Smoke crept into the Trost headquarters like a silent thief at the dead of the night, slipping between the cracks and crevices of the crumbling walls. It swirled and danced beneath the dim moonlight, filling the empty halls with ashes, finding It's way towards a chamber where a lone soldier lay curled up on the ground. Floch Forster stirred awake, his dreamless slumber disturbed by the soft crackling of flames and the thick, acrid smoke filling his lungs.

He sat up with a cough, rubbing his burning eyes as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, the smoke crept into every corner of the office he found himself in. He hesitated to leave for a second, the smoke wasn't merely suffocating him, it whispered things to him. He rose to his feet, and it clung to him like a cloak, wrapping around his body and pulling him to the exit. He stumbled out into the darkness, eyes streaming with tears and throat burning.

A lit torch down the hall directed him to a door, he desperately pushed his way through thinking he had found the way out, yet once he set foot inside he knew it was nothing of the sort. To his confusion, the smoke had suddenly vanished without a trace. Floch froze, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he stumbled on a shadowy figure by the far corner of the room, standing facing the wall.

The boy could clearly make out the familiar light brown jacket and white pants, but something about this person felt uncanny to him. Were they waiting for him? Floch wanted to run away, but his curiousiy got the best of him. He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the figure, calling out to them. "Hey, you there! A- are you okay? What are you doing?"

Nothing.

Floch took another step forward, his heart racing with fear, yet remaining calm enough to investigate this further. "Talk to me, can you hear me?" he said, his voice trembling.

Floch gasped, the faceless figure slowly turning to face him. It's features suddenly twisted into a groesque mask of anguish and hatred, dark empty eyes forming, like holes leading to the void. Its mouth opened in a silent scream, it lunged forward with lightning speed, the boy had no time to react. It tackled him down to the ground, he cried out in horror as he desperately pushed back against it, it's features morphing into countless other deceased victims.

Faces of those that had fallen under his command.

The redhead used every ounce of strength in his body to push the creature away from him, succeeding with great effort as he turned on his stomach and stood up, sprinting back towards the exit. He barged against it and tripped out into the hallway, he leaned against the opposing wall and looked back inside, his heart dropping to his stomach as he found no trace of it.

Floch ran away, his heart pounding as he raced through this labyrinth of a castle, several voices began screaming out behind him, mournful cries echoing in his ears, filling him with a sense of impending doom.

"Murderer!"

"You fool!"

"I trusted you!"

The place was old and crumbling, he could feel the weight of it's history bearing down on him as he ran, he saw a faint light shining in the distance and knew it was his only chance of escape. He pushed himself to run faster, his lungs burning and his legs aching. But they were closing in, their screams of anger and regret growing louder with each step, and he knew that they were almost upon him.

"Floch!" A voice called out from the light.

A lone figure to whom the voice belonged to cast a shadow on the hall as they stood in the way of the light, filling the boy with hope. With one final burst of energy, Floch pushed himself towards their open arms. The light suddenly intensified and expanded as it englufed the figure and made it's way to swallow him as well.

"I am afraid."

Floch jolted awake upright in his bed, gasping for air and heart pounding in his chest. Sweat drenched his clothes as beads of sweat dotted his forehead, he glanced around frantically, trying to orient himself in the room. A soft touch on his arm made him jump.

"Floch, It's just me, you're alright!" A familiar voice, Sandra, said gently. "You were shouting in your sleep, It's okay now, it was just a nightmare." Her voice soothing and calm as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she whispered words of reassurance.

He looked up at her, recognition dawning slowly. "A nightmare?" he muttered within tangled sheets, his voice hoarse. He closed his eyes, still trying to shake off the lingering fear as he leaned into the warmth of her embrace.

"That's right, you're safe now. It's all over."

He opened his eyes and looked around, making out the faint sounds coming from the other side of the room. Floch inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in his body gradually wane. He gave her a grateful glance as they pulled away, before asking. "What did I miss?"

"You've been out for two days, we're in a makeshift hospital right now." She responded. "As for the rest..." Sandra halted, her eyes lingering towards the evening sky as she peered over Floch's shoulder and into the window. Her eyes narrowed with a tinge of discomfort as she recalled the events, the last few minutes of the battle still fresh in her mind.

The titans descended upon them quickly, filling the streets from each direction with their massive bodies towering over the buildings as the cadets and the scouts alike raced to the walls. Eren ran closely behind them in his titan form, a cart filled with wounded cadets clutched closely to his chest. The ground trembled beneath their feet, weakened buildings crumbling around them as a result, leaving deep impressions on the street as Eren paved the way forward.

"Yeager! If you can hear me, skip over the river at the next intersection! We're peeling off first!" Erwin Smith called out to the titan who gave no indication of acknowledgement.

The scouts and the cadets gliding through the town broke off to the right, leaving the boy and the wounded cadets with him under the protection of Levi's squad. To Sandra's surprise, the titans seemed to show no interest in any of them, opting to follow after Eren instead. She landed on the roof of a church, within close range of the eastern wall as she observed the titans in the distance alongside her comrades. They watched with bated breaths as Eren leaped across the river with the cart in hand, dozens of titans following after him as they tripped over each other and fell into the water, with Levi's squad eliminating any that made it through.

Eren held the cart above his head as scouts and Garrison soldiers alike moved the wounded to the elevators, extracting him out of his titan form shortly after. An uneasy hush hung over them all as they moved to the other side, the shock from today's events finally setting in for them. She cradled Floch's unconscious body in her arms as she looked at the drained features of her friends, sitting close to one another inside the descending lift with the rest of the group. The shine had gone from Hannah's eyes, Ruth appeared to have aged many years, and Gordon's daydreaming had lost its naive charm.

Ruth shifted position so that she could rest her head on the girl's shoulder. "Is it really over?" Ruth mumbled as she stared aimlessly into the sky.

Sandra hummed.

"I'm so tired," She exhaled and cried softly into the brunette's shoulder.

"I know, everything is fine now." Sandra replied softly, giving Ruth's head a comforting stroke.

The cadets sat up and left the elevator as several men and women awaited them at the bottom, preparing to carry the wounded away on stretchers. Hannah gazed down at Floch with a blank gaze then wandered off on her own. The remaining trio followed after the men who were transporting Floch, before abruptly coming to a stop upon noticing the sizable contingent of armed garrison soldiers in the distance. Sandra recognized Eren Yeager's figure as another squad of MPs surrounded and escorted him beside the scouts. The three cadets exchanged uncomfortable glances before catching up to Floch.

"Any Idea where they took him? Any rumors going around?" Floch questioned as he moved the bedsheets away and sat on the bed's side much to her chagrin.

"Nothing, the scouts used him to seal the breach while they gave us orders to sit back, they told us not to tell anyone what happened. After that, nobody knows. MP's snatched him away." Sandra paused as an unpleasant smell entered the room through the window, a smell Floch was familiar with. "We moved back into town early this morning after they finished clearing out the remaining titans, we're rounding up the dead."

The teen fixed her with a gaze, eyes hard as stone as they bore into her soul. "Sandra, take me to the burning site."

She looked into his eyes with a mixture of worry and confusion. "Why would you-, I can't, you shouldn't be moving at all." She said firmly.

His gaze grew more intense. "I don't need you fretting over me like you're my mother, I can handle myself just fine." He hissed.

Her expression softened, she reached out a hand to touch his arm. "I understand, Floch but you've pushed yourself too much, and I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself even more, you need to rest."

Floch looked at her hand on his arm, and then back at her face, his eyes filled with anger. "I don't need damn rest! I have to see. I need to." he said through grit teeth.

Sandra flinched and drew back her hand, her own eyes now stony. "Alright," she gave in.

He let out a sigh, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry."

She got up and left the room, returning shortly after with a fresh uniform for him to wear. "I'll wait outside." Floch stared at the door for just a few moments before changing.

Night 3, 48 hours after the Trost breach.

The duo made their way to the source of the smoke, with Floch leaning on her for support. They came to a stop a small distance away from the raging flames, groups of soldiers gathered around them watching the remains of the fallen scatter into the air. A somber silence hung over them, as Sandra snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"How many do you think are burning in there?"

The girl frowned, staring at side of his face worriedly, how was she supposed to respond to that?

Floch shook his head. "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask. I can't help but ask myself how many in there died on my orders, how many counted on me for an answer and died thinking they were saved." Floch spoke, "I grew complacent, the world doesn't wait for you to tie your laces, if you blink you'll miss half of it, It was like I had my eyes closed." Floch went on, much to her confusion.

"Floch... none of this is your fault, we worked with what we were given. Everybody stayed because they believed in you, you've inspired all of us! Besides, there's nothing we could have done about the colossal titan, at least now... with Yeager, we stand somewhat of a chance. We're all in this together, remember?" She said, her expression one of support and understanding.

"Those speeches meant nothing, never has anyway. Just fancy talk to convince a bunch of children to kill themselves efficiently, and those who were meant to be saved weren't. I've seen things, men, women and children lying dead and not because of titans." Floch stared at the flames blankly, and Sandra couldn't help but feel dread creeping inside her.

"We've all been through hell, you were right that day, with Ruth, nothing could have prepared us for this. But never say it was all nothing, we saved that girl-"

"In exchange for dozens of lives, what does it matter in the end? I now know that I'm done waiting, I need to make order out of chaos, I need it all to have purpose, and soon enough I will, mark my words." He swore.

Sandra glanced down at the ground, mustering up the courage to speak before looking up at him."I believe you will, because I-" She muttered before a voice nearby cut her off.

"You're finally awake."

Floch glanced to the side, finding noneother than Ymir standing there, Krista next to her as they both exchanged a silent greeting. "You've had me a little worried you weren't going to make it, we've heard you've had it rough back there." She added.

"All thanks to their sacrifices, I can't die just yet." The redhead replied.

He looked around, noting the state of everyone present. Connie and Sasha stood closest to the fire, the boy curled up and tears streaming down his face. Hannah, Ruth and Gordon were not far away, each sporting troubled looks as did the others around them. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the ones responsible for this, as his gaze was met with that of Bertholdt's.

"That's war, you've done all you could and you survived, that's all that matters now." Ymir replied.

Floch removed his arm from around Sandra's shoulders and stood up on his own, much to her worry. He walked a couple of steps forward with a limp to his step and knelt down to pick up a piece of charred bone, the heat began to spread to his finger as he tossed the bone back into the fire.

Floch sat down beneath the wall of a ruined house as he watched the flames consume the corpses of his comrades in front of him, to his left and right stood the other eight survivors, the last of the scout regiment. The redhead sat exhausted, knowing that it was the least they could do for them lest they allow their remains to rot out in the fields of Shiganshina. Morbidly enough, it was thanks to the sheer destructive power of the colossal titan that they didn't have a need to bury those who had died on the other side of the wall.

Jean reached his hand forward, as the boy looked up. "Come on, we have to go back, tell them what happened." He told him.

"Tell them what exactly? How we lost everyone, including the commander?" He replied, tiredly.

Jean didn't respond, a troubled and understanding look in his eyes. Floch frowned, but took his hand nonetheless as the nine scouts began making their way out of the recaptured town to report their victory.

Jean sent him a fleeting look as he turned around and left as Marco followed after him, unable to bear standing around the fire any longer. Floch struggled to contain himself, those behind him noticing the way his body shook. He turned around and faced the freckled girl, a dangerous look in his teary eyes.

"I haven't done anything yet."

Eren slowly became aware of his surroundings as the hazy fog of unconsciousness lifted from his mind, his eyelids felt heavy, as if they were weighed down by an invisible force. As he tried to open them, he realized that they were sore and crusty, as if he had been asleep for a very long time. As his vision cleared, the teenager realized that he was lying on a cold, hard bed, his arms and legs chained to the bedposts.

The faint flicker of a torch on the damp walls of the dungeon cast eerie shadows that danced around the room and the air was thick with a musty odor. He looked forward, the blurriness of his vision fading away to reveal noneother than the survey corps commander Erwin Smith and the captain Levi Ackermann. "Do you have any questions?" The commander asked as he gazed at the boy with steely eyes.

"Where.. am I?"

"As you can tell, we're in a dungeon. You're being kept under the custody of the military police brigade, we've just received permission to meet you." Erwin answered, pulling out a familiar key from his jacket.

"That's-"

"Yours, you'll get it back. Your home- Dr. Yeager's basement in Shiganshina is where the secret of the titans lies, that's what you've told us before we sealed the breach. Is that correct?" Erwin questioned.

"That's what my father told me." Eren muttered.

Levi narrowed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest as he cut in. "A missing father and sudden amnesia, eh? What a convenient combination." He scoffed.

The blond man glanced back at him sharply. "Levi, I believe we've already established that he has no reason to lie. There is still much for us to know, but I believe the best course of action right now is to determine your intentions." He replied as he turned towards Eren with a question.

Eren's eyes widened slightly as he muttered apprehensively. "My.. intentions?"

Erwin nodded. "The only way to investigate your home is to recapture our lost territories in wall Maria and Shiganshina, as you've already demonstrated, your powers will play a crucial role in sealing the breach at Shiganshina. It appears that one way or another, our future will depend on the titans, as we can assume that the colossal and armored are the same as you."

Eren's eyes widened in shock as he remembered Floch's words.

"There's nine of them total, yourself included."

"A-are the colossal and armored titans like me t-too?"

"Yes."

"Your intentions play a key role here, the key to freeing mankind from this despair." Erwin concluded as he lifted the key in front of him again.

Eren lowered his head as he grit his teeth, an intense look in his eyes. "I..."

'I'll exterminate them from this world! Every last one of them, I won't spare a single one!'

His expression of hatred dropped as it was replaced by that of realization.

"...If certain conditions are met, then pretty much anyone can turn into a titan."

They were human once, all of them were, even the one who killed his mother. He hadn't the faintest of clues as to how they turned into these nightmarish abominations, those who had taken everything from him had no choice in the matter. Well, just those who couldn't turn back. Floch had much to explain, but at least now he knew part of the truth.

"Stop wasting our time, scum. What's your answer?" Levi prodded.

Eren looked back up at them, his face filled with determination.

"You wanna learn about the culprits behind your mother's death right?"

"I want to uncover the truth about the titans too."

Day 5

The next couple of days weren't easier for any of them, the civilians rolled back into town shortly after them, many joining the effort in rebuilding what was demolished in the attack, their morale hanging by a thread only thanks to their bittersweet victory over the titans. Floch, Gordon, Ruth, Hannah and Sandra were all seated together in the mess hall of the ruined headquarters as they ate breakfast with a vacant spot left between Hannah and Ruth.

"Rumor's been spreading this morning, apparently some officers were talking about Eren being taken to court today." Gordon informed the others at the table as he ate a spoonful of broth, Sasha who had been seated behind them snuck a glance at the redheaded boy.

"What for?" Sandra puzzled.

"To decide his fate." Floch answered, an angry glint in his eyes.

Sasha turned her head around and frowned, recalling the events of the previous night.

It was nearly dark when she had finished her assignments for the day, the girl sat atop of a staircase in silence as she enjoyed a loaf of bread she had hidden away in her pockets. She aimlessly gazed off into space with a heavy mind as she recalled the girl she had rescued, she had nowhere to go after her mother's passing, condemed to be sent off into an orphanage like countless others. She was certain that her parents would take her in, but she needed to speak to Floch first, seeing that Louise asked for him.

She sighed, nearly finished with her food as she caught a glimpse of the boy in question below her. Her brows raised curiously as she spotted him duck into an alley, her curiousity got the best of her as she finished the rest of the bread in a single bite then followed after him. She stalked him from a distance as he made his way to the edge of the town, all the way out to an abandonned home. Sasha was about to step out into the open when she suddenly noticed Ymir walking ahead, she ducked back into cover and waited for the girl to enter.

A few minutes later, Sasha crept towards the house and stopped by the windows as the sun finally died down, she leaned in as she began hearing voices from the inside.

"You have to be fucking kidding me." Came Ymir's voice as she laughed in disbelief.

"By the time I realized what was going on... It was already too late, I couldn't stop them from taking down the wall."

Sasha frowned, barely making out what they were saying as she listened in intently. She stealthily made her way inside the house and walked past the stairs next to a cupboard as she continued to eavesdrop the two, missing some parts of the conversation in the process.

"What is important now is that Eren will be held until trial tomorrow, I'll do everything in my power to ensure that the premier chooses this outcome, they'll ask me to come as witness in court, you'll have to go too, make your way to the royal capital unannounced just in case.-"

"Hold on, you're asking me to help you jailbreak Yeager?" She inquired incredulously.

"I am taking precautions here, this is a dangerous game we're playing, should all else fail, then we'll have no choice."

"No, I'm not part of this." She snarled at him. "You can't just decide on a whim if I am or not. Besides, you're not asking what I think you are, are you?"

Sasha couldn't peek around the corner to see them, but the silence was defeaning.

"You are! are you fucking crazy? You want me to leave Krista behind and go on the run? Did you forget what we agreed on?!" She hissed.

"I remember clearly, and as I said, It is merely a precaution. I haven't told you this yet, but I spoke to the armored and colossal yesterday, made a deal with them. All I have to do now is make my way to the survey corps and finish what I started."

Sasha's stomach dropped as her eyes widened at the piece of information.

"You... Spoke with them? Made a deal?.. What did you speak about?"

"That's need to know, are you in or out?" Floch questioned, as Sasha heard the girl moving closer to the boy in an abrupt manner.

She peeked around the corner, catching glimpses of the freckled girl clutching the boy by his collar threateningly.

"You're making it difficult for me to trust you, you know that?" She spoke disdainfully, as the boy looked back at her unflinchingly. "You can't go behind my back and do this shit and expect me to just go along with it, what the hell are you planning?!"

"Firstly, I'll remind you that our agreement was merely to guard each other's secrets, if you can show me that our interests align beyond Krista then I would be more inclined for us to work together." Floch said, removing the grip she had on his collar. "I can work around not having your assistance yet here we are, what does that tell you? "

The two were locked in a staring match, as her intense gaze clashed against his unnervingly calm one, a lump formed in Sasha's throat as she anxiously spied on them.

"Secondly, you'll do well to remember Ymir, you still owe me for helping Krista."

She continued to glare at him, neither moving or speaking as tension mounted. Ymir ultimately gave in first, sighing deeply in frustration. "Fucking bastard." She backed a way a few steps and leaned against a table. "Fine, I am in. But I will not sit around while you pull the wool over my eyes. I will help on the condition that you tell me everything, the full truth, we started this together, I deserve that much."

"Very well-" *creak* Floch paused as both of their head's snapped in the direction of the noise.

'Crap!' Sasha panicked as she heard footsteps making their towards her.

Ymir ran around the corner and came to a sharp stop, scanning the empty corridor with growing suspicion, Floch made his way next to her as he spoke. "What was it?"

"No one, just an old house." She replied.

"We should get out of here, I'll tell you the rest soon."

"You better." She hissed at him before they walked out.

Nearly ten minutes later, Sasha came out of the cupboard gasping for air. She sat up, her face morphed into an expression of disbelief at what she had just heard.

"Oi, Sasha, what's wrong you haven't finished your food." Connie asked next to her, bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

"Wha.." She replied in a daze.

"Your food, you're not eating." Connie repeated to her.

Her face fell as she looked down at the broth. "Oh, I'm not that hungry I guess."

"That's a first, figured you'd want to stuff your face even more now that you survived." Jean commented as he took a bite of bread.

"Hey, we've all been through hell and back." Connie snapped as he glared at him across the table.

"Yeah, some more so than others." Jean glared back as Connie flinched, remembering that day's events.

"Please, that's enough. We should all be grateful we survived, bickering like this adds nothing." Marco intervened, easing the tension.

"Tsk." Jean scoffed as he tore his eyes away and focused on his food.

Marco raised his brows questioningly as he became preoccupied with Sasha's incoherent mutterings.

"What's that, Sasha?"

"Y-you guys, I- I heard something really weird yesterday- I think-" She stuttered but was cut off as three military police officer barged into the mess hall.

"Mikasa Ackerman! Armin Arlert! Floch Forster! Are you here?!" A man with a clipboard in hand called out.

"Yes, sir." Armin replied as he stood up and walked forward.

"You've been ordered to appear as witnesses at this afternoon's inquiry." The man informed them.

"Inquiry?" Gordon repeated as he looked at Floch for an answer.

"I was leading the squads that day, they want my testimony about what happened with Eren." Floch explained as he sat up. "I'll see you all later." Floch said as he made his out with Mikasa and Armin.

'He's going! He's going! Oh god!' Sasha panicked inwardly. 'I have to tell somebody what's going to happen, but... I have no idea who the other two are! If I end up telling the wrong person they could- Ahhhhh!' Sasha banged her fist against the table sending some of their food flying.

"Hey! What the hell did you do that for? You got broth all over me!" Connie yelled as he stood up with frustration.

'I need to reach the Survey Corps.'

Marco glanced back at her, noticing the panick in her eyes, the trio around the table watched as she stood up and left. "I gotta go to the washroom!"

"She's been acting weird all morning." Connie noted.

Marco's eyes squinted with worry as he could only speculate what had troubled the girl.

"My advice is that you get used to it because it's only getting worse from this point forward once we're back behind the walls."

He was right.

The kingdom saw him as a threat, a monster to be sealed in a dungeon. He could only count on one hand the number of people who still saw him for who he was, not by what he was able to do. Some were so blinded by their fear that they went as far as to deny him basic rights such as water, fixing him with their cold and fearful gazes. What was he at this point? He couldn't for sure say that he was human, but he didn't quite feel like a monster either.

He wondered what Mikasa and Armin were up to now, he also wondered about Floch and Kirsta, the secrets that were revealed to him. His mind drifted to his other comrades in the 104th, where could they all be right now?

'Give us some time, we'll persuade them somehow.' Were Erwin Smith's parting words, but how true were they?

'How long am I staying here? Will it be forever? Will they decide to...'

Footsteps coming from around the corner alerted him, and not before long a woman he had never met before jumped in front of the cell and gripped the bars with an expression that sent chills down his spine. Her creepy wide open eyes closed into a smile as she greeted him. "So, you're Eren? Huh?" She smiled. "Are you okay? Anything going on with you nowadays?" Eren could only look at her with a gaping mouth as she went on.

"Ahh! Don't answer that! Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting. But it seems that you're finally getting out!" She announced to him much to his pleasure as his face lit up.

Well.

He should have known he'd still be in cuffs but at least there was silver lining there, it beat rotting in that cell. The woman escorted him out of his hold in cuffs as another tall scout accompanied them outside with the guards, the man in question couldn't stop sniffing his hair the entire walk.

"I'm Hange Zoe, a survey corps squad leader, and that over there is another squad leader, Mike Zacharias." Hange cheerfully introduced herself, noticing the uncomfortable look on the boy's face. "Don't mind him, he has a habit of sniffing people he just met.. and then smirking." On cue, the man adopted a smug look that perplexed the boy as they walked through the hall.

"I wouldn't worry about it, after all he was good enough to recieve the rank of squad leader." She added as they came to a stop. "Ah, sorry! Too much chit-chat! we're here!" She announced as she opened the doors to the court.

"Don't worry, It's better if you head into these things blind!" She told him as the guards suddenly took him hold of him and dragged him inside.

"H-hey! wait!" He called out to her.

She looked him straight in the eyes somberly as she spoke. "It's selfish, but we have no choice but to trust you. Good luck." She said as she pulled the doors shut in his face. He could have sworn he saw her mouthing the words 'Trust us.' as she closed it, but he didn't have much time to ponder on the matter.

Eren turned around and scanned the room around him, a sinking feeling in his gut as he realized this entire time he was underneath a military court. Everyone's eyes were glued to him, Soldiers, merchants, nobles. All gathered here today to bear witness to his trial, his eyes widened in shock as the dread crept up on him, he could be sentenced to death today.

"Forward!" The guard behind him shouted, pushing him with the barrel of his musket.

He was in a daze as he mindlessly walked forward, up until they placed him in the middle and locked him in place with a steel beam between his shackles. He knelt down and watched an old man walk up to the judge's bench, he set his coat on the table and gazed down at the shackled boy.

"Let us commence." He adjusted his glasses and took a paper in hand as he asked. "You're Eren Yeager, yes? You're a soldier, sworn to sacrifice your life for the public good. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir." Eren breathed out anxiously.

"This is an execptional situation, seeing as this tribunal will be held under military, not civilian, law. As such, the final decision rests entirely in my hands."

The hairs on his neck raised as he knew what his next words would be.

"Today, I'm the one who decides your fate."

His life was over.

"Any objections?"

"..No, sir."

"Your perception is appreciated, I'll be direct. It was impossible from the start to conceal your existence, as such we must make it public in some form in order to prevent any threats from rising besides the titans. So today, I will be deciding which force will have custody of you, The Military Police, or the Survey Corps." The old man announced.

Eren's heart beats began to pick up as his words sinked in, it was either serving under Erwin Smith or...

"Then, I shall ask the Military Police for their proposal." The man said, giving permission for their representative to speak.

"Yes, sir." A man spoke up as Eren glanced in his direction. "I, commander of the Military Police will present my proposal. After thorough investigation of his body, we believe Eren Yeager must be eliminated immediately." Nile shifted his gaze from the permier to Eren. "While his powers have helped us overcome our previous peril, it must be noted that his existence threatens the begining of a civil war, we also believe that he cannot be trusted with the powers he wields, we brought forward a witness today to solidify these claims; as such, we ask that Eren dies for the sake of humanity and does not impart his knowledge to the public." Nile concluded as he shifted to the side and revealed his witness.

Eren was startled as he stared at the person ahead of him, frozen in shock.

Floch Forster glanced back at him blankly, as he stood on the side that wished him dead.

Sorry, I know I said I was going to post this on sunday but my internet cut out so have it on monday instead!

Anyway, to answer axolotl's questions:

1). Yes, I've been mentioning Floch needing to build up and sway people to the cause again in the first few chapters, as you said most characters who weren't originally yeagerists wouldn't do it (Characters like Armin, Hange, Connie etc...), a thing I'm doing at the moment is sprinkling little hints to forshadow who would and wouldn't join.

2). You've already named the one I would have picked, so I guess the next one would be Eren killing his own mom.

That said, about the believablity of Connie watching Jean die. I do wanna mention that canonically, Jean/Sasha/Marco/Reiner/Bertholdt and Annie watched their friends in the 104th die and didn't step in to help even when the titans had their napes turned to them. (this was changed in the fic where Floch saved Tom and the two other cadets.) so anything is possible!

3). ErehisuFloch would be one, then Floch and Yelena, Ymir in season 4 should she have survived would have been interesting since she'd be a yeagerist on Historia's behalf, lastly I think Eren, Levi and Hange because they had no closure in canon (aside from the off-screen last talk he had with Levi which wouldn't make sense because the founder can't manipulate the ackermanns like that.).

EXCUBITORE (Will Floch get Bert's or Reiner's titan?):

I saw that many people opposed Floch receiving a titan, I am still undecided about it as the plot doesn't depend on him having titan powers at the moment.

Thank you for the support, love you platonically now get out of here and either go to sleep or do something /

Edited on 12/05/2023: Altered the first part of FlochYmir's conversation slightly during the flashback.