Due to the military purge following the coup, a considerable amount of talent was lost from humanity's forces, but…the discovery of glowing ore in the underground cavern was one of the many things gained. Also with Eren's hardening ability, a certain anti-Titan weapon was born.

Lando watched from above the wall with the rest of Levi's squad including Hange, who were testing their new weapon. It worked with Eren hardening around the gate but left an opening big enough for a Titan to poke its head through and when they did a log would come crashing down killing it.

"A direct hit on the nape!" Hange said excitedly "This could be it…!"

Steam started to fly out of the Titan's nape.

"We did it!" Hange screamed. "That's a 12-meter, crushed!"

Eren fell to his knees.

"We did it!" he said.

"Hell yeah!" Hange said. "With this, we can kill Titans without a single soldier fighting! We'll hack down the Titans all day and night! Say hello to the executioner from hell! We did it, Eren!"

Lando looked over and saw Eren bleeding profusely from his nose and Levi helping him with his handkerchief.

"He probably overused his Titan abilities," Levi said. "All he's done is hardening experiments lately."

"Sorry Eren…" Hange said.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Hange.' Eren said. "Who gives a damn if I'm tired. Let's hurry…make weapons…and get going…to Shiganshina."

Levi looked at Eren for a second before conceding.

"Alright," Levi said. "Let's go."

Hange and Eren walked away from the wall while the rest of Levi's squad started to descend the wall, they successfully made it down.

"Lando," Levi said.

"Hm?" Lando asked.

"What do you think of the new trap?" Levi asked.

"What do I think?" Lando said. "Hm…"

Lando thought for a few seconds.

"I think there is too much room for error," Lando said. "Eren needs to only leave enough space for the Titan head to get through, if the Titan turns smarter or something they will be able to get through."

"Ok," Levi said.

"Why'd you ask?" Lando asked.

"Because we are going to discuss ways to improve that thing," Levi said.

"Another meeting?" Lando asked.

"Yeah," Levi said. "I'm still a member of the Scouts."

"I guess," Lando said.

"See ya later," Levi said ruffling Lando's hair.

"See ya," Lando said.

Levi left and Lando found he had nothing to do.

Lando roamed the streets for a while just to find nothing to do when he stumbled across a man dressed in a fancy suit trying to sell some drink that would cure your old age.

"With this simple drink, you will reverse time itself!" the man yelled out to the passersby. "You can look as if you are in your twenties!"

Next to the man was a homeless man, dirty, hungry, and lonely.

Lando sat down on a barrel across the street and drew the scene. It took hours to draw because Lando wanted this to be perfect.

By the time he was done, it was night and the salesman had just finished packing up while the homeless man sat there still. Lando got up as well and walked back to the barracks. It was dinner time so the rest of the Scouts were probably eating. Lando walked in there and got some food when Mikasa of all people called him over to their table.

"Hm?" Lando asked.

Mikasa didn't say anything so Armin did.

"Might as well sit down now that you're here." Armin offered.

Lando didn't say anything and sat down.

All of Levi Squad was there and Marlo.

"We can win!" Marlo said. "We can beat them! With the new weapons, the Titans will crumble like paper!"

"You're so damn worked up," Jean said. "Only you would be happy about becoming a Scout."

"That's right!" Sasha said. "Didn't Hitch try to stop you from joining?"

"Hitch?" Marlo asked. "Why would she?"

"Why? 'Cuz you two are….you know." Sasha teased.

Lando sighed and shook his head, he shouldn't have sat here.

"I don't follow, but…" Marlo said in a very serious tone. "Hitch told me off, saying I wasn't cut out for it and not to act cool. That if I stayed in the Military Police, I could coast along in life. I thought she was better than that…Told her I was wrong about her"

"You shit," Jean said.

"Marlo, are you stupid?" Armin asked.

"He's a bull-cut imbecile," Sasha said.

"Why?" Eren asked. "Marlo said nothing wrong."

Marlo made the right choice in Lando's opinion a relationship in the Scouts will always end, he had already seen it numerous times after Trost.

"Anyways, the only ones as worked up as you are the recruits with zero battle experience," Jean said.

"Woah, woah…" A recruit with reddish hair said. "Think you're some veteran hero now?"

"Compared to you I am," Jean said.

"How rude." The red-haired recruit said. "Weren't we in the 104th together? Besides, we're not the only ones. Everyone in the walls is pumped up about retaking Wall Maria."

"Is that so?" Jean asked.

The red-haired recruit looked at them for a few seconds before he seemed a little scared.

"Still, you all do seem different now." The recruit said. "It's your faces I guess….What exactly happened? "

"Wanna know?" Jean said.

Everyone at the table seemed to take a hint and looked menacingly except Lando who was eating his food and looking at his journal, losing interest in the conversation.

"No.." The red-haired recruit said. "I think…I'll ask later."

The recruit walked away and Conny stood up.

"I'm outta here." He said. "See you later."

"Eh?" Sasha asked. "So soon?

"Tomorrow's a prep day, so I'm heading to my village in the morning," Conny said. "Might find out something new there."

Levi was looking for Lando all over, he had finally made his way to the dining room and saw Lando sitting with the rest of his squad. Levi was happy that Lando was there since he always seemed to be alone, even if Lando was looking at his journal and not paying attention to what was being said. So Levi walked away.

"Turning Conny's mom back to normal…isn't impossible right?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah," Armin said. "If our understanding of Titan's keeps improving, someday…"

"A nightmare huh?" Eren said.

Nobody knew what Eren was talking about.

"With all that's happened…It's been so vague…" Eren said. "But who exactly are we fighting against? That is, Titans just…people being tormented by some nightmare? For a time…I was one of those Titans."

"Eren!" Mikasa said, snapping him out of it. "You still have bread and soup left. Save talking for after you've eaten."

"Right," Eren said in a monotone. "Sorry, Mikasa."

"For crying out loud Eren," Jean said. "I swear that's all you do lately…mumbling shit to yourself. When you should be trying to remember that one guy. You saw right? In the cavern when those memories came back… That guy in the Scouts who you think met your dad."

"Yeah…" Eren said. "That day, I'm pretty sure he was with my dad." Eren took a drink from his mug. "He's gotta know something. The thing is, though, I feel like I've met that guy somewhere."

"You mean not Dr. Jaeger, but you, yourself?" Armin asked.

"I think so…" Eren said.

"Smack your head and see if you remember" Sasha offered.

"That's right, Twerp," Jean said. "You might remember if you stop holding hands with Historia for once."

"Ut oh." Lando didn't even mean for that to be audible, he looked over at Mikasa who had a straight face but you could tell she was fuming.

"Get a head butt from the commandment," Jean said.

"If that helped me remember, I'd-" Eren was saying before he seemed to remember something.

"Huh?" Eren said looking the most serious Lando had ever seen, Eren stood up in a flash causing everyone to look at him.

"The Cadet Corps commandment…" Eren said. "Keith Sadies!"

"Huh?" Armin asked.

"It was Keith Sadies!" Eren said.

"Well come on!" Jean said standing up. "Let's go tell Commander Erwin!"

Everyone got up except Lando who hadn't finished his dinner, he continued eating until he realized Mikasa hadn't stood up yet.

Lando looked at her confused.

"I've got a question," Mikasa said.

"Hm?" Lando asked.

"Do you know anything about the Ackermans?" Mikasa asked.

"I didn't get that last name until a week ago," Lando said. "So no."

"So your last name is Ackerman?" Mikasa asked.

"Me and my dad's last name is Ackerman," Lando said.

"So does that mean that…" Mikasa said. "Are we family?"

"I guess it does," Lando said nonchalantly, a second later Lando recoiled a little bit. He saw what Mikasa did with Eren and she considered him family.

"We must be cousins then," Mikasa said.

Lando shook his head yes.

Mikasa getting the answer she wanted got up and went off for the rest of the Squad.

If Eren was right about Keith, Lando knew that they would be going there tomorrow so he decided to try and get some sleep, however little he could get.

The next day.

Lando was right. The very next day the Scouts were out riding toward the 104th Cadet training ground to find Ketih when Hange started talking.

"Before Erwin, he was the 12th commander of the Scout Regiment. It's been a long time since I've seen him."

The rest of the trip was in silence as when they got there Levi and Hange did all the talking until all of Levi Squad and Hange were in an office room.

"What's wrong, Braus?" Keith asked. "Not sitting?"

Lando looked over at Sasha who looked very nervous.

"No!" She screamed out. "I am quite fine standing here."

"If I recall…" Keith said. "Back in the day, I always used to call you in here and chew you out. And it's only been a handful of months. I hardly recognize you all anymore. Except you Lando." A small smile was on Sadie's face. "You still have that same look."

Levi looked at the ground in shame, if only he was there.

"Commander Sadies…" Hange said changing the subject. "Rather Commandment… With preparations to retake Wall Maria underway, perhaps you can guess what brings us here today."

Sadies looked at Eren for a few seconds.

"Eren." He said. "You resemble your mother so much. However, the fangs lurking deep in your eyes are surely your father's."

"Tell me about him!" Eren demanded. "Everything you know!"

"I know nothing…" Sadies said. "In the grand scheme of things… However, I can tell you a story utterly useless to humanity. The story of my past… as a mere bystander."

Nobody said anything and Sadies started.

"Twenty years ago. Wall Maria. In front of the gates of Shiganshina, he was there. Except that he knew his name was Grisha Yaeger. He truly knew nothing at all. Not about this world…or anything. He said that being a Scout, you have to be a chosen one. It was the first time anyone told me that. It's true inside the walls were much too cramped for me. If only I was commander, I'd show results. These idiots with their tiny brains…I'd accomplish so much that even they'd understand. And then everyone…Would have to acknowledge me. I was the commander, people would say that the morons would charge straight to their deaths. After a mission, I met your mother Eren. They'd just had you, we had a talk and it made me realize that Erwin was supposed to be the commander. Special people did exist. I was just never one of them. Why did I not realize that simple fact? Years go by and the first Titan attack happens, and I hear someone yell at me as soon as the Titan destroys the gates. It was Grisha, he led me to an empty warehouse outside the walls where you were lying down. You said that a Titan ate your mother. Then he said that you must avenge your mother. After that, you two got up and Grisha said don't follow me. I ran after you two and asked why didn't he do it? Why didn't he avenge Carla? Is it because you're special? Unlike me…What if your kid is different, too? Are you going to curse….someone else now? This child is not like you. Grisha told me. He's my son. I beg you. Stay out of it. I considered it but I ran after you guys, I found only you lying there. And then I carried your unconscious body back to the shelter. That is everything I know."

"So that's…it?" Eren asked.

"Now we know the real reason why you resigned," Hange said. "Not to atone for the soldiers you killed, but because you realized you were never special. That's the childish reason you're here."

"Quit it, Hange," Levi said.

"Screw your inferiority complex," Hange said. "Don't run from reality. Isn't that vowing to give our hearts was all about?!"

"Not everyone believes in giving their hearts," Lando said. "We all know the real reason why we're here and most think giving their hearts is just a formality."

Hange was about to say something back when Eren piped up.

"Please stop, Hange. The commandant was right. I was never special or anything. But…I'm the son of a special man. That's all it is."

"Your mother…" The commandant said. "Carla said this…"

"Is it wrong not to be special?"

End of Chapter 43.

If any of you have any questions about the story let me know I will answer them all.

And now to answer some.

Yes, Levi was conscripted 12 years before Wall Maria fell, and Levi did forget about Ophelia because after Furlan and Isabel died and he joined the Scouts Ophelia just wasn't that important to him anymore.