The Devil With A Human Heart
Chapter 1
Kruger didn't understand it at all. The dreams felt more real each time he experienced them. Were they real, perhaps? Precognitive dreams? The thought made the young boy chuckle at the notion.
His name was Kruger Yaeger. Son of Faye Yeager, who was saved by a man named Eren Kruger. Truthfully, Kruger was glad he was named Kruger and not with Eren…it felt like that was for someone else entirely. For a five-year-old, Kruger was smart in a lot of things, but that was mainly because his Uncle and Grandfather taught him some medical information that could save his life in the future.
Future.
He wondered how the future was.
Was it shining like the sun at noon? Or was it deep in despair, turning black as it watched the people it gave light to continue to hate one another for existing?
Kruger had a dream that he was somehow in a faraway place, heaven. That was what it was called. The people there were beautiful, very beautiful.
Especially Frieda.
Wait, who was that?
He didn't know who that person was. He knew it was a girl, and he remembered her almost angel-like appearance, mainly her eyes.
Those eyes held great pain as they flashed into an alluring violet. However, that wasn't the case. Kruger felt like Frieda was crying out for help. He didn't understand why.
Was she the one giving him these dreams? Was she crying for him?
At the end of the day, these dreams felt real.
He needed to speak with Zeke about it.
Zeke was older than Kruger by five years, and Zeke was currently in the warrior program. Before that program, Zeke was lively, charismatic, and caring, but now he seems to have a self-loathing look in his eyes. Not at Kruger, no, Zeke only looked at him as if he was the only source of light in his life.
Kruger was smart; he knew something happened at Zeke's home. His Uncle and Aunt were getting distant, his mother noticed that and tried to talk with them, but an argument occurred. Grisha, Kruger's uncle, never once shouted at his sister, Faye, in his whole life. The shout had so much malice in it.
And pain.
Bone-crushing pain that could rumble the world.
Oh, how ironic that was.
Kruger, for some reason, saw this play out in one of his dreams. His Aunt was crying at seeing the fighting between siblings, and all Kruger could do was console her with Zeke. Zeke looked at his father with sadness.
And loathing.
Kruger saw that look on the Marleyans when they looked at him. Kruger sneered back, but that earned him a broken tooth. Yet, Kruger continued to do so.
Because he had the right to do so.
Everything seemed to have calmed down after the argument between his mother and uncle. Kruger was glad. Venting was a good way to relieve stress.
Or beating someone up.
However, everything changed a year later. Kruger had to watch his Uncle and Aunt be arrested for being a part of a group called the Eldian Restorationists. A group that wanted Eldians back on top like hundreds of years ago.
Kruger felt…happy his Uncle and Aunt were fighting for his people, but at the same time, he felt empty. They were sent to heaven.
Heaven.
That was where Frieda was at. Were his Uncle and Aunt going to see Frieda too? No, they weren't. They looked big and monstrous.
Titans!
Yes, that was what he saw. He saw the sad expression on Uncle's face as he turned into a Titan. His eyes contained that of regret, so much so that despite not being there, Kruger felt he was there and could see and feel the pain his uncle was feeling. The same could be said for Aunt. His poor aunt, was smiling, it wasn't one of happiness, but also of regret, that's all she was forced to do, she could never frown. It was the opposite of his uncles Titan.
Kruger felt something he never felt before.
Rage.
He could hear voices, some old, some young, some extremely tired and monotone. They were telling him to keep moving forward, even if the world betrays him.
He had to protect her.
He would protect the angel he saw in his dreams.
Frieda…that was her name. He knew she didn't see him, but that was okay. She didn't need to. This must be what it feels to long for something.
He was going to protect her…and Freya.
Wait, who was Freya?
She looked…like a baby. She looked like Frieda but with Kruger's orange eyes.
Was that….
"Wake up!"
"AH!"
Kruger was brought out of inner dialogue at the sound of his mother, Faye. It's been a year since his Uncle and Aunt were sent to heaven. Zeke had sent them there. Kruger hated Zeke for it shortly afterward, but he quickly understood why.
Zeke was protecting his remaining family.
He had to sacrifice his own parents to ensure the rest could live. Yet, that brought shame upon the Yaeger family, which is why Zeke upped his game and was considered the best Warrior Candidate so far.
"Yes, Mother," Was all he could say.
"Were you dreaming about your precious Frieda again?"
Kruger felt like an arrow struck him as he gasped. "N-No! I wasn't…I was…"
"Lying isn't going to get you anywhere, mister. C'mon, Mister Eren is here."
Ah! Kruger, the original one, at least, was here. However, for some reason, Kruger felt he always knew Mister Eren…but at the same time, he didn't. He met him when he was a child. He remembered that. Most babies don't remember much, but Kruger remembers Eren talking about something.
Something about moving forward, even after you die, you have to continue your mission for a better world.
Kruger was…lost but so entranced by those words.
However, Kruger felt like that was for someone else.
Kruger felt the right of every sentient being was freedom.
Kruger didn't truly feel that.
He was stuck in a zone, and he had curfews. Everyone but Marleyans had curfews.
That was…not right.
Kruger walked out of his rather empty room. There was nothing special about it. He always felt empty, like he was missing something. Perhaps with his Uncle and Aunt gone, he was gone with them.
Kruger walked down the steps after brushing his teeth, he was still groggy, so he walked down the stairs slowly. Kruger saw the man who saved his mother sitting down with a cup in his hand.
Faye always made good tea.
Tea helped soothe the soul, was what Kruger's mother told him.
"Hey, Mister Eren!"
Eren Kruger is a man of few words around his comrades but a man of many words around him and Faye. Kruger looked up to Eren like a grandfather, a young one at that. Ever since his Uncle and Aunt were sent to heaven, Kruger stopped conversing with his family besides Faye and Zeke.
Eren Kruger is a large man, not too large to be a giant, but just enough. He was well-built as well, with shaggy dark hair, which he combed to the side. His face was slender with rough-looking cheekbones. He wore the standard uniform most of those who're Warrior Candidates and Warriors do, except he wore a trench coat that was dark gray.
Kruger knew most people's favorite colors represented them. Gray was a color that showed emptiness but also tried to find something within that emptiness. It was Kruger's favorite color as well.
"You look like you had a good dream…still thinking about that supposed goddess?"
Kruger snorted. Eren was terrible at trying to sound funny, but Kruger appreciated the witty banter. Eren wasn't one to show off his emotions. He was blank, like the color white, but black, as if he was trying to fill the blank with color.
Yet, he couldn't, which is why he ended up with gray.
Kruger, funnily enough, looked like a young version of Eren. He still had his baby fat and a scar across his nose from when he protected some kid a few days ago from a Marleyan mob. Kruger thinks his name is Marcel, who was, in turn, trying to protect his brother Porco,
Odd name.
But Kruger digresses.
Kruger had long midnight black hair that reached past his shoulders that covered most of his face except for his left eye. He liked having long hair, but it was a pain to keep it smooth.
"I may not meet Frieda yet, but I will eventually when I reach heaven."
Faye and Eren looked at each other, almost like they knew he was dead set on this…mission. At first, Faye thought it was a phase, but it became recurring to the point even Faye believed Frieda was real!
So did Eren. In fact, when he heard the name, he looked as if he knew her as well. Faye knew Eren was a Titan Shifter right now. Perhaps it had something to do with the memories he informed her about. But whenever Kruger mentions Frieda, Eren's eyes seem to glow, not with hate, malice, or anything…but longing, as if she died and he's in inner turmoil, grieving for her.
"Hmm, tell you what. How are you interested in joining the next batch of Warriors later this year?"
Faye dropped her mug, which was thankfully empty, but Eren caught it as if he expected her to drop it.
"He will not!"
Kruger hasn't heard that much distress in his moms' voice since…her brother went to heaven. Eren remained stoic, and his gaze lingered on Kruger's dimly lit orange eyes.
"I believe he has what it takes, he already knows how to fight, but now he would have a reason to fight instead of getting himself in trouble," Eren calmly spoke.
"He…he's all I got left…and Zeke as well. The boy sees me as his own mother now, and it's already painful that Zeke's in that program. I want my son to live long!"
Eren's eyes went down to his steaming tea cup. "I understand that, Faye. However…if he wants to protect Frieda, Mikasa, Freya, and you, he must keep fighting. If he can breathe, he can still keep moving forward."
Faye and Kruger tilted their heads, more so at the name Mikasa.
"Who's Mikasa?" Mother and Son both said at once.
Eren suddenly jolted as he felt an electric shock coursing through his veins. "That's weird…I don't remember Mikasa being here."
"Eren…."
"Sorry Faye, just…a Titan Shifter thing. Listen, both of you."
Faye and Kruger both looked at Eren with a serious gazes, which Eren appreciated.
"My Titan is special, and I'm not talking about its distinct nature to fight oppression and fight for its belief. I can see into my future inheritors' memories."
Faye wasn't an idiot. The moment Eren said he could see into his future inheritors' memories, she knew what her son, Kruger, was seeing in his dreams was, in fact, real. The little eye-widening moments whenever Frieda was mentioned were a clear giveaway of that.
Kruger inherits Eren's titan.
Faye felt her heart break once again, and her eyes watered. Kruger being who he was, hugged his mother as Eren could only gaze at his teacup in silence as he let the both of them digest the information. Eren wasn't supposed to tell them that. Something in the future changed for him to tell them that.
All Kruger could hear was, "Tell them the truth, no more lies, this world is built upon lies, the truth will have to come to the light and only then…can we truly be-"
The voice cut off from there as if Eren wasn't allowed to hear that last part. However, Eren knew that it was Kruger from the future, he didn't know how long, but Kruger was most certainly an adult.
And tired of fighting.
"So…I'm supposed to be your successor? Is that why you asked me to join the warrior program?"
Eren sighed. He was placing an immense burden on someone he could call family, and now he was going to eventually die to ensure that his new family could thrive. Eren knew Kruger would do amazing things but, at the same time, face extreme hardships that would question his mission.
Which side will he pick?
Frieda….or?
END
Yeah, this is my first time trying a different fandom to write for. I never thought I would write an AOT fanfiction, but I've been watching a lot of videos about it and reading tons of fanfics (Good and bad). I just had this idea in my head. As you can all tell…Eren Yaeger isn't the protag. He isn't even in the story. I decided to write him out for one reason.
This isn't his story.
We already know his story, his life, etc. Cause as you can see, Eren Kruger did not save Grisha. As you can tell, he saved Faye, which will be explained in later chapters. The Attack Titan is still with Marley, but not for long, obviously. I already have the pairing: Kruger Yaeger, Frieda Reiss, and Mikasa Ackerman. I enjoy harem stories, but I can never do well with them, only 2 girls.
I love Frieda to hell and back, and I read almost 95% of her fanfics on here, and they're all…amazing? Which is rare. Author FriedaIsBestGirl mainly inspired this story, I read almost all of their works, and each has a different take on Frieda.
However, I may not even continue the story.
This is merely a test run to see if people like it. Every AOT fanfic I've read so far has not expanded on the verse, taken no unique routes with it, and followed the main plot. I'm not saying these are bad, but it never hurts to try something different. As you can tell, this story doesn't follow the plot.
I've actually only got ideas up to season one done, and of course, even then, stuff is different because, if you didn't know, Frieda is still alive, meaning the founder is still in her possession. However, Kruger and Frieda aren't even going to know about each other until after a little scuffle cause-
Drama.
They're older when they meet, and since inheriting a Titan makes you forget stuff (At least from what I gathered), That will lead to point A.
Most fanfics have the two characters click immediately, but I want some diversity here. They'll meet, but Kruger won't know who Frieda is right away. After all, he still has a mission to accomplish.
If I do continue this, there are going to be a lot of OCs (And a few more Titans than the original 9). I'm trying to expand on each of the 9 Titans more than what we saw, almost like they're Sentient themselves (I'm an Optimus Prime fan, if you haven't noticed). So expect a lot of inner monologues when (If I continue) Between Kruger and the Attack Titan (Which I think people call Hunter?)
With that said, be safe!