Chapter 9

After breaking the hug, Eren says, "Now that the reunion is out of the way, it's time to tell you what we know."

Aya says, "Earlier, you asked us if we were prepared to give our lives for humanity. I'd like to ask you the same thing. Are you willing to risk your life in order to protect the people of the walls? Are you prepared to do what is necessary for our survival, even if it means facing unknown dangers, rebelling against the government, or perhaps doing an unforgivable sin?"

Erwin closes his eyes and says, "I am prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure mankind's future. If rebelling against the government is necessary to achieve this, then so be it."

"Very well. I hope the conversation is just between us. If anyone asks, just tell them that Aya here is asking if her father is in the Survey Corps." Eren says.

"So what actually do you want to talk about, brat?" Levi asks, getting a little impatient.

Aya says, "When the Battle of Trost happened, there are four Titans who manage to carry the boulder and seal the gate, thus killing all the Titans that are around the area. Eren here, along with three of our friends, are those Titans."

This causes Erwin and Levi to look at them with surprise. Erwin asks, "I see. Are you a Titan or a human?"

Eren says, "I am one of the humans who have the power to turn into Titans. And now, we'll tell you what I know about this world."

Aya says, "Centuries ago, the power of the Titans was under the nation known as the Eldian Empire. However, the powers are used for cultivating lands, building bridges, and also defend the nation from threats. With the power of the Titans, the Eldian Empire has become strong and thus gets a lot of jealousy from the other nations. The other nations want power for themselves, so they declare war on the empire numerous times. Even if they lost about 3 times the number of humanity right now, they refuse to give up their greed."

Eren says, "100 years ago, the 145th king of the Empire, Karl Fritz, refuse to believe the true history and pity the nations who want the power for themselves. He thinks that the Eldia's sins cannot be atoned for and that Eldians and Titans should not have existed in the first place. Beyond the ocean, there is a nation known as Marley, Karl Fritz teamed up with an Eldian family who possesses one of the 12 Titans, and fabricated a Marleyian hero to destroy the Eldian Empire. They succeeded and Marley gained nine of the 12 Titans as a result. The King moved the capital to Paradis Island, Eldia's last remaining territory, and gathered as many Eldians as he could on the island. One of the Titans that the King holds is the Founding Titan, the strongest of them all. With its powers, he uses millions of Colossal Titans to form three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina."

This causes both Levi and Erwin to be in surprise, Erwin says, "Wait, are you saying that..."

"Yes. Inside the walls, these Titans lie dormant even to this day." Aya says. "After building the walls, the King turned Paradis into a hermit kingdom, cut off from the rest of the world. In order to guarantee temporary peace for the people inside the walls, the king left behind a warning to the rest of the world. He said that if his peace was ever disturbed, he would unleash the Wall Titans, and use them to trample the earth. This is also known as the Rumbling."

Erwin speaks quietly. "So, we're not the last of humanity."

"No, it is far from it. We have only 10% of the whole world population." Eren says.

"And these other nations, they see us as a threat, because of the King's warning 100 years ago." Erwin adds. "So that's why they attacked Wall Maria. But why would they risk angering the king's descendants if it could mean the destruction of the world?"

"There are a few reasons. First of all, they believe that Paradis is a ticking time bomb and that it's only a matter of time before the Wall Titans are released. Consequently, they want to eliminate this threat. The other reason is they want to recover the Founding Titan. While Marley has managed to stay a world superpower because of the power of the Titans, the world is changing. It won't be long before conventional weapons will surpass the power of the Titans. In order to maintain their position in the world, they need to take back the Founding Titan."

"So I have to assume that the Titan controlling the other Titans is the Founding Titan, and you have it?" Levi stares at Eren, who nods. "I only get this power from my father after the wall is fallen. And my father was not one of the Titan's descendants, so he couldn't use the power to save Wall Maria."

"Because of a vow the King made 100 years ago. While he threatened to trample the world, this was never his true intention. It was merely an empty threat meant to buy himself temporary peace. He made a vow of renouncing war. The Founding Titan's true power can only be used by one of royal blood. But because of the vow the King made, all of his descendants who inherit the power of the Founding Titan cannot use it, as they are bound by his will. The King knew that sooner or later the Walls would be attacked, and he planned to allow everyone inside the walls to die in order to atone for all the bloodshed the Eldian Empire had caused in the past." Eren says. "Even though the true reason for the bloodshed is not us in the first place."

Erwin and Levi widen their eyes once more, and after a moment, Erwin asks, "Did the king erase the people's memories?"

Eren nods. "Yes. In order to guarantee peace within the walls, and to keep the people in the dark, he stole away their memories of the outside world and led them to believe that they were the last of humanity in a world that had been overrun by Titans. However, the rest of the world doesn't know that the king erased our memories. They view us as dangerous devils who are a threat to the entire world."

This causes them to be disgusted, Erwin says, "So my father's theory was right all along..."

Levi asks, "But how did you know all of this? It seems fishy to me."

Aya says, "We were born and raised inside the walls, but Eren's father, my mother, and two more people have come from outside the walls. They used to live in the interment zones of Marley, and they were also treated as second citizens. They brainwashed our people and lied to us that our nation brutally conquer and wipe out every nation for our own greed. They continue to brainwash until most of the Eldians believe they are inferior."

"When my father was very young, his sister was murdered by Marleyan officers. But because she was an Eldian, there was no justice for his sister's killers. And several years later, he joins a rebel group known as the Eldian restorationists, with the goal of bringing back the Eldian Empire and learning the true history. A key part of their plan involved trying to invade the Walls before Marley could in order to take back the Founding Titan."

"So you're telling me that Sarah's also one of them?" Levi asks with surprise.

"Yes, Dad. Mom is one of them. However, before they could put out their plan, they were betrayed and were given the worst sentence an Eldian criminal could be given. They were brought to this island and some of them are injected with the Titan Spinal Fluid. Those who are injected will become Titans, doomed to forever wander the lands outside the walls in a kind of purgatory."

Now they are all shocked, and Levi asks, "So... you're telling me... I've spent all this time and energy running around killing people?"

"Those Titans are only created to transfer the Titan powers, they weren't meant to exist in the first place. Marley are the ones who created them and have them wandering outside of the walls to torture us. Now back to our story. The others who weren't injected will be thrown off the wall so that the Titans will kill them. Our parents were about to do the same before three of the spies in the Marley Public Security saved them. They return the Titan powers to my father and two other members, and want all of them to sneak into the walls and continue the mission."

"I met your mother underground at that time... I guess the reason why she was underground was that she was also trying to find the Founding Titan, is that right?"

"Yes, Dad." Aya nods. "Eventually, Eren's father married Eren's mother, who also has another Titan power because of her family status as one of the royal blood. With her help, my Dad was able to steal the Founding Titan by killing the other Royal families except for the current king, the noble known as Rod Reiss."

"I think I've heard about how the noble's family was killed by the robbers, so they were your parents this whole time?"

"Yes, however, they decide to let us devour them to hide the powers and entrust the mission to us." Eren says. "I not only have the power of the Founding Titan, but I also have the power of the Attack Titan. The Attack Titan has the ability to see the future, and that's why they want us to devour them and get the powers because we might be able to use their full power."

This causes the two of them to progress everything, and Erwin continues, "So do you know the identity of the two Titans that break the walls?"

"Yes, Reiner Braun. Bertolt Hoover. Annie Leonhart. They say they came from a small isolated village in the south of Wall Maria, but this is a lie. They actually came from beyond the walls, just as my father did, and attacked Wall Maria because they were ordered to by Marley. I know because of the memories from the future, they would reveal their true colors eventually."

"Reveal their true colors? What do you mean by that?" Levi asks.

"We've seen everything that the future gives us." Aya says. "To make sure our safety is guaranteed, we will lose a lot of people, including all our loved ones. They were the ones who caused every death to happen. However, now that Eren here has the power of the Founding Titan, we've also set up a base in the forest outside of Wall Rose. Those who live there are Eldian Restorationists that we turned back from Titans using the power of Titans. However, we didn't change every one back because some of them are true criminals and they will rebel."

"I see. I'm grateful for all of you to share the information with us. I'll be honest, after the attack on Trost, I'd begun to suspect that there were humans who could turn into Titans, and I was hoping that I could draw them out by indirectly asking for their help through that speech I gave. I never expected it to work right away, though. By coming to me you've made my job a lot easier, and I can personally guarantee your safety, and I will keep your secret."

Levi says, "Since you're close to my daughter, I suppose I could keep a secret as well."

Eren and Aya nod before giving their salutes.

Here is a new chapter, and now Erwin and Levi know the truth of the history and the Titans. The next chapter is going to be another secret meeting.