Eren knew he was dreaming.

He stood in a barren and decimated city. Hints of dry blood stained the streets although there were no bodies to be seen and buildings stood half crumbled. The evidence of a war... or a vicious calamity? After taking a look around, he saw a massive skull in a clearing, of which used to be a whole carcass. Given its size, it was probably a titans. It radiated a strange feeling of importance. If there was a God, he had the feeling this was what's left of its corpse.

As if captivated by the magnitude of its size, he stood still watching it. Out of the skulls mouth he saw many men come out. Their eyes had been plucked and only bloody empty eye sockets remained. Each man went on marching in a line, perfectly walking behind and along one another. For thousands of miles he saw them march. The souls of the marching men went out to conquer every land they could reach, plundering and ravaging for wherever their swords would meet.

Eren watched until they had spread and conquered the world, and he kept watching, when out of the skull came another man. He looked familiar. As the man marched towards him, he realized he was staring at himself.

It was when Eren gazed into those empty holes where his eyes should've been that he noticed he was also staring at his ceiling, the dream was over. He took a moment to calm down his heartbeat, and when he sat up he saw Kruger standing by his door, staring back at him. The events from yesterday came to mind and instinctively he reached for his key.

"What could possibly be more important than me talking to a ghost?" asked Eren, after pinching himself to make sure it wasn't a dream. Flicking away his cigarette, Kruger stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned on the wall. Eren watched as the smoke dissipated in mid-air.

"I'd like to figure out how much you know about the titan power you possess, as well as the world you live in." Kruger made a motion for Eren to take a place next to him, as the latter was currently standing there, talking to empty space.

Eren shifted his body next to the man, making sure to keep some distance. He looked around and tried to gather his thoughts. Was he really talking to a ghost?

His hands reached for the key hanging around his neck, fiddling with it as if to help him remember. "Well... if you're really a ghost, you're dead, right?" Eren asked dumbly, Kruger only stared in response. "Can other people see you too?"

"Stay on topic, lad," Kruger says, reminding Eren that the man didn't particularly enjoy answering his questions as much as he liked asking them.

"Right.." He grumbled.

Eren recounted the past few years of his life in a summary and explained the situation of the walls. He talked about his hometown Shiganshina, his mom, the attack of the walls, his dad, the key. He talked about Bertholdt, Annie, and Reiner, their betrayal. His story ended with the topic of the upcoming campaign to take back wall Maria and uncover the secrets of the basement.

"The last thing he gave me was this key," explained Eren. He had taken the thing off his neck and held it out to show Kruger. Kruger made no effort to grab it, but did look at it in a peculiar way, as if he himself had assigned that key to its lock. As if he himself knew the secrets the basement held.

The looks Kruger gave when Eren mentioned his dad made him curious.

"You said there was a girl of royal blood?"

Eren's thoughts were temporarily diverted elsewhere, "Yeah. Her names Historia. She's the Queen I told you about, although really only in name. We graduated in the same class and I visit her occasionally."

"And you said you once activated the power to control titans..?"

"Yes," confirmed Eren.

Kruger started pondering out loud, "There must be.. some explanation..." His eyebrows were knit in confusion, eyes fixed on empty space in concentration.

Eren took the opportunity of Kruger thinking to ask his own question, "Did you.. By chance- did you know my dad? Grisha?" It was something completely absurd. Eren had never seen Kruger, and his dad never mentioned the man. He thought about the fact that they both shared a name, there was a nagging feeling...

Kruger grunted, "Your dad obtained his Titan from me, we aren't exactly on the best terms."

Eren paused at that. There was almost something relieving he felt to know that his dad ate someone for his power too. He studied the gauntly man in front of him, wondering what history he and his dad shared before realizing something. "But didn't you die? How would you guys be on bad terms?"

Kruger opened his mouth to speak but closed it and furrowed his brows, and the voice that spoke next hadn't been Kruger's.

"I think you've said enough, Kruger."

Eren immediately recoiled at that. That gentle yet stern voice of his father was unmistakable. He spun his head around to confront the voice and stood rigid in response.

"I was wondering when you'd make your appearance, Grisha." Kruger commented.

"What the fuck?" said Eren in disbelief. His father, his dead father, was here in front of him.

Kruger spoke in a matter-of-fact way, "I see no point in concealing the truth to your son, especially given the circumstances. We don't exactly have the luxury of time."

Grisha moved closer to the both of them. "You're right but the truth is something I believe Eren needs to navigate for himself."

Eren once again thought he was dreaming. For this moment, anything else would make more sense than what was happening now. A conversation with a ghost, and his dad whom he devoured. His head felt hot, everything felt surreal.

"I don't even know what to think right now. I can't even..." Eren laughed. His eyes burned, his chest constricted. Laughing was the only thing that made sense.

Grisha solemnly looked at Eren. "Son..." He tried to reach his hand out to Eren but found that it passed right through. "Try and calm down, it's a lot to take in, but just try and think of it as seeing my memories."

Eren felt the urge to embrace his dad but shot it down after recalling his vicious slaughter of the royal family, a sick sensation climbing up his chest. "I don't understand," he finally admitted.

"And neither do I." Kruger added. "I shouldn't even be here, yet I am. The only person he should be seeing is you, Grisha."

Grisha gave a pensive look. "Yes well, we have a lot to talk about, it seems."

Eren speculatively spread his arm out to phase through Grisha's torso. "How is this possible?" He asked. His eyes met Grisha's who wore his glasses much like when he was alive. "How is any of this possible?"

"Don't you think it best we talk about this somewhere more.. secluded?" Grisha suggested.

Kruger scoffed. "I don't see anyone around."

Eren felt himself sobering up, he had seen plenty of insane things in recent times, what's a few more? He quickly grew apprehensive and impatient, "I want to know everything. I want to know what's in the basement, you were going to tell me anyways, before the fall.. why wait now?" He asked, tugging on the key, as if to remind him of that promise.

"The sooner we tell Eren, the sooner we prevent this suicide mission. Grisha, stop this stalling. If you don't, I will." Urged Kruger, speaking straight to the point and perhaps with a threat layered throughout.

Grisha pinched the bridge of his nose. The fool, Kruger. One Eren was already enough, now he had to deal with two. "I'm only suggesting we move somewhere more private."

Kruger eyed Grisha with a blatant look of contempt, "You have waited long enough. Was neglecting your duties once not enough for you?" The comment almost instantly visibly angered Grisha, who then attempted to slap the man, only to find that they too could not touch one another, settling for a look of disgust instead.

"Disappointing," Grisha said lamely. "I was hoping I could finally hand it to you upon my death." The two men had come to resent one another, that much was obvious. Eren stood between the two, puzzled as to what they were arguing about, and for what reason they seemed to hate each other.

"And where were these balls before?" Kruger taunted.

"Balls? Peachy coming from the man whose killed more Eldians than even the most hate-filled and bloodthirsty Marleyan. How many comrades have you lead to their death as they screamed in your name?"

"And yet I still did what I had to do, unlike yourself! Where was your conviction when it came to your vow? You turned your back on not just me- everyone!" Accused Kruger, who by then had gotten up and into Grisha's face. "Eren has the power to save not just these people, our people! Was it not you who broke your vow, was it not you who turned your back on our comrades?"

"What the fuck are you two arguing about?!" Yelled Eren, causing both men to look at him in an unbridled annoyance.

Just before either could respond, a voice had called out. "Eren?"

And with that his heart had dropped. For a moment, his world came crashing down and he was sure that only the worst outcome would turn out. Really, there was no reason to feel like he had just been caught committing the most heinous of crimes, but feel that way he did.

It was Armin, as he soon found out, that stared at himself, who just a moment from then, was talking to no one.

I'm fucked, Eren solidly concluded.

To Erens gratitude, Kruger and Grisha had finally ceased their arguing. It gave him the spatial thought to think of a hasty excuse, although he could hardly think of any under the sudden pressure. For that split second of his mind turning, he figured the only way out was with a false truth.

"I was remembering something. From my, uh, dads' life," He spat out. There was then an immediate concern for why he would lie about his current situation. He took a look at Kruger from the corner of his eye. The man was standing there staring a hole into him, seemingly stating what need not be said, 'Don't tell him about us,' and his father was there beside him, not paying his predicament any attention and instead focused looking at Armin.

An awkward pause settled among them as the three characters waited for whatever came next. Armin held his face in such a way that it was obvious he was having an internal debate amongst himself. "Were you talking to someone?"

Eren sucked in his breath. "Don't reveal anything to him, Eren." Kruger finally audibly warned.

Walls, he cursed internally to himself. "No." He said lowly. "Well, to myself, I guess. I was just trying to sort out what I had seen, and I must've been talking out loud."

"I assume this must be Armin. He's grown quite.. some." Grisha moved to inspect the boy further, Armin being completely oblivious to it all. "Well, I suppose he's still just a boy, though he takes an awful lot more from his mother. Much like you Eren."

"Eh?" Eren mindlessly replied, shocked at the sudden comparison. Armin took notice of that and followed Eren's line of sight. "What?" He questioned. Eren almost face palmed. He didn't bother to look for a reaction from Kruger, already guessing some sort of judgmental face taking hold on the man's face.

"Nothing I just-" Eren stopped there. Why was he lying to Armin? He settled into a quick debate amongst himself, what would be wrong with revealing he was seeing... dead people? Including his father? He thought about it. Aside from the insanity implications, it would surely be a good thing.

The basement was their primary goal of the upcoming expedition, the retaking of Wall Maria being the secondary, but also equally important objective. The questions held in the basement stood right next to him... the expedition wouldn't be needed, yet, assuming his father could just tell him what he wanted to show him back in Shiganshina. He could finally find out, they all could.

There was also Kruger, the man seemed adamant that Eren not tell. Why? Eren closed his eyes and breathed. He could trust in his friends, he was sure could, but it wouldn't hurt to wait. Just a little longer, he promised silently to Armin and all of humanity.

He opened his eyes and found that Armin's looked right back at him, both converging and seemingly coming to a non-verbal understanding among close friends. "It's nothing Armin. Really, it's nothing. It just gets confusing sometimes, that's all." Eren tried to re-assure him, though he was sure he did a horrible job at it. It was hard to convince someone of anything when you were unsure of it yourself.

Armin nodded and slowly made his way over to join him in enjoying the morning outside. Eren didn't know what to do, too awkward to leave, and too uncomfortable to make deep conversation with two ghostly spectators close nearby. They stood there for some time enjoying each other's company and making idle talk.

He didn't know when, but the two apparitions had moved themselves elsewhere, either to talk or dissipate into nothingness Eren had no idea, though he was grateful he could take a breather before diving back into madness.

"You know Eren," Armin had started. "You can talk about it, with me, us."

Eren refused to make eye contact, not allowing himself to reveal any true feelings he was warding off to slip through his eyes. The last thing he needed was to rile up Armin even more. "I know," was all he could manage.

"I need to know why you don't want me telling them I can see you." The question was mainly directed to Kruger, though also applied to his father who he knew was watching from beyond his sight.

"How you live is not for us to say." The man held his face solid and looked at him with a stone gaze. "But.. We've lived through this all before, uninterrupted for a thousand of years. We're the only ones who can understand you, is that not enough of a reason for you?"

Eren thought about it. Without the full story, the importance of Kruger's words would no doubt pass right over him. "No." He decided. "I need to know more. I want to know, so tell me it all." Why is this the world we live in?

"No more interruptions, eh?" Kruger manifested a smoke and smiled to himself ever so slightly. "And how do you feel about this, Grisha?"

Seeing his father morph into existence unsettled him to a certain degree. He wasn't sure that was something he could ever get used to. "The ever-moving pursuit is what defines us, isn't it? Eren if this is what you decided, what am I supposed to do, if not help?" Help you, and make sure you don't lose your way.

"So, where should we begin?"

I don't know how to write.