Kenny Ackerman was having a very bad day. The entire Reiss family had disappeared overnight along with the Founding Titan. The Military Police had swarmed the estate's whole area but only the Interior Police had gone below into the crystal cavern. The blood patches and drag marks made it all too clear that something massive had gone on a rampage here. The crystal ground was too solid to leave any trace marks but the pillars had massive pieces chipped off at heights only ODM gear could reach. One entire pillar was smashed to bits, its base broken like ice under a hammer.

Djel Sannes in particular was wandering about like a dying dog, acting as if he expected the entire family to burst out laughing. The Assemblymen were waiting impatiently up top when he emerged from the trapdoor. He strolled leisurely towards them, stopping once or twice to admire the woodwork of the Pews. He nodded and spat towards the side while the pigs twitched in discomfort.

"The entire Reiss family dead in a night?"

"It's those filthy invaders, murderers...*

Kenny tuned them out as he allowed the feeling of emptiness to settle over him as the implications set in. With the Founding Titan gone, whatever wisp of a wish he had was gone. The Reiss family was extinct-

Not exactly..

The bastard. Historia Reiss. She lived on a farm not too far from there.

Casting a glance over at the Assemblymen, it was all too obvious that they were all cooking up plans that involving her they thought were the height of cunning. Perhaps he could ruin their fun.

And she was Uri's niece too.

Still. He had no business playing with the nobles, there were other things he could do with his time, right?

Trost

"Then there's the Female Titan, it possesses selective hardening through an armour serum and it can 'call' Titans to its position, but without retaining control over them.

The Beast Titan, it takes the form of an animalistic Titan, if you ever see a Titan that just looks... wrong. Maybe with scales, feathers or fur, that's the beast Titan, can't say much about it.

The Founding Titan, I haven't had the chance to look at it, but I know it can alter the memories of Eldians and control them absolutely, but only in the hands of a person of Royal Blood. Outside, I suppose it's just an intelligent Titan.

The Warhammer Titan, currently the most dangerous of the nine, the bearer can control the Titan body from outside, I'm not entirely sure how, but I know it can create objects from the same material as the Armoured Titan's skin as well as its own."

Grisha sat back and took a long look at the soldiers as they processed the information. The Scouts had continued to impress him with their stoicism, not one interruption or... anything really. They just kept quiet. Commander Erwin's face was lit up but even he didn't look up from the table.

Shadis broke through the silence with his rough voice; "How do you obtain the power of the Nine?"

"Two Thousand Years ago, the Founder Ymir discovered the Source of All Organic Life. Or so the story goes. With it she became the Progenitor Titan, the first Shifter and she brought prosperity to the Kingdom of her Husband. Over time they became the Eldian Empire and with Ymir's Titan, expansion was a matter of choice. Ymir used her Titan both for war and for peace, within 13 years she had helped defeat the last of Eldia's old enemies. But when she died her soul was shared into her three daughters, Maria, Rose and-"

"Sina?! The Walls are named after her daughters? Why?!"

He grinned at the first interruption, for a while at least.

"I'll get to that in a moment. After their deaths, her soul was split into nine parts. Which I mentioned. I just remembered, one of Eldia's old enemies was Marley. Don't forget that.

Now, Only people of Eldian blood can inherit the power of the Titans, and over two thousand years there's been a lot of that going around. If one of the nine should die by injury or anything other than what I'm about to mention, their power will be transferred to a new-born baby of Eldian blood and that child will grow up with the power of the Nine. Now here's the catch. I'm not sure why, but there's a curse than limits the lifespan of one of the Nine to thirteen years. Just like the Founder Ymir. This means that holding the power indefinitely is impossible. And in addition the only way to intentionally transfer the power is by having someone else be transformed into a Titan, then consume the holder. Like I tried to do with Eren."

"What about your whole crap about souls and Titans?" Levi bit out.

" What about it? When the Titan consumes the human shifter, their souls merge and the new shifter receives some of the old shifter's memory and personality. With training this can be suppressed of course, enough to easily ensure you aren't being controlled or influenced. But for the best results, it should be passed between people who are blood-relatives or fellow soldiers with the same allegiances. The current generations of shifters who broke Wall Maria were raised through a similar method. But back to the history lesson.

As Eldia grew into a power they began to intermix with conquered tribes to grow their population. A practice that continued for two thousand years until the great Titan War. Now, the story that the world has been told is that Marley with the help of the Warhammer Titan defeated the Founding Titan and he retreated here leaving all other eight shifters behind him. Of which Marley appropriated seven and lost the Attack Titan.

The truth is that the King left his people behind, and renounced the power of the Founding Titan for war. The three Walls that are named after Ymir's daughters are constructed by the Hardening ability like that of the Warhammer. Inside the walls... are Hundreds of Thousands of Colossal Titans"

The room erupted at that and Nanaba opened the door,

"Are you mad?"

"The Walls are made of Titans?"

*Hw- Who- whe- Hah?

"Oi, say something!"

"The door please." Grisha couldn't risk the wrong person finding out. Nanaba gave him a dirty look but complied anyway.

"You can try to scratch the wall but you'll see the truth, how hard it is."

"And all this time everyone in the walls knew the truth and kept quiet?" Erwin's tone suggested that he very much knew that was not the truth but he wanted some sort of confirmation.

"I don't know, is there anyone who doesn't like you going near the Walls?"

"The Wallists?!"

"Indeed. Now that I've told you everything, here's proof."

He drew the blade in his pocket across his wrist and even as they grimaced, the wound sealed up with steam. Erwin chuckled softly.

"What are your intentions?"

"I plan to take the kids deep inside and stay down. Why?"

"Or you could lend your strength to the Survey Corps."

"No. Not for me. I'm done fighting."

"Mr. Jaeger, you mistake me. I wasn't asking. That's the start of our cooperation. We won't put you in the scouts, but a few journeys back and forth from Wall Maria will spare the lives of many scouts. Or perhaps your son- Eren?- would be more tenable to our requests?

Grisha knew what they were asking. One way or another it would take him down the same road that the Restorationists did. And yet, that small spark he thought he had smothered thirteen years ago blazing.

"What are your orders, Commander?"

A/N: Reviews, corrections and requests welcome as always!

Looking to that Bright Dawn