AN: I normally don't put the Authors' notes on top of the chapter, but I will make an exception for this one to explain something so everyone is on the same page.

This chapter will showcase the Titans' sentience, I wish they did so, but it was subtle. We know the Attack Titan represents resistance, and the Founding Titan is the opposite, representing order and control. If you wish to know why I'm doing this, please watch videos by Youtuber BrendinoJ. He has videos on all the Titans and what they represent, and honestly, I agree.

For Example, all the Jaw Titan Shifters had a sense of selflessness despite what we may think. Marcel, Ymir, Porco, and Falco all share that trait. I implore you guys to give those videos a shot.

I will answer this review I got here.

MDM11: I'm glad you like the story so far. I wasn't going to upload this story because I don't plan stories ahead of time. I get ideas and then sit down and write. I go with the flow. I don't have drafts of future chapters up. Once I upload a chapter, I begin the next chapter without any pre-planning because I enjoy letting my imagination kick in as I write. It's very fun and soothing, letting your brain go. I WILL always keep things lined up, of course, so the story isn't confusing; granted, I think some people are confused with what I wrote so far, but please let me cook lmao.

Also, I plan to give most characters some pairings. I was thinking of having Hilda and Jean pair up cause it would be funny seeing Hilda tease Jean a lot. We'll see in the future, yeah? Marco, hmm, since things are different, I think I will pair him with Helga. They're a perfect fit now that I think about it. Since the Trost Arc will be different and I added a new third party, plugging the hole will be much different than canon.

Kenny, a lot of my friends like his character, and I do, tbh. His "Everyone is a slave to something" quote/speech hits hard. Making him have kids named after Thor, Loki, and Hela is big-brained, and I might do that.

Oh yeah, Isabel and Furlan being alive would change many things for Levi. I was going to keep them dead because people would think I'm trying to cope by having most dead characters stay alive, but didn't this release Levi's Ackerman powers? If so, it will be weird for me to add something to do that. I'm open to suggestions on this.

Lastly, Ilse deserved better. She's staying alive. I can imagine her and Ymir having an interesting conversation. (About why they look alike.)

With that said, please enjoy this chapter. It's a little laid-back but still story-focused.

The Devil With A Human Heart

Chapter 8

Kruger woke up with a mild headache. He was thankful for Carla's pleasant hospitality and couldn't stop thinking about her importance. He knew his Titan could peer into the future. The next was a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes that seemed like a shallow ocean devoid of happiness.

Kruger believed it to be Annie.

However, Annie wasn't some farm hand. Kruger saw the blonde in his 'dream' carrying a pale that seemed too heavy for her small stature. Her hands had dark callouses that seemed to be there after countless trips carrying the water and working practically all day without a break.

She had to be important.

Firstly, Kruger needed to find out who Mikasa was.

He remembered Eren saying her name when he was younger, and it stuck with him after inheriting the Attack Titan. It was like the Titan itself was signaling Kruger to make haste now that he was within the walls of heaven.

Kruger also needed to find the Founder, and his Attack Titan was also egging him on to continue with that.

Weird, it was like the Titan was sentient.

Could it be?

No, that couldn't be possible. If so, the Attack Titan would've talked with him by this point.

Oh, who is he kidding? He only had the Titan for barely two weeks.

Kruger threw his blankets off and didn't realize how cold it was. Kruger had a mission to finish. The quicker he accomplishes that mission, the better.

Once the mission is complete, he could live the rest of his term in peace. He was already tired of fighting. He wasn't a special child like Zeke. Kruger lacked any important qualities that would separate him from everyone else. He was lackluster.

Kruger made his way to the sizable kitchen and noticed everyone seemed asleep. Kruger shook his head slowly, and a small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his face as he went to cook breakfast for everyone. Kruger looked through the spices Carla had decorated on a makeshift shelf and was impressed with the tidiness of it.

Kruger closed his eyes for a moment. His ears began to pick up the sound of everything within a few miles. He could hear the small distinct chirping of faraway birds, the steady flow of the channel that water flow through, and the morning rush of chatter.

Everyone seemed happy here.

And that was something Kruger wanted to keep.

Keith had informed him of the military of this place and how they function. Kruger could join the military, build some accolades, and impress the King so much that he had no choice but to call him for a meeting.

That sounded like some fantasy-type thinking, and this wasn't fantasy.

Kruger needed to take this slow but keep it tolerable so it won't seem like he was wasting time. Kruger didn't know when the Warrior Candidates would arrive for the Founder. He needed to either protect whoever it was or take it for himself and get to Zeke as soon as possible.

Kruger decided to stuff his problems away and continue to make breakfast for everyone. It was the least he could do so it won't seem like he and his family were freeloading. Hilda and Helga were helping collect firewood and other things. Faye was about to start her doctoring career, and Kruger was, well…freeloading.

Kruger could only sigh at his dilemma. Perhaps Frieda was having a better day.

Frieda was not having a good day.

Before inheriting the Founding Titan, her Uncle told her that her "husband." was in the Walls. Now she was trying to access the Founding Titan's power to pinpoint where Kruger at. After learning from her Uncle's memories of seeing a conversation between her Dad and her Uncle, Kruger came from Marley, a country that wished for the death of everyone within the walls.

Not only that, but her previous thoughts of wanting to save everyone from the Titans' tyranny were beginning to cause her intense headaches to the point she couldn't think straight. It was like two wolves fighting inside her heart, one was the bad, and one was the good. Only one could win.

The one you feed.

Considering that the Founding Titan has been passed down through her family since the first King Reiss's reign, she knew everything about the world, the cynical and heart-wrenching history of the Eldians, and what they have done to the world.

Sinners.

That word immediately popped into her mind, and she began to look at everyone differently. Frieda stood in her well-decorated room while combing her hair. It was short as she cut it a year prior. It still kept its pristine, shiny look, like a gem trapping light. Frieda sat on a wooden stool as she looked into the mirror. Her normally blue eyes were now an enchanting purple, but it couldn't be far from the opposite of their beautiful look.

Frieda looked at herself with disgust. She had never once felt like this, but she knew it was due to the Founding Titan and the Vow Renouncing War. Her ancestor's idealogy shackled her thoughts and soul in invisible, unbreakable chains whenever she wanted to get rid of the Titans'.

She promised her Uncle that she would right Karl Fritz's wrongs. She would be damned to call him a Reiss. Frieda wasn't one for vulgarity, but the man was a true bastard. If you were to ask who created the word.

Karl Fritz would be there.

A bastard and a coward.

What an ugly mix, so much so that Frieda's eyes returned to normal, almost as if the man heard the words Frieda used to describe him.

After a few minutes of combing her hair, Frieda tilted her head, and a figure popped up in her head. She immediately knew who it was.

Kruger.

It would seem she could access some of the Founding Titans' power, which is pinpointing her fellow Eldians. Kruger's light was a dazzling orange. It leaked so much radiance that Frieda almost closed her eyes from how blinding it was, but not only that, it was like she was looking at lava. It surged from Kruger's soul.

What also added to her surprise was the fact she could see a large figure behind Kruger's soul. It was humanoid, with a row of sharp, dagger-like teeth that immediately gave her bad vibes with how animalistic they looked. It was Shark-like, and the curving grin it gave was unsettling. Like Freida's hair, it was long and sparkling, like light reflecting off a clear lake. One eye was orange while the other was completely glowing a bright baby blue, but it also seemed to cause Frieda to be on alert. It wasn't that Frieda was scared, but something within her.

Her Titan.

Frieda turned her head slowly and could see her own Titan, too. It had large eyes that, at the moment, were shining blue, with some loops within them and a skeletal nose. It had some distinct and refined muscle lining. It had a prominent chest, her skin the same as Frieda's, and a fit body. It looked to be frowning as it looked at the other Titan.

Freida needed clarification. She was sure that Titan's wasn't supposed to be like…this. It was like they had a soul. Almost as if sensing Frieda's alarm, her Titan looked down at her, its aggressive-looking frown disappearing into a calm yet disgruntled expression.

Frieda raised her hand slowly, reaching out for her Titan, and to her awe, it did the same, stretching out a finger to her and letting Frieda rub it. Frieda could feel the emotions sink into her like teeth through flesh. Her Titan was sentient. It was sending her emotional signals via touch, and to her surprise, it wished for them both to be free from the Vow Renouncing War.

Frieda could see that it was craving freedom, to be free of the same shackles that bound Frieda and her predecessors to a pacifistic view. Frieda closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was back in the real world. Frieda blinked sheepishly. Her eyes were now shining like stars in the night, and looking at the mirror, Frieda could see an outline of a figure. She didn't know who it was, but she clutched her head.

"You must train! We need to be stronger to fight the Vow," The figure told Frieda, getting her to turn around so fast that she almost snapped her ankles.

"Who are you!"

The figure remained stoically silent as it continued to gaze at Frieda.

"Founder."

"Founder?"

Frieda noticed that the figure had disappeared from her sight. Frieda raised her fingers to grip the bridge of her nose, uncertain of what had just happened. It was odd. Perhaps her Titan was speaking to her, but the voice was her own, making her feel an existential crisis at her young age.

Perhaps Kruger was having a better day.

END

AN: Kruger and Frieda were not having a good day at all. This chapter was also short, but I wanted to kick back and give Frieda more attention. Tbh, I can't explain what I'm doing with the link that Kruger and Frieda have. I just added that to separate my fanfic from others.

I learned about the Founder that Eren states that, "The Founding Titan has made it so that there's no past or future. It all exists at once. So I had to do it." which tells me if Eren never possessed the Founder, he could've HYPOTHETICALLY been able to change things, but the Founder was messing with him. (A sign of control.) What do you guys think if Eren never had the Founder? How would things go?

Another thing I see a lot about Frieda discussions is the fact people keep saying. "She had the strongest Titan yet lost!" For one, they clearly state she's inexperienced, which should tell you that she never once trained with the Titan. In canon, she got her Titan in 842. In 3 years, you should be able to have a grasp of your Titan, its strength, etc. Frieda was held back due to Karl Fritz's Vow, which hinders the Founder's full power, which might be why she never trained. (Headcanon, probably, but it makes the most sense.) I want to think if Frieda trained regularly, was aware of Grisha's presence, etc, she would've won. But no, Isayama knew to nerf her.

I blame the YouTubers for Frieda's mischaracterization and how she lost.

Anyway remember to support Frieda Reiss Friday! (I just made this up.)