on his body. Slowly, his body started to heal. The wound on his head closed, his legs and broken arm put themselves together.

The dagger in his chest pushed throught his body until it was completely inside him. The entry wound healed up.

Faust got up while the people around him were shocked. Some people filmed him.

Faust was in shock, but as he saw all the surprised faces of the crowd, he saw one person who dropped to the ground and shouted: It's a miracle!

Faust felt something inside him after hearing those words… he remembered what he read of his family's ascendancy and the myths of Sasha and Eren Yeager…

Faust felt he finally discovered a long forgotten truth that was hidden to the world… and that it was his mission in life to bring it back.

And it felt good.