Eren watched the men walk through the doors, Levi, Jean and Eren stood up

Grisha Yeager walked though the door, Kenny Ackerman walked through the door, Marco Bolt walked through the door

"How are you here?" Jean said quietly, Marco looked around and saw everyone and then looked at Jean,

" I don't know I just, last thing I remember was being eaten…" Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner flinched at Marco's comment, Marco looked at the three but kept his mouth shut. Jean, Connie and Sasha got up and hugged Marco tightly and quickly explained to him what was going on.

Eren was filled with rage and went to punch his father, Levi caught his arm and shook his head no at Eren.

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin…" Grisha said shocked, he looked down at his own hands and then back at them

"I don't know how I am here Eren, I'm guessing you're mad because you think I abandoned you" Grisha said slowly, Eren looked at Grisha unsurely and nodded.

"Eren I died, I didn't abandon you, I died," Grisha said, walking closer to Eren, Mikasa and Armin gasped. Eren shook his head in denial

"No no no" Eren whispered, Grisha walked up to Eren and hugged him. Eren hugged back tightly and said quietly

"How did it happen?" Eren said quietly, Grisha decided he had to think of a quick lie, he couldn't tell Eren what really happened yet

"It was a titan." Eren shuddered and shook with anger, Grisha pressed a small kiss at the top of Erens head. Now it was Levi's turn to talk to Kenny after he made sure Eren was fine, Eren explained everything to his dad. Grisha ended up sitting next to Mikasa who held his hand tightly, Grisha hugged Mikasa tightly. He missed his kids a lot. Eren sat back in his and Levi's seat, Grisha looked at Eren who didn't notice his gaze, Mikasa and Grisha were sitting close to Levi and Erens seat btw.

Everyone watched Levi and Kenny's interaction closely, especially Erwin.

Levi walked up to Kenny with wide eyes,

"Well well, you haven't grown an inch" Kenny smirked, Levi's face turned into a sneer.

"Why are you here?" Levi said in a demonic voice, everyone felt shivers go down their spine when they heard Levi's tone of voice

"Is that how you should act towards the man who raised you?" Kenny said walking closer to Levi, Eren sat up practically ready to pounce Kenny. Erwin also sat up observing the behaviors.

"You left me once you knew I'd survive in the underground" Levi growled with his fist clenching, Kenny chuckled and sighed

"I was obligated to by Kuchel," Kenny said sternly, Levi froze for a split second after hearing his mom's name. He hadn't heard it in so long.

"Why." Levi said, not showing any emotion, Kenny looked at Levi and chuckled. Levi fucking hated his chuckle

"I'm your uncle Levi" Kenny said, matching Levi's expression, Levi's eyes widened. Everyone gasped in shock. Hange was writing everything down as fast as she could,

"Now are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Kenny said with his usual smirk, Levi sighed and gave him the look 'we-are-talking-about-this-later-'

Levi turned to see everyones shocked faces and said "Kenny meet the Survey Corps, everyone meet my supposed uncle Kenny Ackerman" Levi growled out the last part, Eren gasped

"Ackerman?" Eren said looking at Kenny, Kenny raised his eyebrow looking at Eren

"Mikasa's last name is Ackerman" Kenny's eyes widened,

"She must be part of the branch of the Ackermans, only Levi and I are in the main Ackerman family" Kenny muttered but it wasn't loud enough for others to hear it. He looked at Levi with a almost sickening smile, Levi's stomach churned

"Ne, Levi aren't you going to use my full title?" Kenny said smirking, Levi ran a hand through his hair,

"Kenny is Kenny the Reaper," Levi said shortly, Erwins eyes narrowed at Kenny. No one spoke, Krista gasped and looked at Kenny

"Well well, never thought I'd see you again" Kenny said, smirking at Krista, Krista gulped and stayed silent. She hid herself in Ymir as she turned away, Levi looked at Hange who nodded and was already writing down what happened.

"Kenny why don't you sit next to Mikasa, I am Commander Erwin," Erwin said pointing over to Mikasa and shook Kenny's hand,

Kenny sat down next to Mikasa, Grisha sat on the left of Mikasa, Kenny sat on the right. To Kenny's right Levi sat with Eren. Levi didn't look at Kenny as he explained what they were doing and what happened, he held Eren's hand and looked at the screen. Kenny and Grisha noticed Levi holding Eren's hand but neither said anything. Before the screen turned on Levi looked at Kenny and asked

"Am I an Ackerman?" Levi said quietly wanting to hear it from Kenny directly, Kenny nodded. Eren squeezed Levi's hand. The tension in the room was thick but luckily Lora said something to break it

"Welcome, Grisha, Kenny, Marco it's lovely to have you joining us, you will be watching the second episode "That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2" Lora said, Eren looked at Marco with a smile and Marco smiled back. The two would talk to each other later,

"May I ask what happened in the previous episode?" Grisha said confused, Eren released a shaky breath and Grisha noticed.

"Last episode went over the fall of Shiganshina, which entailed Eren witnessing his mothers death as Hannes saved Mikasa and Eren" Lora explained

"Here is a clip from is, Eren you may close your eyes and cover your ears" Eren did so immediately and Levi put his hands over Erens to make sure he didn't hear anything. Grisha looked at the screen in horror watching the smiling titan put up Carla. Tears ran down his face, he covered his mouth. He looked at the titan closely,

"She ate her" Grisha and Eren whispered, Armin and Erwin noticed their use of the pronoun "she" how did they know the titan was female?

"Here is Episode 2" Lora said, the room's light dimmed to focus on the screens

A black-and-white image of a group of Titans attacking hordes of humans appeared on screen, fading from black as if folded out. "They first appeared over a hundred years ago. Giant humanoid creatures with a taste for our blood."

"A hundred years ago isn't a long time" Armin said with his hand on his chin, Kenny looked at Armin and decided to reply but then Erwin spoke up

"A hundred years its barely two generations in a family, which means there are people alive who would remember the titans showing up" Erwin added, Eren never thought about this so he was shocked

"Its because it wasn't 100 years ago" Kenny said shortly, Levi and Erwin looked at him sharply but Kenny didn't say anything else, Grisha looked at Kenny thinking 'he knows'

The image took on a red tinge as the camera swept to the side, showing humans bearing spears standing against the Titans.

Hange looked at the spears, she didn't write anything down but… her train of thought was interrupted when some whispered "that's just sad"

"The brute strength of these aberrations was more than a human many times over." A sea of humans cowered in a gorge of the Titans walked around and through it, reaching down for the smaller creatures. "Humanity was shoved to the brink of extinction almost overnight." Hundreds of thousands of misshapen giants slunk forwards, expressions twisted, bodies unproportioned and horrific.

"Where is that?" Hange whispered observing the pools of people walking through the big cracks/dips in the earth

"Hange that sounds like you" Connie pointed out referring to the narrative, Hange's eyebrows rose

The camera swept to the side, showing red Titans standing around a circular, stone Wall. "The survivors erected three layers of walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina," Each Wall, along with its emblem, appeared as it was named. "Withdrawing behind them in relative safety for a hundred years."

"Do we know what the emblems were based on?" Armin asked curiously, Erwin looked at Armin in surprise. There were so many questions they haven't asked, why?

Hange wrote all this down making sure they would go over it later on

Grisha watched, he wondered if the truth would ever be shown.

"However. . ." Flames swept across the image, transitioning to the opening.

A rat looked up and scrambled over a rock, abandoning the crushed, bloody arm it had been nibbling at. A crow flapped its wings as it landed by a limp leg, shoe stained with red, and began pecking at the fleshy hands.

Krista cringed and looked away, it was so sad.

Bertholdt and Reiner paled at the image, their stomach churned uncomfortably. Eren, Mikasa and Armin showed no expression, they watched silently remembering that day.

The crow raised its head, blood soaking the feathers on its face and beak.

The bird let out a harsh cry as the camera panned over the destroyed city. Smoke rose from roofs that had caved in on themselves, crushed walls no longer able to hold up the weight of the splintered shingles.

"Everything is practically destroyed…" Sasha whispered with horror, Grisha looked at Shiganshina with sad eyes.

"Brink of extinction overnight" Marco watched horrified, he held Jean's hand tightly who closed his eyes remembering that even though his friend is here, once they go back… he will be gone all over again.

"Until then, a man apart from God. O, wretched, was I." A lone priest continued chanting, stumbling back, eyes wide with horror, as screams echoed around him. The ground rumbled with massive footsteps as a blond Titan with vacant, grey eyes plowed forwards, embers drifting through the air.

"Annoying little shits" Levi muttered, Eren looked at Levi with wide eyes, he shrugged.

"Its true they are annoying as hell" Kenny muttered, Grisha looked at the man on the screen 'how can someone believe a god will save them when the god didn't stop the tragedy in the first place' Grisha thought

"And driven even as a plough by avarice." More Titans crashed through the ruins which, up until recently, had been a bustling centre of life. "Now, thou behold, am I here punished for it. Punished by the justice of God."

"Reciting won't change it, or help you so why waste your breath when you could be saying something more important" Ymir said with dull eyes

"Belief is a dangerous thing" Grisha muttered as he thought about Zeke and Marley

A mother whimpered as she brought her child close to her, cowering behind a bookshelf in the corner of a room as a long-haired Titan walked by, shards of shattered glass in the empty window panes trembling.

Eren shook at the scene and clenched his hands tightly, he took a deep breath, all he could think about was his mom.

Levi noticed Eren and whispered something in his ear, Eren nodded and relaxed,

"Where covetousness leads, thou sees bourn." The missionary continued walking forwards, even as people fled, wailing in terror, in the opposite direction, book clutched tightly in his hands. "Upon the penance of these writhing, the Mountain holds no greater pain." Titans continued pouring in through the breached Wall, flooding through the rubble and flames.

Everyone watched silently, in respect for all those who died that day.

"As greed has drowned our love for every good and right, so justice here doth chain." A woman rand down an alley, panting, and skidded to a halt, planting the palms of her hands against the building blocking her way. She turned, putting a hand over her mouth, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she stood shock-still. She gasped as a shadow passed over her and looked up to see a wide-eyed Titan grinning down at her, greasy hair falling around his face.

"No!" She screamed as fingers closed most delicately around her head and lifted her up, feet kicking as she screamed. "Let me go!" One of her shoes landed on the ground as she wailed.

Rage coursed through Eren, Eren's eyes practically glowed an angry bright green. Grisha noticed this and his eyes widened, why were Eren's eyes glowing?

A bang was heard in the room, everyone's seating arrangement changed and so did the seats themselves.

Kenny, Levi, Grisha, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Hange, Grisha

The levi squad, Moblit, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, Krista

Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie

The seats were gone and were couches again, really huge couches, they had arm rests between each person but could be pushed back for more room in case two people wanted to sit right next to each other physically. Eren, Mikasa and Armin moved their arm rest and sat close to each other with their hands interlocked. Grisha moved his arm rest and sat closely next to Eren, Eren rested his head on his dad's shoulder and held his hand tightly. Levi watched and observed how close they were together.

"Tethered, captive, merged with the clay." Screams of horror and fear sounded through the air as people ran down the red-splattered streets, maneuvering around rocks, buried in the ground as if they'd fallen from space—which they might as well have—and fires, still burning, smoke and embers rising into the sky. "And, thus, to remain so long as it pleases the Lord:" A panting man was snatched up by a quick hand as he tried to run and shouted as he was lifted into an air, held up to a face already drenched with blood. "fraught, fixed, earthen in heart and limb."

Eren raised his head from his dad's shoulder and kept on watching, the Shiganshina trio held onto each other tightly. Eren's jaw clenched as he watched the titans kill more people.

"Wait, why do titans have hair?" Connie asked, at first the question sounded stupid but not even Hange knew what to say

Grisha knew but he didn't say anything, "Eren's titan resembles him, all other titans seem to resemble someone, as if they used to be…" Hange stopped talking as she realized the horrific conclusion she was approaching,

Grisha's eyebrows rose, the woman was smart. Hange wrote down her notes but denied the possibility of them being humans because they had no human in the back of the nape. Erwin noticed Grishas reaction and decided he would pay close attention to him.

A beaming Titan with long brown hair lifted up a writing woman as the priest walked down the street, brandishing his bundle of straw. "What else may heavenly grace do for sins as ours?"

The man froze with a horrified gasp as he noticed a flat-faced, bony-limbed Titan looming over the bridge he stood on. "For we lifted not our eye to heights bequeathed. . ." He continued chanting as the Titan's fist closed around him and lifted him up, the Titan's golden-eyed gaze peering off into the distance, small, pointy teeth bared. He cut off as a chomping noise ripped through the air and his book landed on the ground, open pages flopping into a pool of blood.

"He never stopped chanting" Armin said with wide eyes, no one else said anything, they couldn't understand how the man kept on reciting as he was eaten..

Hannes ran through the gate, still carrying the shell-shocked Mikasa and Eren. Eren's eyes were wide and blank, tears still running down his face. He gasped and turned to look at Hannes, eyes burning with fury.

Eren stiffened, everyone watched the screen closely. Grisha watched Eren's face on the screen, he looked traumatized. Grisha squeezed Eren's hand tightly with his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Look at Eren's eyes" Petra said sadly, Hange paid attention to the change in Eren's behavior,

Marco held his hand up to his mouth as he saw Eren

"Argh!" Hannes stumbled as Eren slapped him on the head.

"What is it?" Hannes demanded, stopping.

"We couldn't saved her!" Mikasa raised her head to look at Eren as he shouted. "We almost had her out! Why did you interfere?" He raised his fist. "I almost saved my mother!"

'But you didn't ' Eren thought guiltily wishing he could change the past. Grisha let out a shaky breath thinking of Carla's death.

Eren screamed in grief, slamming his elbow onto the top of Hannes's head.

A few people flinched at Erens tone, there was so much sadness and anger combined.

"Why would you punch the man that saved you" Jean asked "Without him you guys would probably be a Titans dinner" Eren clenched his eyes and sighed, he turned to look at Jean to respond but then turned back around keeping his eyes on the screen

"I couldn't see it that way back then… I wasn't thinking clearly" Eren said quietly, Grisha squeezed his hand and Eren looked into his dad's eyes. Eren felt tears run down his face, he hid his face in his dads shoulder

"Im sorry I couldn't save her" Eren said quietly, Grisha's eyes widened and he looked down at Eren

"Eren, I don't blame you for anything, you were a kid, a kid, there was nothing you could do"

"Enough!" Eren cried out as Hannes jolted his shoulder and threw him forwards. He landed on his stomach on the ground with a grunt.

Eren gasped in pain as screen him fell to the ground, Grisha stopped talking and looked at Eren with concern, Levi's head whipped towards Eren to look at him.

"Don't forget, any injury sustained on screen will be felt off screen" Lora announced, Grisha continued to speak when he realized Eren was okay, Eren got over the pain quickly as it was nothing.

"And that's okay" Eren shook his head at his dad's words, Levi, Hange and Erwin watched Erens reaction. How much guilt did Eren feel when it came to his mom?

Grisha kissed Erens head and wrapped his arm around him, Eren calmed down at this and kept watching,

"Brat should've been acting grateful Hannes saved him" Oluo spat, Petra hit him on the back of the head, but before Levi turned around Grisha turned to look at Oluo

Grisha's eyes looked deadly, filled with fury.

"Don't you ever say something like that about my son" Grisha snarled, Mikasa and Eren looked at Grisha with wide eyes. He never gets mad anymore.

"Eren!" Mikasa gasped. She struggled free from Hannes's grip and ran forwards to kneel by him.

Kenny leaned forward watching how the girl went straight to Erens aid.

"I know you just watched your mom die but you kinda deserved that" Ymir said, Eren nodded in agreement

"I agree" Eren said softly

"Eren." Both children turned around as Hannes walked forwards. "The reason why your mother wasn't saved was because you were weak."

Grisha's eyes narrowed at the screen, Levi knew Eren needed to hear that but still, it was harsh in a general sense

Eren noticed his dad's anger and squeezed his hand

"Dad, DAD its fine I needed to hear that" Eren said with dull eyes, Grisha's eyes widened.

"Eren, I get it that you needed to hear it but that was fucking harsh" Jean said leaning forward

Petra nodded in agreement

Hannes knelt in front of Eren, one knee resting in the dirt. Eren's eyes widened and he ground his teeth. He lunged forwards with a cry, swinging a fist forwards.

Kenny observed the young boys strength, there was something about him and his dad, they were not normal either. Eren cringed at his younger self, the display of weakness and struggle, it was just embarrassing.

Hannes caught his arm easily, the child's hand impossibly small compared to his. "I. . ." Eren wrenched his arm, but Hannes didn't budge as he looked down, eyes shadowed.

"The reason why I wasn't able to stand up to the Titan. . ." He looked up, eyes wide, a river of tears running down his cheeks. "Was because I didn't have the courage!"

"And because you WERE FUCKING DRUNK" Ymir yelled out, Grisha felt sparks building up inside him but he calmed himself down. Eren could feel the sparks as he held his dad's hand but he didn't say anything

"He told the truth, that was the best thing anyone could do" Hange said, Levi tch'd

"The best thing?" Levi muttered taking a sip of his tea

Eren inhaled as he looked up, his own face wet. Hannes squeezed his eyes shut with a quiet sob and Eren froze, eyes wide. He looked up as Hannes stood and followed limply behind him as the soldier moved to take Mikasa's hand. "I'm sorry.

"Can we pause the video please" Eren said in a choked voice, the video paused. Eren got up and ran to his room, shutting the door. Multiple people stood to help him but Levi stopped them,

"Just wait" Levi said quietly to the other people who wanted to help Eren, Levi walked into the room and locked the door behind him,

Eren was the bathroom curled up against the wall, "Eren" Levi said quietly, he bent down on one knee next to Eren, Eren looked up at him with sad eyes.

Levi brought his hands up to Eren's face and looked into his green eyes. Eren let out a shaky breath, Levi wiped away Erens tears with his thumbs.

"Why me?" Eren whispered to Levi, Levi caressed Eren's face softly.

"What do you mean why you?" Levi said quietly as he tilted his head, Eren looked to the side insecurely and then back at Levi. Eren shook his head and said "I can't say it"

Levi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, his face moved closer to Eren's, Eren gulped nervously as his eyes moved between Levi's lips and eyes.

"You don't even like me," Eren said quietly, Levi sighed.

"Eren-" Levi started but then a bang on the door interrupted them, Levi cursed and stood up. He pulled Eren onto his feet, Eren yelled at the door when he heard another bang.

"ONE SECOND" Eren yelled, he looked at Levi and started walking towards the door. Levi grabbed Eren's hand and pulled him close. "Levi, don't say you like me, I know you don't" Eren said insecurely, Levi pulled Eren closer and held his waist with a tight grip. Eren's face heated up and turned red, Levi huffed and whispered out a small "fuck it". Eren heard it but was too slow to react, Levi pushed Eren up against the wall, holding his wrists tightly against the wall. Eren looked at Levi with wide eyes, "Oi brat" Levi said with his face up close to Erens. Eren let out a small "yes?" Levi asked him a question but he wasn't listening.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Levi said, Eren nodded. His heart pounded having Levi so close, Levi removed his hands from Erens wrists and moved them to Eren's face. Pale hands held Erens warm flustered face, Levi leaned closer to Eren. They bumped noses hehe. Eren put his hands on Levi's face, his breath stuttered as he felt Levi's soft skin.

"We barely know each other" Eren whispered, eyes locked with Levi's. Levi tch'd but didn't back away.

"Do you feel it Eren?" Levi asked softly, Eren tilted his head in confusion.

"Our connection." Levi said "because I do, and I don't need to know you well. And you don't need to know me well" Eren's eyes watered, a tear slipped down his face

"Why the fuck are you crying" Levi whispered harshly as he wiped away erens tears,

"Because I love you but I can never have you" Eren said as tears ran down his face, Levi didn't understand Erens words

"Im a monster" Eren said softly, Levi's eyes widened and narrowed

"You are not a monster," Levi said growled, Eren shook his head in denial at Levi's words. Levi held his head still and leaned closer in.

"Monsters don't cry, they don't have feelings" Levi said with dark eyes, "And here you are crying over a dumb thought thinking you can't have me"

"Levi" Eren said quietly, Levi looked at Eren with intense eyes. Eren's knees weakened at the look Levi was giving him, "kiss me." Levi's lips brushed Erens and then attacked them. Eren's eyes slid shut as he writhed against Levi. Levi moved his hands down Erens body as he moved his lips against Erens, Levi slid his tongue inside Eren's mouth causing Eren to arch his back into Levi's body. Levi pulled one of Eren's legs up and hooked it over his arm. Pulling the boy closer into him, Levi's mouth left Erens and traveled down Erens neck. Biting Erens neck and soothing each bite with his tongue as he sucked on the tan skin. Eren threw his head back when Levi sucked on a certain part,

"Ah!~" Eren moaned and slapped his hand over his mouth once he realized what he did. He looked at Levi who was smirking, Levi pressed a small kiss against Eren's mouth and Eren melted inside. When their mouths separated Eren smiled at Levi, and Levi smiled back. A bang on the door interrupted their moment, Eren groaned and Levi scowled.

"Eren we have to keep this a secret" Levi said and Eren nodded with a smile, Levi rolled his eyes and pressed one last kiss on Erens cheek. Eren looked at Levi with a big smile, Levi felt warmth in his chest, he felt as if he could breathe easier

"You ready?" Levi asked Eren who nodded,

"The minute you get out there I want you to call Jean horseface" Levi ordered with a serious face, Eren saluted to Levi's ordered and walked out the door with Levi following behind him,

"Oi HORSEFACE" Eren yelled over to Jean, Jean stood up and walked over to Eren with his hands in his pockets.

"Feeling better you suicidal block head?" Jean taunted back, Armin smiled at this and Mikasa's eyes softened, Grisha was confused but Armin reassured him its normal. Kenny looked at Levi and raised his eyebrow, Kenny knew.

"My mouth is shut Levi" Kenny said with his hands up, Levi gave him a short nod and walked back over to his seat but Erwin stopped him,

"Be careful Levi" Erwin whispered, "I know" Levi said back, Levi walked over to Grisha and said quietly

"You have a good kid," Levi said, Grisha nodded and gave a small smile. Levi felt a shiver go down his spine, Eren and Grisha really did look alike. A loud thud echoed off the walls, Levi turned to see Eren sitting on Jeans back holding his head in a headlock. Eren yelled at Jean,

"Yield!" Jean shook his head no, Eren pulled Jeans leg back and bent it, Jean let out a painful yell since he wasn't flexible

"Horse face! Take Eren for a ride!" Ymir yelled, Connie and Sasha burst out laughing. Petra snickered at this, watching the two boys fight seriously was funny.

"I YIELD I YIELD" JEan wheezed banging his hand on the floor, Eren let go of Jean but before he got off his back, He laughed out

"Giddy up you damn pony" Eren said as he whacked Jean on the head and then stood up. Sasha and Connie were on the floor dying with laughter. Eren stretched and extended his body,

"Ahh that was fun, alright let's continue" Eren said as he walked back to his seat next to Mikasa and his dad. Armin looked at Eren smirking, Eren nodded and Armin rolled his eyes. Eren took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the screen.

"You can unpause now" Eren said once everyone sat down, the lights dimmed and the video unpaused.

Eren grit his teeth, closing his eyes as he followed Hannes. Mikasa followed, face down. She winced and pressed a hand to her forehead. The scene changed, images of a dark-haired woman lying on the ground in a pool of blood, open eyes dull and unfocused, and a blond man, slumped against the wall, stomach soaked in red, flashed onto the screen.

Eren, Mikasa and Grisha froze, they knew what those flashes were from. 'Please no not that don't show that' Mikasa said as she buried herself in her scarf

"Im sorry for my language but WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT" Connie yelled out,

"Was that from titans?" Sasha asked confused,

"No" Eren said and then shut his mouth once he realized he spoke out loud, Erwin looked at Eren with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not my story to tell" Eren added, Mikasa looked at him gratefully and Eren nodded

She turned, bottom half of her face hidden by her scarf, to look behind her. It happened again.

"Again?" Erwin and Hange whispered, seemed like it was Mikasa's has gone through something big

Gentle piano music played as a man screamed, falling on his stomach. Massive fingers closed around his torso, picking him up as he sobbed.

"Oh why do they have to play piano" Sasha cringed, the juxtaposition was just so wrong.

Eren's breath shuddered as he watched, the music made it so much more sorrowful

"Hurry up!" the sandy-haired Garrison soldier who'd teased Eren with Hannes during the first episode shouted as people ran past him. "Go to the Inner Gate!"

"Get on the boats to escape!" The camera panned away, showing hordes of people gathered on the docks as soldiers filled the ferries. "Hurry, or you'll get eaten!"

Eren, Mikasa and Armin's eyes dulled, they were going to see more destruction once they get onto the boat,

Kenny noticed the kids reactions, that day really was fucked up

"God there must've been so many that couldn't even get on" Sasha whimpered,

The gears rumbled as they began turning, and the first boat began cruising down the river, a light trail of rippled dragging behind it as it pulled itself down the cable.

The camera moved up into the sky, and the Wall changed into a flickering, black-and-white diagram. "Outlier Districts like Shiganshina were designed to attract the Titans to specific spots along Wall Maria," the narrator explained. Titans, red blemishes on the otherwise monochrome landscape, approached the District. "Their function is to streamline security.

Hange wrote down all the information being given

The image faded into the real Wall Maria, the Goddess's face cold and uncaring from where it sat, carved into the brick of the Gate. "Intentionally built in this design was a flaw, where the citizens of Shiganshina could only escape through a single Gate."

"Fuck" Jean cursed hearing that,

"Did they plan this shit? It was intentional?" Levi asked not showing his shock, but was he really surprised when he heard that?

"Yes" Grisha confirmed, Levi turned to him with a raised eyebrow

Grisha took in a shaky breath, "They knew the titans would be focusing on the people in the district and streets which gives the soldiers time to close that gate" Grisha explained

"But from what I heard it didn't work" Grisha muttered, Levi nodded and saw why people said Erens dad was smart, the guy seemed to know the reason behind everything. So what was he hiding...

A Garrison soldier threw a bag off the side of the boarding plank he stood on, and it landed in the ditch with a thud. "No personal belongings! We need to make as much room as possible!"

Armin remembered his book that he had and sighed at the memory of leaving it behind,

"Leaving everything behind…" Petra said sadly, Gunther nodded "imagine all the pets that starved to death" Eld said, multiple people whimpered at his comment

"Oh god I didn't even think of that" Sasha said sadly

Armin stood on the deck of the ship, frowning as he looked into the crowds of people. "Armin," his grandfather said, glancing over at him. "Take a seat."

"Is that your grandfather?" Erwin asked turning to Armin, Armin couldn't take his eyes off the screen. He never thought he'd hear his grandpa's voice again. Armin's eyes watered and he nodded

Erwin concluded that Armin's grandfather also passed away,

"But Eren and Mikasa are still out there," Armin protested. He started, looking back up. "There!" Hannes spoke with the soldier standing at the edge of the dock, Eren and Mikasa in front of him. Armin raised his arm, ready to wave, then faltered, brow furrowing at the sight of his friends: Eren's eyes were wide, expression shadowed, staring blankly ahead, as if he didn't even register the people around him; Mikasa had hidden her face with her scarf and kept her face down, eyes

covered with her hair. "Eren. . ." Hannes ushered the two forwards and they stepped onto the boat in a trancelike state.

Levi winced at the look in child Eren's eyes, other people noticed. Erwins hands clenched, maybe they could've helped but it was right after that expedition and they were too weak.

"I wouldn't try to call out just now," Mr. Arlert said, looking down, brow furrowed, eyes hard. "Who knows what they've just seen."

"Eren" Armin said turning to his friend, Eren turned to look at Armin

"When I first saw you and your eyes, I knew something bad happened but I could've never imagined that" Armin said with horror, Eren sighed and nodded

"Heh?" Armin turned back to look at him.

"Hurry up!" The sandy-haired soldier backed up, slashing his hands through the air as a man rushed through the Gate. "Get out of here!" he cried, standing in front of two cannons.

"They know the cannons won't work" Levi said taking a sip of his tea,

There was a rumbling noise as a Titan stepped forwards from behind a building. Dust billowed through the air as it crashed through an archway as if it was made of nothing, decimated bricks crumbling to the ground. The soldier stepped back with a terrified gasp, eyes widening. "Hurry!" he shouted. "They're right in front of us!" The camera moved over the Wall, dipping down to show citizens screaming as they raced for the boats.

A soldier beckoned others forwards as they rolled cannons down the streets. Hannes panted, out of breath, in a side alley, before running forwards.

The camera moved over the docks, crowded to the point of them just being a sea of heads and into the boat, where Eren and Mikasa sat, squeezed between other people like sardines in a can, backs to the ship's bridge.

Eld and Gunther winced at the image of the squished environment

"This can't be happening," somebody muttered

"Oh, God, please," a girl whimpered. The occupants of the boat suddenly gasped as shouts rang through the air.

"Image how many people were traumatized that day" Jean said looking at the Shiganshina trio,

Eren sighed, "A lot of people didn't survive after the fall, many starved to death" Eren said in a whisper as he watched

"Hey!" a man screamed, pushing against a Garrison soldier as two more lifted the boarding plank. "What are you doing?"

"It's at full capacity!" the soldier shouted back. "It must depart!"

Moblit flinched at the people pushing to get on board,

'How many died? How many died all because there wasn't enough room' Hange thought,

"Please, at least have our children on board!" a woman pleaded.

Petra let out a choked sound at all the children who were left to die,

"There's nothing we can do!" the soldier said, arms held out to keep the crowds from jumping on the boat. "Depart!" he shouted over his shoulder. The gears rolled to life with a rumble and began turning, dragging the boat through the water

"Let me on!" a woman screeched.

"Let me on!" The cry was echoed through the thousands of people as the boat rolled away, dragging a lazy wake behind it as it passed by at the pace of a snail, the people on the dock forced to watch as it moved by, impossibly slow and close, but unattainably far.

"Watching it move so slow" Jean whispered, "Those families watch their last chance of survival slip away like that" Marco added with wide eyes, he gripped Jeans hand tightly as he shook.

A man cried out as he shoved past a soldier and raced forwards, leaping across the ditch and grabbing onto the side of the boat. Another man followed his lead but cried out as his grip slipped and he fell, landing in the ditch.

"That'll slow the boat" Mike whispered darkly, Erwin nodded. Hange wrung her hands through her hair "If more people get on the boat it can sink and they could've all died" Hange said looked up at the screen from her notes.

Eren flinched at the noise of the man falling into the ditch

Eren's eyes were wide and unseeing as he listened to the people struggling to get on.

"Eren, how did you keep going after this?" Marco asked shocked and genuinely confused

"What do you mean?" Eren asked turning around to look at Marco, others turned to look at Eren and hear his response.

"I mean most people in your situation, they would've given up, after losing so much" Marco said weakly, Eren's mouth turned into an O shape when he realized what Marco meant. Eren hummed as he thought of an answer

"My mom told me to survive and It is the least I can do to help her rest easy. I was angry, I vowed to kill all the titans and I intend to keep that," Eren said confidently, Marco nodded in understanding. Jean looked at Eren as if he was stupid,

"You think she was resting easy during Trost?" Jean said with crossed arms, Armin and Eren stiffened, Armin was the one to respond

"We don't talk about that" Armin said with his eyes sharp, Erwin and Hange looked at each other after the interaction of what just happened

A sudden bang echoed through the air as the camera panned up the Wall. People turned, looking up with gasps as columns of black smoke rose into the sky from the other side of the Wall.

A Titan walked through the town, seemingly unfazed by the bursts of smoke rising around it as cannonballs were fired at it left and right. "What are you aiming at, you idiot!" the sandy-haired soldier snarled.

"These things weren't designed for moving targets!" a dark-haired man protested as another Titan walked forwards to join the other.

"There are so many problems happening" Sasha said anxiously, Mike raised his head and sighed.

"Shiganshina wasn't prepared at all," Mike said, sniffing the air, his head whipped towards Grisha. Mike whispered to Hange

"Make sure that we talk to after this" Mike said, Hange wrote it down and nodded.

"It doesn't matter!" The camera moved over the town, showing the countless Titans milling through it, some feasting, others wandering aimlessly about. "Hurry, and get it reloaded!"

"What's the point?" the other man screeched.

"The point?" Levi growled, Kennys eyes shifted to Levi and then to Grisha, the man's hands were shaking.

Eren started to shake with anger, his jaw clenched "Useless" Eren growled, "Useless bastards, you ask what's the point when it was your choice to join and become a soldier! Selfish animals" Eren growled the last part quietly, everyone looked at Eren with wide eyes.

"Well said Eren" Erwin nodded in approval, Eren nodded back

There was a rumbling noise as the chains creaked and began moving, the face of Maria lowering as they began closing the Gate. "Huh?!"

The sandy-haired man turned around with a gasp. "No—the Gate!"

Another soldier turned slowly. "We're. . ." he broke into a run, "getting left behind!" More soldiers followed after him.

"Oh now they start running?" Jean scoffed, Marco's stomach churned 'I should've ran that day' he thought

"Hey!" the sandy-haired man shouted.

Rusted metal gears turned, creaking against each other, as a Garrison soldier pushed a crank frantically. "Wait!" Hannes protested. "Don't shut it yet!" He stood in the gatehouse, arguing with another, dark-haired, soldier. "We've still got a lot of people left out there!"

"Would they shut it?" Sasha whispered with wide eyes, there were so many people left there,

"They would'' Grisha and Erwin said, the two looked at each other briefly. Mike nodded,

"They have no choice, they can't risk the titans getting into the inner gate" Mike said stiffly, Sasha whined in protest, Krista whimpered

"All of those people…" Krista whimpered, Reiner flinch and clenched his fist 'we did the right thing'

"We can't let the Titans get through the Inner Gate!" the soldier shot back. "If that happens, the handful of lives left out there will be the least of our problems!" Hannes put his fists on his hips and the dark-haired man threw out a hand in frustration. "Humanity will be pushed back to the next Wall!"

"Thats true" Mike said

"But that's no reason to leave all these people to die!" Hannes shouted.

"In the end it is the only good reason" Erwin said as he drank his water, "He is letting feeling's cloud his judgement by sacrificing all those civilians, you are saving the rest of those on the inner parts" Erwin explained,

"However Life is shit since that armoured bastard crossed that option out" Levi said bluntly, Reiner winced at Levi's comment.

Another soldier skidded to a halt at the door of the gatehouse. "Hurry and close it!" he shouted as another man ran after him, stumbling and crashing into the wall.

"The Titans are coming!" the other man reported.

The man Hannes had been arguing with whirled around. "Hurry and close the gate!" he ordered. The chains clinked as the Gate began closing faster.

Hannes gasped. "No!" he cried, rearing forwards, then gasped as he was suddenly yanked back. "Oi!" he shouted as the two other soldiers grabbed onto his arms. "Come on!"

'Maybe in another life he could've saved mom' Eren thought,

Petra watched and flinched, trying to fight titans without ODM gear, that's just… a death wish

He inhaled sharply, eyes widening, as a loud thump rang through the town. The soldiers froze, staring up at the ceiling as the earth shook.

Eren inhaled sharply and clenched his fist, Mikasa's eyes drifted downward to her scarf. Armin flinched at the noise, they all knew what was going to happen next.

Bertholdt looked at Reiner with guilty eyes, Reiner shook his head and whispered to Bertholdt

"They are devil's remember? We are the good guys" Annie sighed and nodded, Bertholdt inhaled deeply and kept watching

In the boat, Eren gasped, looking up as the noises sounded all the way to the other side of the Wall. A Garrison soldier on the ground looked on in horror as a massive, plated foot slammed into the ground, sending dirt and rubble flying.

Grisha winced watching this, wondering what would've happened if Eren never witnessed this blood shed.

The earth shook with every step the Titan took as it walked through the town, passing crumpled buildings and flames flickering in the streets. It stopped, and the camera moved up, showing the full body of the Armored Titan.

Hange had a huge smile on her face with drool going down her chin, "LOOK AT THAT BEAST" she shrieked in excitement, "All that armour and muscle, I wanna get my hands on that" Hange said with her glasses shining. Reiner shivered in disgust at the thought.

Grisha looked at Hange with shocked eyes not knowing if he should be disgusted or just shocked.

"Is she always like that?" Grisha asked Eren who nodded, "Hange is a titan whore" Levi said looking at Grisha, Grisha felt a bead of sweat traveling down his forehead

The stunned soldiers stepped back as they stared at the ironclad behemoth. The Titan leaned back, armor creaking as it rubbed against itself, and leaned down into a running position, monstrous fists clenched, muscles tensed, arms out.

Hanges eyes widened "Its intelligent, that position is very human based" Hange stated as he eyes glowed in excitement,

"It's a shifter" Grisha stated, everyone's heads whipped towards Grisha who gulped, Reiner ran a hand through his hair anxiously, Erwin looked at Grisha with narrowed eyes. Eren also turned his head to look at his dad.

"What exactly do you know about titans, because it seems your basement holds the secrets to them" Erwin said with intimidating eyes, Grisha sighed and nodded

"I can't tell you yet, soon but not yet" Grisha said, wringing his hands together in a stressed manner

"A great foot kicked up dirt as it charged forwards, tiles being ripped from roofs from the force of it as it sped down the street, each massive footstep spurring a small earthquake. "What is that?" The sandy-haired man leaned back with a high, squeaky gasp of horror as the Armored ran down the street, eyes blazing. "He's. . ." He grit his teeth and pointed forwards. "Fire!"

"Its fast" Armin observed but tilted his head, "However, with all the armour it has, that means whatever its weaknesses are can be deadly" Armin raised his head taking in all the information. Hange heard Armin and nodded as she wrote it down.

The cannons jerked as ammunition was fired at the Armored, and the camera zoomed forwards from the inside of one of the barrels, following the perspective of a cannonball as it flew at the Titan. There was a crackling explosion as it slammed into its shoulder.

Reiner felt the urge to massage his shoulder as he felt a sharp pain in it but he didn't, it would look too suspicious.

The wound didn't deter the Armored—rather, it spurred it on, and the Titan began running faster, steam rising from its damaged shoulder. "Huh?" the soldier demanded, leaning back.

"Usually they inflict some damage, but that left no damage" Hange said, "How strong is it's armour?" Hange said with excited eyes.

"It has no effect!" Another man shouted.

Armin pointed to the screen "no question about it being a shifter, it dodged a cannon ball purposely" Armin observed

The ground rumbled as the Armored rocket past another, smaller Titan, which was felled quickly, arms flopping, as a cannonball tore through its stomach.

"It's a monster!" a soldier, turning and bolting for the Gate, knocking into the sandy-haired soldier.

Reiner flinched at the word monster but Bertholdt squeezed his hand as comfort

"Retreat!" he turned, running after the others as the Armored gained, tsunamis of dirt being sprayed into the air behind it. The soldier reached forwards desperately to the Gate. "The Titan is coming!" The Gate lowered. "It's charging in!" Soldiers and civilians alike screamed as they ran through the Gate, tumbling on the ground, screaming as they rushed to escape the Armored. "Hurry and close the gate!"

"Seriously?" Eld asked rhetorically, Gunther nodded with a grimace on his face

The camera zoomed around the Armored as it puffed steam out from its nostrils and gave another great burst of speed. There was an almighty crash as the Armored hurled itself through the Gate, chunks of stone flying through the air around it. Soldiers tumbled through the air, carried away by the force of the flying rubble, eyes wide, unable to even scream.

Jean watched and winced, 'I knew shiganshina was bad, but this is just…' Jean sighed and remembered Trost, Would he find out what happened to Marco?

The Armored skidded to a halt, heels and fist digging into the ground, kicking up a spray of suffocating dust behind it. It raised its head slowly, one arm still in the air, and the camera moved to show the gaping hole in the wall behind it as dust billowed out from its crash zone.

"I wonder if the shifters realized what pain they caused," Hange said watching the screen, Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt flinching violently. Fortunately for them no one noticed.

Grisha thought about the shifters and thought 'they definitely knew what they were doing, probably those who saw the Eldians as devils'

Hannes stood with two other trembling soldiers as they stared at the destroyed Gate in horror. He turned, staring at the crushed rubble inside the tunnel, still steaming from being torn through. "The Gate. . .

The Armored raised its head and opened its mouth, plating on its jaw sliding away to reveal a row of perfectly straight, square teeth. It growled as fire blew from its mouth, engulfing the area around it in flames.

Hanges eyebrows rose, "Is he? Is he breathing out fire?!" Hange screamed, Eren's eyes widened 'I wonder if I can do that'

People stood on the boats, watching, almost awestruck with horror, as thick, black smoke rose from the city. Eren's eyes were wide as he watched the Armored stand up.

"That fucking animal brought Humanity to the brink of extinction," Eren said furiously as he re watched the sight of his home being destroyed

Reiner and Bertholdt could only reassure themselves that they were the good guys

"I've never seen Eren so…" Hange said shocked, Erwin sighed and agreed

"That was the last day of Erens childhood" Armin said quietly,

"It was the last day of whatever childhood we had" Mikasa said squeezing Armins hand

Humanity's Area of Activity, Part 1

This diagram illustrates the size of humanity's territory. Anything beyond Wall Maria remains a mystery.

All Annie could think about was how none of them knew that Humanity lived outside the walls, poor poor peo-devils

"Wait so you're telling me the walls are squiggly?" Connie asked with confusion written on his face,

"You expected 50 meter walls of that size to be a perfect circle?" Ymir asked Connie, Connie shrugged

Humanity's Area of Activity, Part 2

Elevation increases as one approaches the epicenter of human territory. It is replete with many resources.

"Did you know that?" Erwin asked turning to Hange who shook her head no,

"It seems too coincidental that Humanity is built on a practical mountain" jean snorted, Levi's eyes narrowed

"All the royals have access to the gold with that type of geographic plane" Levi said darkly, his eyes flickering to Kenny, 'They have access to more than we know' Kenny thought

"Southern part of Wall Maria." The camera panned over the broken Wall. "A few hours after Shinganshina was compromised, the news of the destruction spread quickly to all quadrants of humanity's domain." The camera moved in the sky over the rich, rolling farmlands of Wall Maria, now abandoned and covered with a thick layer of smog, then down the river as it wound its way to Wall Rose.

"Everyone was unprepared, it was right after a deadly expedition" Erwin said darkly, Mike nodded to him,

"When we heard, it seemed unreal" Hange said leaning back

South side of Wall Rose, Trost District.

"Is it true?" somebody asked as the camera moved up, the military base in the centre of Trost shining like a beacon in the light of the setting sun. "Has Shinganshina fallen to the Titans?"

Dimo Reeves leaned forwards, a bead of sweat on his cheek. "I don't believe it. Those Walls were impenetrable for a hundred years. Why now?"

Levi looked at the screen in disgust, Kenny was also looking at the screen in disgust

"Fat pig" Levi and Kenny said in sync, they looked at eachother weirdly and then looked away,

"Mikasa didn't you encounter him during Trost?" Armin asked, Mikasa's eyes widened and nodded

"Yeah he was blocking the gate" Mikasa said with a frown,

A bearded man in red finery glanced over his shoulder from where he'd been standing, looking out the window. "It doesn't matter if you believe it or not," he said. "Refugees are flooding in." He turned around, frowning. "There have been at least five hundred accounted for in the boats."

"Just 500?" Jean said horrified, multiple people were shocked, they knew that many people died but for only 500 to have escaped

Eren thought about all of his neighbors and everyone else, he didn't even know how many starved after, Eren looked at Mikasa and Armin and it seemed that they were thinking the same thing.

"The question is if they will strike again," a blond man with a pointy beard said, a hand to his forehead.

"No doubt they will, seems like they want to kill us all" Kenny scoffed, Reiner flinched, there were three ackermans in the room right now. Fucking scary.

A brown-haired merchant with a thick, curled mustache looked up at the man by the window. "How could they have penetrated through Wall Maria?" he asked.

Levi crossed his arms, All Eren could think about was 'why did they do it that day?'

The silence in the dark room was broken by the blond man turning around and placing both hands on the table. "Whatever the case, we must contact the Capital and await orders. We aren't able to handle this scale of an emergency." Reeves nodded.

"They are way too calm during this" Eren scoffed, Ymir nodded in agreement,

"All they care about are the numbers, even if they don't know about wall Maria yet, Shiganshina is like a slice of a cake to them" Ymir said with dull eyes, Sasha perked up at the mention of cake

Erwin and Mike nodded at Ymir's comment, the girl was right, all they care about is money and numbers

"Individual lives meant nothing to them" Eren whispered

"Pardon me!" The merchants turned as a Garrison soldier threw the door open. "I just arrived," he said. "Wall Maria has been breached. The Titans have entered!" The merchants gasped in horror.

"There it issss, that's the reaction we were waiting for, BRAVO" Ymir said sarcastically

"The fact that it takes wall Maria being breached for them to realize the reality of it" Gunther said with a glare,

Hannes stood on a roof, one sword out, watching as hordes of Titans rolled into Maria. He stared, eyes wide, face pale, spots of blood on his jacket, and a large red stain across his stomach. "This is the end," he said quietly.

"Is he still alive?" Grisha asked looking at Eren, Eren didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the screen.

"Damn Eren you really injured his head" Sasha said not realizing how Eren must feel right now, Eren flinched, he really needed to thank Hannes for saving him that day.

"We're all dead," someone in the boat whispered, eyes wide as he stared at the ground, hands fisted in his hair as other passengers stared at the smoke rising into the sky, the echoes from the Titans' footsteps echoing across the Wall. "Humanity will be eaten by Titans again."

'That's the plan' Reiner thought, 'All Eldians are devils, except us, we are not' Bertholdt reassured himself

"Such beautiful scenery on such a sad day" Hange said bitterly

Eren nodded "Shiganshina had beautiful sunsets" Grisha whispered

A short-haired woman sat next to him, eyes squeezed tightly shut, hands clasped together in front of her as she prayed quietly, and a young man sitting in front of them stared ahead blankly, tears flowing steadily down his face.

'How many children were left without any parents after this' Sasha thought, thinking about her own parents and village.

Eren's eyes were wide, and tears formed in them as he stared ahead, the light from the setting sun reflected in his iris. We're finished. He blinked, thinking back to him and Mikasa returning home for dinner earlier that day. I can never go back to my home. He thought of Carla walking up to him, tugging his ear and scolding him teasingly about the firewood.

Eren flinched and clenched his fists, 'I shouldn't have yelled at her that day, it was my fault, all my fault' Eren thought repeatedly. Erens heart started to pound and he started to claw at his neck in frustration

"Eren Stop!" Grisha yelled, grabbing Erens hands from his neck. All the adults in the room watched with caution

"You will injure yourself if you continue" Grisha said with concern, Eren relaxed and put his hands in his lap. Levi relaxed seeing no reason to protect Eren in the current moment,

'If hannes didn't grab me, maybe Mom and I could've died together' Eren sighed with a smile, 'I would get to be with her in the end' Eren thought. Mikasa looked at Eren with concern and Eren smiled at her reassuringly

"Don't worry Mikasa Im okay" Eren said with a strained smile,

A tear traced down his cheek. Why? He squeezed is eyes shut, remembering Carla seizing his shoulders after learning of his desire to become a Scout. Why did I have to argue over something so banal? Eren turned away from Carla after shouting at her and raced down the street. Now Mom's dead. He thought of Carla's smiling face, lit up under the sun as she stood in the kitchen. She'll never. . . The Smiling Titan lifted her limp corpse up. Come back! Carla smiled as she wiped at Eren's face with a napkin, golden eyes warm and loving.

Jean gulped at this, he argued with his mom often. If that had happened to his mom he would be crushed, a huge wave of empathy washed over him for Eren. He didn't blame Eren for being angry because he would've felt the same.

Eren closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm himself down, he didn't want to get worked up again.

Blood sprayed through the air as the Titan bit through her torso. Why?

Grisha flinched at the image of his wife being eaten by that titan. Was it who he thought it was?

"You weren't strong enough." He thought of Hannes holding him back easily, proving his point without even meaning to.

Eren clenched his fist in anger, Hannes was right, he was weak.

Because I. . . humans are too weak He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, tears dribbling into his lap, jaw clenched as he sat in the shadows of the boat. Can the weak do nothing but cry? He opened his eyes slowly, staring down into his hand, blistered and bloodied by the deep cuts from the beam. A tear fell into his shaking palm, blending into the dried red stains.

Hange looked at Erens hands, they didn't heal yet. Which means he wasn't a shifter yet… Hange wrote this down quickly and wrote down the question 'When did Eren become a titan shifter'

Eren rubbed his hands as he felt the pain of his past injuries, Mikasa looked at him with concern but he didn't notice

He took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up, eyes cold, pupils contracted with fury. He clenched his fist, hand shaking. Mikasa turned, looking up as he walked past, fists held tightly at his sides. "Huh?"

"And so it begins" Ymir says, Krista rolled her eyes

"Those Titans. . ." She stood as he walked to the side of the boat.

"Eren."

"What's wrong, Eren?" Armin asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Eren snarled, shoving him roughly away. "Eren!"

"Sorry Armin" Eren said with a wince, Armin gave him a small smile telling him he's forgiven,

"So is this the moment Eren declares his hatred for titans?" Sasha says which food in her mouth, Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust at her manners

He slammed his hands down onto the side of the boat, torn nails digging into the wood.

He looked up, eyes shadowed by his hair, tears flowing down his chin, falling into the river below. "I'm going to kill them all," he vowed. Armin gasped, eyes widening. Eren's eyes were bright with hatred as he glared ahead, unseeing and furious. "Every single one!" he swore.

"Look at his eyes" Hange said mesmerized, "They are like glowing" Eld said, Gunther nodded

"They're so bright" Gunther whispered,

"How much anger does that kid have in him" Oluo scoffed crossing his arms

Armin stared, eyes wide. "Eren. . ."

The boat continued moving slowly down the river, the fading sunlight retreating as they sailed into shadow.

Armin remembered how silent that boat ride was, it was enough to drive someone to insanity.

Shadows of clouds drifted over Shiganshina, plumes of smoke still rising from the destroyed city. "The Central Government decreed all mankind retreat behind Wall Rose." The camera panned around a mountain, the forest floor dappled with sunlight as it shone through the branches of countless pine trees. "Estimates held that nearly ten thousand livers were lost." A horse-drawn carriage raced down a dirt road cut between trees, the animal's hooves clip-clopping against the hard ground while the wheels clattered on the uneven earth.

Grisha sharply inhaled realizing it was him,

"Who the hell would be going towards wall Maria" Gunther asked with wide eyes

Eren. Grisha sat in the driver's seat, knuckles white as he clenched the reins, teeth gritted, eyes wide. Carla. Mikasa. He clenched his jaw, tears in the corners of his eyes. Please be alive! The tears broke free, running down his cheeks.

Eren and Mikasa turned to look at their dad with glazed eyes.

"You came back for us?" Eren said with a small voice, Grisha gulped and nodded with a sad smile knowing he would have to tell Eren the truth soon.

"But why" Mikasa asked confusedly, Grisha looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean why?" Grisha asked

"Why didn't you wait, with your status as a doctor you could've found us easily" Mikasa said with shaky eyes, Grisha shook his head,

"I couldn't wait, I had to make sure you guys were safe but I also had one last thing to do" Grisha whispered the last part, Eren looked at him in confusion. No one commented on the interaction as it seemed personal. Eren and Mikasa hugged their dad and then sat back down.

"—en!" A spark lit up the black screen. "Eren!" Faint shouts were heard as the spark grew into an unfocused flame.

"I swear to god Eren if this is another one of you're freakish dreams" Jean said glaring at him

Eren glared back and then watched the screen

"Eren!" Eren, his face tinged with pink, furrowed his brow, eyes closed.

"Stop it!" Eren's cries were heard. "Stop, Father!" A hand brandished a syringe, drops of fluid flying from the needle. "What are you trying to do?" Grisha's wild, senseless face was shown for a moment before the camera whirled wildly, red light blazing through black branches.

Hange, Levi and Erwin sat up straight, Kenny recognized the needle and so did the other shifters as they watched with wide eyes.

"What is this?" Hange asked looking at Grisha, Grisha sighed and rubbed his face

"What is in that syringe?" Sasha asked confused, Ymir looked at the screen with wide eyes, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Grisha

"Oh shit" Annie said in realization

"Just stick out your arm!" The flame flickered on the black screen.

"No!" Eren wailed. "You've lost your mind since Mom's death!" A chime rang out and Eren's key, shining under the pink light, appeared, turning slowly on its cord.

"Dad what is this?" Eren said with panicked eyes as he watch the weird memory unfold

"Eren!" Grisha yelled.

"Let me go!" The syringe flashed on screen, and Eren furrowed his brow in his sleep, a bead of sweat on his temple.

"Why don't I remember this" Eren said running a hand through his hair, Grisha closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to calm himself

"It's all for your sake!" The key turned against the black background. Grisha raised his arm, swinging down wildly.

"This was when you gave Eren the key" Hange said with wide eyes, if she was correct, this was when Eren became a shifter

"What are you saying?" Eren cried, legs flailing, fingers digging into the dirt.

Some people winced at the ferocity of the scene, Eren struggling made them flinch

"Don't forget the way to the key!" The key flashed on screen again and Eren jolted as the needle broke skin. "It's the way to the truth!" Eren kicked out as the trees overhead flashed again. "One day you'll understand!" The images flashed over each other in a dizzying, seizure-inducing mix, and the key fell to the ground as a bell began ringing.

Erwin turned to look at Grisha sharply "And what exactly is the truth " Erwin said, Grisha gulped,

" what was that, that didn't seem like you at all" Armin said with big confused eyes, Ymir shook with anger, she wouldn't have chose this life for herself as a shifter, she stood up and pointed at Grisha

"YOU TURNED YOUR SON INTO A SHIFTER?!" Ymir yelled furiously, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie looked at Ymir in shock, 'how did she know?' Reiner thought 'unless…'

Eren looked back and forth from Ymir and Grisha, Hange, Levi and Erwin looked at Ymir with wide eyes

"Holy shit" Jean muttered watching the scene unfold

"LORA PAUSE THE VIDEO" Hange yelled out, the video paused

"Okay first, WHY WOULD YOU TURN YOUR SON INTO A SHIFTER?" Hange yelled at Grisha and then turned to Ymir "AND HOW DID YOU KNOW WHAT THAT SYRINGE IS?" Hange yelled,

"Shit." Ymir muttered realizing the situation she put herself in, Grisha sighed and looked at Erwin,

"I turned Eren into a shifter because I needed to pass down the Attack titan and the… founding titan" Grisha said, clenching his teeth. Eren looked at his dad with confusion. Ymir's eyes widened at the words 'founding titan' Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie were shocked, 'how the fuck did Grisha get the founding' Annie thought

"You were a shifter?" Eren whispered out and Grisha nodded,

"What do you mean passed down? What is the founding titan?" Hange asked confused, Ymir snorted

"Oh this is so fucked up" Ymir said sitting down, realizing that Eren ate his dad.

"I'm not answering any questions, I have already said too much" Grisha and Ymir said in sync, Hange was about to protest but Erwin stopped her

"If we need to know, it will show us" Erwin concluded, still eyeing Grisha and Ymir with stern eyes

Kenny watched Eren with close eyes, so the boy had the founding titan. Kenny sighed as he thought about his old friend Uri. He needs to speak to Levi soon...

Eren's eyes widened with a gasp. The bells in the bell tower swung back and forth as sunlight streamed through the windows of the warehouse, dust particles dancing through the air.

"That must've been freaky as hell" Jean winced at the violent awakening

"Eren," Mikasa said, kneeling over him. "It's okay." She tilted her head. "You were just dreaming."

Eren sat up, rubbing his head. "I think I was with Dad," he said.

"His hands healed…" Hange muttered, seems like he really did turn into a shifter

Mikasa furrowed her brow, sitting up straight. "It was a dream," she said. She turned to glance at the side as Eren scratched the top of his head.

"Yeah," he said. He put his hand down and started, looking at his chest, where the golden key hung.

"How come you gave Eren the key?" Hange asked Grisha, Grisha kept his eyes on the screen not saying anything

'He doesn't want to upset Eren' Ymir thought, Hange tried to think further but was stumped

Erwin seemed to understand 'He said he died from a titan, He gave Eren the key that night and said he had to pass it down, Eren killed his father it after he was inject and came out as a titan shifter' Erwin put the pieces together but still didn't understand, there were so many questions they needed answers

"The question is where did he go" Erwin asked eyeing Grisha who gulped,

"Come on," Mikasa said, standing up. "They're handing out food rations."

Eren blinked up at her, then nodded, tucking the key into his shirt before standing up and following her outside.

"Do you just not question anything?" Jean asked Eren, Eren shrugged

"I think this used to be where they stored all the dry goods," Mikasa commented as they walked into the crowded courtyard, filled to the brim with refugees as they milled about, waiting for food. "Now, it's where they corral the refugees."

Eren brought a hand up to his face, squinting and shielding the sun. His eyes widened with a gasp.

The courtyard was a sea of people, displaced civilians and soldiers alike. The refugees all wore identical expressions of desolate hopelessness and misery, shoulders slumped, heads down, as they stood in line for small, dry chunks of bread, and the soldiers frowned as they spoke to each other, backs turned to the Marians, brows furrowed and noses wrinkled.

"Look at how many people there were" Marco said with sad eyes,

Jean winced at this image, he didn't have to deal with hunger as his family was well off

Sasha flinched at the thought of no food, Levi knew what starvation was like, it was the reason why he was so damn short. He looked at the shiganshina trio, 'just what did they go through after the fall' Levi thought as he looked at Erens dull eyes

A brown-haired Garrison guard scowled as he handed a small loaf of bread to a blonde-haired little girl, choppy bangs falling over dull, ice-blue eyes.

"Annie is that you?" Armin asked pointed to the screen then turned around to look at the girl, Annie nodded, Eren's eyebrows furrowed.

"You guys said you didn't know about the breach and titans until a few days after, so how'd you get their so quickly?" Eren asked looking at reiner

"I was visiting a family friend that lived near the gate when the wall was breached" Annie said, the lie slipped through smoothly

Eren nodded and turned back around to the screen, Erwin eyed the quiet trio in the back

Eren lowered his hand, staring in horror. "Hey, get in line!" He started at the sudden shout, glancing to the side.

"Shut up!" a brown-haired refugee in a dusty white shirt snarled, clinging onto the wrists of a dark-haired man, a bald patch the size of a small hat on the top of his head. "I haven't eaten for two days!" He wrenched his hand away from where it clung onto his collar and tried to shove him away.

Eren, Armin and Mikasa shuffled close to each other, they had gone through tough times during that period of time. They had starved before and it wasn't something they liked to remember.

"You guys didn't eat for two days?" Sasha asked Eren with a horrified expression, Eren gave her a small nod

"We haven't exactly survived," Mikasa said, watching the scene impassively, while Eren looked on in shock.

"Eren!" Eren turned at the sound of his name. "Mikasa!"

Armin rushed forwards, arms laden with three loaves of bread. "Armin," Eren said.

Mikasa watched with a small smile as Armin stopped in front of them, panting slightly. "Glad I found you," he said. "Grandpa scrounged a little extra by saying he has kids."

Mikasa and Eren sent Armin a grateful glance and he smiled at them, Erwin nodded in approval. But he also wondered what horrors they faced in the slums.

"Thank you," Mikasa smiled as he handed a loaf to her. Eren stared as Armin placed one in his hands.

Armin started as Eren glanced up behind him to where an ash-haired, mustachioed soldier stood, glaring down at the children. "'Ch!" He scowled, turning around and sulking off.

Jean winced, remembering how they weren't that welcoming to the refugees during that famine.

Eren frowned, staring reproachfully at his retreating back. "What's his deal?"

"There's nothing we can do about it," Armin said simply. "There's a shortage of food." He glanced at the loaf in Eren's hands. "That's a whole day's ration." Eren stared down at the rough piece of bread clutched in his hand. "There are too many refugees. They were already dealing with famine before we got here." Four men struggled in a tight skirmish in the centre of the courtyard while soldier watched on, one hand on his hip, uninterested. "There's a strife between the locals and the outsiders."

"Im sorry" Jean said quickly to the trio, they tilted their heads in confusion, Jean sighed.

"We weren't that accepting of refugees and Im sorry how you guys were treated them" Erens eyes were wide, he looked at Armin and Mikasa who nodded.

"Thank you" Eren said with a small voice

"Why are we giving out food to the refugees?" the man who had sneered at Eren, Armin, and Mikasa earlier grumbled as he watched the men fight. Eren and Mikasa looked up, hearing him. "Since the Titans broke through," he added, smirking. "They should've eaten a few more so there would be fewer refugees," he scoffed.

Levi's cup shattered as he gripped the tea cup, he was pissed and everyone else was too. Kenny looked at Levi's cup, ceramic shards were digging into his hand. Levi noticed and picked them out, he started bleeding but he didn't pay attention to it.

"THAT FUCKTARD" Petra yelled jumping up to her feet "HOW DARE HE" she yelled in a demonic voice, Oluo shuddered and pulled her back down to her seat

Erens hands curled into fists at the memory, Hange looked at the man on the screen in disgust,

"He would've made a great snack for Sawney and Bean" Hange said darkly

Mikasa and Armin inhaled sharply staring at the men, brows drawn together. Eren grit his teeth, clenching his fists and marching forwards. "Eren!" Armin shouted.

"FUCK YEAH EREN YOU GO GET HIM" Petra yelled, Sasha and Connie shook their heads

"Eren no!" Sasha yelled at the screen, Ymir decided to join in

"Eren yes" Ymir said leaning forward waiting for the fight to happen

"Not this shit again" Jean groaned

"It's for certain we'll have less food," the mustachioed soldier sighed, putting his hands on his hips. Eren stopped in front of him and struck out, kicking him sharply in the shin. "Ow!" A few people glanced over as the man stumbled and glared at the boy. "What are you doing, you brat?" he demanded, swinging a fist forward. Eren cried out as he stumbled, and the other man kicked out, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Levi stiffened as he watched the man hurt Eren, Eren gasped in pain as he felt the impacts of the men's fist and leg. Eren rubbed his face and then sighed, it wasn't really painful.

"Is he really beating up a kid to avoid the fact that the kid is correct?" Jean said shocked

"Wouldn't be the first time" Mikasa said through her clenched teeth remember the court scene, she glared at Levi who gladly glared back. Kenny rolled his eyes at the whole charade

Eren pushed himself up, tears in his eyes, and turned, glaring at the men. "You don't know what it's like!" he shouted as everybody in the courtyard turned to stare. "You haven't even seen it happen!"

"I'm not gonna lie, I agree and support Eren on this one" Jean said sitting back, " The Garrison shouldn't have been talking about stuff he didn't understand"

Eren turned around to look at Jean with a little smile

"Do my ears deceive me, did you just agree with me?" Eren said with a cocky smile, Jean tch'd and rolled his eyes

Connie shook Sashas shoulders stating "the world is ending! Horseface just agreed with the suicidal bastard!" Marco chuckled at this, Jean whacked Connie on the back of the head.

"Huh?" the mustachioed man glanced down.

"How a Titan eats a human!" Eren screamed, red mark blooming on his cheek, tears pricking to corners of his eyes.

"Eren I commend you on your wit and bravery" Gunther said giving Eren a smile, Eren smiled back,

Eld added to Gunther's statement, "but your bravery sometimes consists of stupidity and dumbassery and this is one of those times" Eren sent a small glare over to Eld, Levi smirked at this, Eld was right

Jean burst out laughing "its true Eren I mean do you want your ass kicked?" Connie asked with a grimace

The man started then grit his teeth, marching forwards. "Shut it!" he snarled, raising his fist.

"He's sorry!" Armin cried, rushing between them. "He's frustrated because he's hungry," he said, arms held out in front of his friend. "That's why he lashed out," he continued, smiling even as his eyes darted side-to-side and his arms trembled, a bead of sweat on his cheek. "I'm really sorry," he continued, shrugging his shoulders and looking up apologetically at the soldiers while Mikasa rushed to kneel next to Eren. "Sorry!" He bent forwards in a sharp bow.

"Armin completely saved you from the beating" Oluo said with a snort,

"Why would you do that, you're just excusing their actions" Petra protested against Armins decision, Erwin decided to step in

"He just said it to save Eren, I don't think he was that thrilled either" Erwin commented and Armin nodded

The soldier stared down, confused then glanced to the side. He grit his teeth upon spotting the judgemental looks of the refugees. "Yeah, well. . ." he grumbled. "You all won't starve because of what we're doing for you." He turned, stalking away. "Even kids need to have some gratitude," he tossed over his shoulder as he vanished into the crowd.

"Damn Eren could you be more ungrateful?" Jean said crossing his arms,

"That was before we…" Eren started but his voice died out, it wasn't his right to talk about a past that involved Mikasa and Armin without their permission

Jean cocked an eyebrow at Eren

"Okay!" Armin called, fake-cheery voice bright despite its obvious tremor.

"Damn it," Eren hissed, and his friends glanced at him. "I'm not going to be grateful to someone like him," he snarled, gritting his teeth, glaring at the ground.

"Good for you Eren" Petra whispered, Oluo rolled his eyes

"I'll go back to Wall Maria," Eren spat, sitting on a ledge while Armin and Mikasa stood in front of him, the shadows of the columns looming across the ground. "I'll kill all those Titans."

"Jesus you really hate them" Bertholdt said weakly, Jean turned to Bertholdt and said

"I mean can you blame him?" Jean said

"Eren," Armin said, tilting his head, smiling weakly. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I'm serious!" Armin jumped as Eren shouted, slamming his fists on his thighs. "I'm not like those stuck-up soldiers!" he shouted, shoulders tense. He picked up his uneaten loaf of bread and glared at it. "I don't want this!" he hurled it forwards, and Armin gasped as it hit his shoulder, juggling it frantically before it fell to the floor.

Eren cringed at his past selves actions, throwing away food like that…

Multiple people gasped at Erens actions,

"What the fuck are you doing?" Jean asked with wide eyes, "Are you fucking stupid?" Eren sunk into his seat,

"DOES FAMINE MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?!" Sasha yelled at him, Levi decided to also comment

"Throwing away perfectly good food, what the hell were you thinking?" Levi said, his eyes dug into Eren's soul.

Eren's eyes dulled, he curled up into a ball, Armin noticed this and decided it was enough

"Don't" Armin said standing up, "Keep your mouth's shut, Eren might've been arrogant, but he sure as hell learned later on. You guys don't know half of the shit we went through, THAT EREN WENT THROUGH" Armin yelled with his voice cracking as his eyes watered, everyone went silent at Armins outburst

"Armin" Eren said, his voice monotone, Everyone's eyes widened at how lifeless Eren sounded, Armin looked down as Eren and Eren shook his head. Armin sighed and walked over to Eren's side, Grisha moved a bit so that Armin could sit to Eren and hold his hand.

"Eren, you're going to starve!" Armin protested.

"Aren't your frustrated?" Eren demanded, leaping off the ledge marching forwards, fists at his sides. "You can't beat those Titans by accepting food through charity."

Multiple people looked at Eren with disapproval at the food waste, Levi couldn't stop the disappointment that coursed through him. Levi grew up malnourished and underground, seeing food thrown away like that made his stomach churn.

"That's impossible! You can't beat them," Armin cried. "We have no other choice but to live within these Walls. If you're unreasonable, you'll die. Just like my mother and father."

Armin's breath shook at the mention of his parents, Eren squeezed Armin's hand. Armin gave Eren a small smile that Eren returned.

"So you're going to bow your head to those bastards?" Eren shot back, glaring at the blond boy. "Aren't you embarrassed?"

"I have no choice right now!" Armin shouted, cheeks flushed as he yelled.

"Back then Armin was the brains, Mikasa was the strength and I was…" Eren lowered his head, unable to finish his sentence

'I held the rifle, Mikasa was the strength and Eren held the knife, Eren kept us alive during those two years of the famine' Armin thought

"People are just saying that!" Eren's voice rose as they continued arguing. "Why don't you continue living like cattle, you coward!" Armin gasped, eyes widening.

Eren closed his eyes as he got ready for the onslaught of yelling

"YOU ASSHOLE HE JUST SAVED YOU FROM A BEATING HOW UNGRATEFUL WERE YOU" Jean yelled at the back of Erens head, for once… Eren didn't have the strength in him to argue plus what good would it do. He agreed with Jean.

"You are such a dick Eren" Ymir said, Eren felt a tear roll down his face, he grabbed the blanket and draped it over himself.

Hange and Erwin noticed Erens mood shift, What was going on?

Mikasa surged forwards, sending Eren tumbling to the floor with a well-placed punch to the cheek.

Eren violently flinched as he tried not to react to the pain that coursed through his face,

"Nice punch" Jean said darkly,

"You deserved it" Oluo said snarkily, Eren nodded "I agree" He said, Jeans eyebrows rose but he said nothing

"Mikasa. . ." Armin said quietly. The girl lowered her arm slowly, staring straight ahead. Armin turned to look at Eren, who lay sprawled on the ground.

"If Armin is a coward, then you and I are also cowards," Mikasa said calmly. "We've depended on other people to flee from the Titans." Eren forced himself up, turning to look at her as she continued speaking. "The food we have today is because of charity." Eren stared up at her, eyes wide. "There's no way that cowards like us could kill a single Titan."

"What a plot twist, Mikasa is one of the best titan killers, Eren can turn into a fucking titan and Armin is a god at strategizing against them" Connie said with a smile and Sasha nodded in agreement

Eren looked to the side with a small hiss.

"Just like what your mother said," Mikasa continued. "Surviving is the most important thing."

Eren flinched, part of him wishing he died along with his mom. Eren didn't notice that he said that outloud.

Everyone looked at Eren with horror, never expecting that suicidal manner to actually come from Eren. Eren cursed once he realized his mistake,

Levi looked at Eren with wide eyes, "Eren is that true?" Erwin said softly, Kenny wouldn't have given a crap about Eren but he feels a strong urge to protect him. He ignored it and just observed. Armin and Mikasa looked at each other already knowing about this.

Eren shook his head no "It's not true, I'm just upset, having to witness my worst nightmares all over again" Eren said softly, Hange and Erwin will talk with him later, Grisha stood up and walked over to his son. But suddenly a loud bang echoed through the room and Grisha vanished. Eren jerked forward and reached for where his dad was.

Everyone was waiting for some sort of breakdown or outburst to come out of Eren but nothing did. All Eren did was sigh "It's not the first time he's disappeared, I hope he's happy with mom" Eren said

"Im fine guys, it's just difficult to watch this" Eren said with a reassuring smile, everyone relaxed at this, Eren stood up and walked over to Levi, Levi set the arm rest back so Eren could sit next to him. But instead of sitting next to him Eren sat on Levi's lap. Kennys eyebrows rose as he saw this. No one said a word, they didn't want to take the chance of Levi killing them.

She walked towards him, snatching the bread from Armin as she passed. Eren's eyes widened as she shoved the entire loaf in his mouth. "Mikasa!" Armin said.

"AHAHAAHA" Ymir burst out laughing with Krista chuckling against her. Sasha snorted, causing potato to come out of her nose. Connie laughed at Sasha as she choked on her potato.

Eren smiled at the screen and leaned back into Levi's secure hold. Levi wrapped his arms around Erens waist.

"Eat it," Mikasa said, shoving the bread further into Eren's mouth. "You have to survive." There were tears in Eren's eyes as more bread than he could handle was forced deeper down his gullet. "I'm not going to let you starve."

"Im so sorry for saying this" Jean said as he grimaced at the screen, " but that movement and image with the bread, does not look like bread" Jean said referring to the pushing motion Mikasa was doing as she shoved the bread into Erens mouth.

Erens faced turned bright red once he realized what Jean meant, Mikasa's face was flustered and Armin giggled.

"Ew ew ew ew" Eren said rubbing his eyes trying to forget what Jean said

Eren let out a small sob as he closed his eyes and tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Who are you sasha? Crying when you eat?" Reiner asked jokingly, Jean smirked

They knew why he was crying but they weren't going to say it.

Two Garrison officers stood in the streets as a river of people flowed past. "A few days later, many refugees were put out to plough the fields." Eren, Armin, and Mikasa stood next to Armin's grandfather, dragging hoes through hard soil, wrapped in rough woolen cloaks as flakes of snow drifted to the ground around them.

The Shiganshina trio winced, remembering the harsh winters and the plowing.

"However, the shortage of food could not be resolved." An officer stood on a raised platform in front of rows upon rows of men and women, other soldiers lined up next to him. Reiner and Bertolt stood in the crowd, watching the presentation with looks of shock that mirrored those of the refugees around them.

"Ohh so you guys did arrive later" Eren said referring to Reiner and Bertholdt who nodded,

"Wahh look how young you two were" Sasha said pointing at the two boys

"The following year, 846, the locals and many refugees old enough to serve in the military were tasked with reclaiming Wall Maria." A few Military Police officers stood on a dirt field, watching as people flooded past them.

Armin's eyes watered. Erwin grimaced and Hange looked away and down at her notes. Levi placed his chin on Erens shoulder and Eren leaned his head back onto Levi's. Kenny watched Levi and how affectionate he was acting, 'what the hell is going on' he thought,

Mike tried not to think about that suicide mission.

Armin stood in front of his grandfather, head down, as the old man took of his hat and placed it on top of his head before turning and walking after the other drafted militia.

Armin looked at the screen with clenched teeth as tears rolled down his face. Erwin looked at Armin and put the pieces together, 'these kids lost everything' Erwin thought 'no Erwin they are not kids anymore and haven't been for a long time' Erwin thought bitterly

The earth rumbled as the Gate of Trost was pulled open and a horde of humans flooded down the destroyed street of Inner Maria. "Of the 250,000 sent to battle. . ." A Scout sat astride a horse, raising a sword while other soldiers around him raised their own, screaming with him. "Roughly half of the population of that region. . ." Civilians walked after the small group of soldiers, wielding pitchforks and other farm tools.

Ymirs eyes went wide, she'd heard about that mission but never knew how many people were sent.

Marco looked at the screen with a horrified expression, "They didn't even have horses, just sent out like pigs for slaughter" Marco whimpered,

Armin wiped away a stray tear on his face "it was a death sentence, all to get rid of enough people due to the famine" Armin said bitterly

"They killed off that many people just to preserve food?" Sasha said horrified, Jean never imagined her saying that because he could imagine Sasha killing for food

"Yes" Erwin said shortly

"Only a few hundred survived." Blood splattered the dirt near a severed arm, a single sword stuck into the ground next to two Survey Corps flags, fluttering in the evening wind.

Krista let out a strangled gasp "Oh my god" She muttered, horrified at what she was seeing

"Fight to survive" Eren muttered, Mikasa heard him and looked at him with wide eyes. Those words always seemed to awaken her.

"However. . ." Titans stood on a plain, silhouetted by the setting sun, clouds drifting through the cloudy sky. "The sacrifice of all those lives helped resolve the shortage of food."

Kenny grimaced at the image, he would stick to slitting humans throats not titans...

Armin sat against a wall, holding his grandfather's hat in trembling fingers, and buried his face in it, tears streaming down his face. Eren and Mikasa stood near him, watching as he sobbed quietly, shoulders shaking.

"It's all because of the Titans," Eren said quietly. "If we could kill them all, we would be able to go home." Armin sniffed loudly, moving the hat away from his face while Mikasa watched, face blank.

"I mean was that really a good time to be saying that stuff?" Gunther said hesitantly, Armin nodded

"As weird as Eren may sound sometimes, his words somehow fuel people when they are in a rough spot" Armin said with a small smile, Eren smiled at Armins words. Levi nodded in agreement

"Hate to agree but Armins right" Jean admitted, Eren really did have a sense with words sometimes

Eren squatted down next to Armin. "Armin," he said. "Next year I'm going to sign up for cadets training." Armin's eyes widened as he turned to look at him. Mikasa sighed, closing her eyes. "I want to get strong," Eren said. "To fight those Titans."

Armin looked back down at his hat, tears still swimming in the corners of his eyes, expression set. "Me, too," he said quietly.

"Of course the suicidal bastard somehow convinced you" Jean scoffed,

"Armin," Eren said, turning to stare at him, eyes wide.

"Me, too!" Armin said louder, raising his head, glaring ahead.

Erwin nodded 'more than what meets the eye' he thought

Eren frowned, but didn't say anything. "I'll go, too," Mikasa said, and he looked up at her.

"Mikasa, you don't have to go," he protested. "You said the most important thing was to survive.

"Yes." Mikasa blinked. "I'll join so that you won't die."

Eren sighed at her protectiveness, he couldn't blame her.

Kenny raised an eyebrow at this 'So he is her host…' he thought

Armin and Eren looked up at her. Eren tilted his head a bit and stood up. "Huh?" Armin looked up at him.

Eren stared ahead, eyes full of determination. "All right," he decided. "Together, then."

Mikasa watched him and Armin glanced between them before nodding.

"Ohohoho we get to see the trainee days" Hange said excitedly, Erwin rolled his eyes,

"I remember when Levi was a cadet" Hange snickered, Levi sent a glare her way. Eren snickered

The sun shone down on the Cadet Corps from a blue sky littered with fluffy white clouds. "104th Cadet Corps Boot Camp starts now!" Shadis shouted as the camera panned down. Armin stood amidst a row of other trainees in the compounds before three instructors. A fence of spiked logs ran along the top of the ridge as Shadis stood in front of two wooden buildings.

"Oh hell nah" Gunther said, Eld chuckled

"Can't wait to see Sasha's fart scene" Jean muttered to Connie who snickered

Shadis stepped forwards. "I'm your drill sergeant, Keith Shadis," he announced, glaring down at them, wide eyes ringed with dark circles. "I have no intention of giving you a warm welcome," he continued as the camera panned over the rows of soldiers standing firmly at parade rest. "Right now, you're all nothing but livestock to feed the Titans.

"No, even less than livestock!"

"Ah so welcoming, gotta live a big warm hug" Connie said sarcastically as a response to Shadis' speech

The camera moved down a row of trainees, including Annie, who stared ahead impassively, eyes dull, an expression of boredom on her face, as if the training yard was the last place in the world she wanted to be, and Jean, wearing a small smirk as he stared ahead, eyebrows cocked arrogantly.

"Annie looks scary as fuck" Connie said out loud, Eren snickered.

"Hoho Jean you won't be smirking for long" Eren smirked, multiple people laughed Connie and Sasha especially.

Marco stood next to him, staring ahead, an expression of fierce determination on his face. Connie was next to him, a small bead of sweat on his cheek as he stared forwards, mouth a comically thin line.

"I bet you wanted to serve the king or some bullshit like that, hah freckles?" Levi said bluntly referring to Marco,

Marco sputtered and then sighed "How did you-" he started, Levi rolled his eyes

"We know" Levi said offering no explanation, Eren snickered at this.

"I'm going to spend the next three years training all you worthless scum," Shadis spat as Reiner and Bertolt were shown, arms held stiffly behind their backs as they looked straight ahead.

"Damn loosen up" Moblit said jokingly, Bertholdt scratched the back of his head awkwardly

Thomas gulped as Shadis continued speaking. "I'll drill into you how to kill those Titans," Shadis continued. Krista was shown standing in the row in front of Connie, lips pursed as she stared ahead, Sasha standing a few rows behind them.

Eren sighed sadly at the sight of Thomas and others did too.

"Thomas…" Jean said remembering how Trost took his life,

"In three years, when you stand in front of a Titan. . ." Armin stared ahead fiercely, the sun glinting off his golden locks. "It's up to you to decide if you're still livestock. . ." Mikasa looked forwards, a thick strand of hair hanging over her face. "Or if you're a Titan-killing soldier that will protect humanity."

"Woah Mikasa's hair was long" Petra said with wide eyes, Eren nodded "she cut it because it was dangerous with ODM" Eren quickly explained

"Or the one who shits his pants" Levi muttered, Eren choked on his water and coughed at Levi's comment. Levi patted Erens back and shushed him.

Yes. A choir bell began ringing in the background as Eren glared ahead, green eyes dark, even in the bright sunlight, face twisted with hate. That's what I will be. The camera closed in on his face, clouded with fury. I'll kill every single Titan.

"Eren looked tired almost" Petra pointed out, Eren nodded "I was" Armin and Mikasa remembered all of the sleepless nights Eren went through,

"How does Eren have no wrinkles from being angry so often" Jean asked genuinely confused, Eren shrugged his shoulders

"Oi brat you want to take a nap?" Levi asked and Eren nodded, Eren lied down across the couch with his head in Levis lap. Everyone started to converse among themselves.