"Well, up to speed, Armin?" Armin's blue eyes lose all focus after Eren recounts the final moments of Armin's previous life and the argument that ensued afterward. Everyone huddles up around him while I have Sasha's head resting in my lap, trying to get her to drink some water from a canteen, and the slowly dying Commander Erwin rests to my left while my blonde friend contemplates the information he just received. It is much to hear, we heard half of the same tale and experienced the other.

"Are you telling me…the Scout Regiment...is the twelve of us here...and that's it?"

"For the time being," Jean responds. "The fighting ended four hours ago. We've been looking for survivors, but...none yet…"

"Unfortunately...I don't believe we'll find any..." Petra says softly.

"So, we managed to seal the walls of Shinganshina, but Reiner, the Beast Titan, and the Cart Titan escaped. Bertholdt was captured… Then...there was a dispute about using the injection on Commander Erwin or me...And I...turned into a Titan and ate B-Bertholdt…" Armin almost pukes his stomach out but Jean gives him some water to swallow the facts down.

"Why...did you pick me? No matter how you look at it, wasn't Commander Erwin the right one to bring back? Lieutenant! Why did you give me the injection?"

Annoyed Levi kicks Eren in the back. "I told you to tell him everything. The thing is, it seems your two friends here didn't think that way. They stood up to me, prepared to draw blood."

Eren and Mikasa bow their heads. "We'll take whatever punishment comes."

"You'll be disciplined for insubordination," Hange says, "but does taking the punishment allow you to do anything?"

"No."

"However...the final decision to choose you was mine. No… I chose this to be the place where Erwin dies, stubborn as he is being right now."

"I don't understand… There's no way it's okay to let Erwin die. If the commander is gone, how...how will we go on?"

"I agree," Hange says without any sort of remorse. "I thought it should've been used on Erwin if we're being brutally honest. No, it's a shame we were put in that position… Anyways, Erwin entrusted Levi with the decision to use it. And Levi ended up choosing you. There's nothing more to say. Erwin's life and a Titan's power rest on your shoulders. No matter what anyone says, that's part of who you are now, Armin."

"Does that mean… I need to be… Erwin's replacement? No way… I can't..."

"Haha..." I clear my throat, trying to play off the fact I laughed at Armin's ridiculousness. "Sorry. Armin, I hate to burst your bubble, but you're not exactly a good replacement for the Commander. No one here is, and it sure as hell ain't me. Someone like him comes along once in a lifetime. But you have a strength no one else does. I'm sure the Captain doesn't regret his decision..." I look over to the commander, his chest slowly rising and falling. "I don't think the commander would've done what he did...if he didn't know we were gonna be here when he's gone. So make sure you live up to his expectations. We're counting on you, Armin."

I feel Sasha struggling to speak from her position on me. Despite her wounded state, she manages to speak up. "Shut up!" I'm not sure if that was directed at all of us, or specifically me because I'm closer.

Either way, Hange and I laugh it up. "We're no match for you, Sasha."

"Indeed. Well, being the successor of Erwin as commander of the Scouts, we're kinda in the same boat, Armin. From here on out, we'll have to grin and bear it."

Armin drops his head. "Right."

"Now then...if it's not a problem for Armin, we should get going. Levi, Eren, Mikasa, Elijah, and I will go investigate. You five keep watch from atop Shiganshina's wall."

"Roger."

"Eren, do you still have the key?"

Eren places a hand over his chest. "Yes. Right here."

I move Sasha from my lap, resting her head back down on a makeshift pillow. I place a soft kiss on her forehead. "See you soon."

"...Shut up."

Okay, that one was definitely directed at me, but she can't deny that faint blush.

Walking as a group to the edge of the wall, we follow Eren towards his home. The reason for everything since we joined the Scouts is now in front of us, with no enemy between us and our goal. The reason so many gave their hearts and souls, the reason so many sacrificed their lives, the reason so many died...is now only a walk away.

We walk silently on a street of the ruined city until we take a pause to look at the ruins of our home...

"Dad! Dad! Look! It's the Scouts!"

"Hey," A pause too long for the Captain. "Where's your house?"

"Right." Eren and Mikasa continue to lead while I gaze around. Despite the chaos of that day, it left behind a startling serenity, as if Mother Nature was slowly claiming back what's rightfully hers. I remember running through the streets as a kid on my way to our local school, buying groceries for my parents, and sometimes even catching a few soldiers playing a card game while drinking their souls away. I'm sure Eren and Mikasa are seeing the same sight as I am. Well...almost the same sights.

"Slow down, Elijah!"

"But the Scouts are back from their expedition! I wanna see!"

"Alright, just wait for me!"

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was the first time I ever saw the Scouts return from an expedition. Such a carefree and naive child I was. I really thought of them as heroes...I still believe it to be true...to some extent. But I never knew how much weight the Scouts truly weighed on their soldiers.

"Wow..." Dad raises me over his shoulders, allowing me to get a better view of the soldiers. "So cool..."

"Yeah..." Dad points to a blonde man riding a white horse. "There he is, son. Erwin Smith. A great soldier."

I gasp in shock. "No way..."

Dad...you knew him all along. You were best friends, weren't you? I truly wish you had told me long ago.

We finally come to the house, and as described, a boulder sits on top of it, a remnant of the outer wall. Another reminder of the pain five years ago. Another reminder of our fight against...well, we'll know soon enough, I hope.

"Right here. Under this are the stairs to the basement."

"Good," I wouldn't call this 'good' given the circumstances. We had to use wooden posts to move a large rock out of the way, which given our wounds, took a lot. But it could be worse. Eren removes the rubble and lifts up the floor panel that is the basement's entrance.

Hange looks down into the darkness with a light. "That's a relief. It's not flooded with water." Levi, with a light of his own, leads us done into the depths. A wooden door stands between us and the room behind it...containing the secrets of Grisha Jaeger.

"Eren." As Levi calls him, Eren steps forward, key in hand. He fumbles with the lock and key for a distressing amount of time.

"What's wrong?"

"Eren?"

"Hurry it up."

"This... This key...it doesn't go to this door."

"What?"

"You're kidding... I'm certain that's the key Dr. Jaeger had."

"Move. I'll open it."

"Huh? Wait!"

Against Hange's protests, and running out of patience, I kick the door open. The room is dark, even with our lights, but one lit lamp later, we get a dim look into the office of Shiganshina's doctor and the holder of the world's secrets. Shelves with books and capsules of medicine.

"It almost feels like a laboratory down here."

"My dad was a doctor, so...he was always cooped up down here mixing medicine."

"I think...he helped some mothers deliver babies on occasion."

"How do you know that?"

"...Because he helped my mother deliver me."

"That makes sense," Hange adds. "In fact, all this medicine is widely available if they're all labeled correctly. And since all the books here relate to medicine, at first glance, it's just a doctor's study. 'There's nothing suspicious here'. It's like that's what he wants people to think."

"Yeah," Levi agreed with the new Commander as he held up two bottles. "If you're hiding stuff from the Interior Police, you wouldn't want to out in the open. Hey, quit standing around, brats. Erwin's hunches are rarely wrong."

"Right." We begin to search, but for three minutes, nothing comes of it. I do find a great deal of medicinal knowledge that, at one point in her life, Historia would have liked to read about. But besides that, nothing worth being secretive about.

"Eren," we hear Mikasa's voice from the desk, "there's a keyhole right here." We hurry over, Eren bending down to the keyhole in the side of Dr. Jaeger's desk. After a little coaxing from Hange, Eren puts in the key inside and turns.

"It opened... It's empty?"

Levi reaches inside. "Look closer. It's a false bottom." I sigh in relief. Dr. Jaeger surely was careful to hide his secret. Levi removes the false bottom and places it on the table. Underneath were three colored books. Levi collects the books while Hange picks up the cloth they were on and smells it.

"It smells like peppermint oil and charcoal. Were these treated to keep moisture and bugs away?"

"We were looking for something and these must be it."

Eren places his hand on the green book, then looks to us. "I wonder what it was my dad wanted to show me." Mikasa joins her hand with Eren's, and together they flip the cover to a picture inserted on the page. A picture of Dr. Jaeger, but with a woman and son that is not Carla and Eren Jaeger. Eren picks it up curiously.

"What is that? A portrait?"

"Let me see that." Hange takes the picture from Eren and analyzes it. "No… It's far too detailed for this to be drawn by a person."

"That's Dr. Jaeger's writing," Mikasa points out.

"'This is no illustration. Instead, this uses light reflected off a subject and burns the image on special paper. It's called a photograph. I come from a place outside the walls where humanity lives in elegance. Humanity has not perished. I pray the person who finds this book is a fellow patriot.'"

Grisha Jaeger...many...many years ago...beyond the walls...beyond the sea

When I first thought as to how I should start my story, I immediately thought of that day...

"Hurry, Fay! We'll lose it unless we're fast!"

"Wait up, Grisha!"

"You two stop right there." The young boy and girl turn to their mother. "I told you not to forget your armbands when you go outside." The tired-eyed mother assists the little girl as the young boy slips on his white armband. "Grisha, you absolutely must not leave the walls."

Fay eagerly leaves her mother's grip, running towards the open door. "Hey, wait!" When Grisha catches up with her, Fay giggles to herself, covering her mouth with her hands as her brother looks back to their mother. "I got it, Mom!"

"We'll be back!" Fay happily waves her mother goodbye and the two siblings look back to the sky...smiling widely as they see the very thing that has gotten them so worked up. An airship. Grisha had only heard about it from garrulous people. It's a wondrous piece of machinery, lighter than air that uses buoyant gases to float in the air, so that man may finally take to the sky like angels.

"Hey!"

"Whoa!"

"Sorry!"

"Grisha, be careful! Watch where you're going!"

The children, filled with wonder and amazement continue chasing the airship. Soon they must stop when they reach a three-story high concrete wall blocking their wall.

"Oh... It's leaving..." Fay continues to look to the sky, smiling without a care in the world. "Must be nice. Someday when I'm rich, will I be able to ride an airship, too?"

"What are you talking about? There's no way either of us will get rich."

"Yeah..." Fay says as she lowers her head. "But it must be nice... I wonder what we could see from up there."

The airship slowly disappears from the children's sight. The one thing blocking their sight is the very wall their mother warned them not to leave. But there was an opening, a fenced gate guarded by armed guards. Other citizens wearing the same white armbands as they are seen waiting while one guard carefully inspects a document of a young woman entering the walled settlement.

"There it goes..."

Grisha sees how saddened his little sister is...and an idea pops into his head. "Let's go, Fay!" Pulling by his sister's hand, they run to the opened fenced gate.

"Huh?!"

"My teacher said the airships take off and land at a place near here! Let's go see!"

"What?! But Mom said we're not allowed to leave the walls!"

"It'll be fine! Just for a bit!" The children run right through the open gate. "We'll be right back!" Grisha yells to one of the guards.

"Hey! Get back here!"

That naive day of my youth...when I...had to face the truth of this world.

After nearly avoiding the chasing guard, Grisha and Fay now walk at a peaceful pace through the lively streets of the city. All the while, most of the passing citizens gaze at the children with a cold and disgusted look. They were used to it, of course, but it still made them uneasy.

"Move it, you vermin." An aristocratic man shoves the children out of his path with his briefcase. "Damn Devil-Bloods."

"Grisha..." The scared girl hid behind her brother.

"It's all right. Aren't you used to it? Look. It's right over that bank.

Once over the hill... The airship has landed and now stands in some sort of large maintenance shed. If the wondrous sight of the airship wasn't enough to make the children look in awe, then the accompanying rising sun along with the lake only enhances the sight.

"It's so big...!"

"Have you come to see the airship, too?"

"Huh?" Grisha's smile at his younger sister's amazed look is now replaced by one of worry as his attention is brought by the two soldiers sitting on the hill. The oldest shields the youngest. "Uh, yes..."

"You from the Liberio Internment Zone? Let's see your exit permit."

"Huh, um..." Grisha hastily searches his pocket but quickly remembers he ran through the gate without thinking. "I...I don't have one."

"You entered the city without permission?" One of the soldiers towers over the children. "You know what that means, right?"

"Yes."

The security man kneels down to the boy, staring at him now at the same eye level. "Labor or beating. Which is it?"

"A beating..."

"Grisha!"

"Oh? You don't want to get in trouble with your parents?"

"Yes. I forced my sister to come with me! Please give her punishment to me, too!"

"Very well." With no hesitation, the man starts beating the boy senselessly, kneeing him in his chest from hitting him repeatedly in the face.

"Grisha!" The younger sister can't even look.

"Here's another!"

"Man, go easy on him, Kruger." The heavier set security man adds. "Come on. Let's get you on your way home." He takes Fay away, leaving the taller soldier to continue beating Grisha.

"It was smart not to take off your armbands. Eldians without one are sent to their paradise, even if they're kids."

Grisha, now beaten to a pulp, gets to his knees, clenching his teeth in pain. "I'll...do home."

"Wait. Didn't you come to see the airship? Might as well see it." The security guard takes another inhale from his cigarette.

The following day, my sister was found in the river...

"I showed the girl the Liberio gates and went on my way. I'm busy with work, you know. Eldian kids shouldn't be roaming the city without permits in the first place. It seems that your son doesn't grasp the place of his people. Shouldn't you be teaching him the sins that your ancestors committed? If that's not enough to make him behave, put a collar on him."

I knew that man from Marley Public Security was lying through his teeth. He had been slacking off and napping on the bank. He wasn't busy at all. Though my mother grieved, my father...

"Thank you so much for your guidance. I assure you, I'll teach my foolish son to know better."

He demeaned himself to the men. I began to hate that man and my father so much that it made me dizzy. But more so, I cursed my own foolishness.

"One thousand, eight hundred and twenty years ago, our ancestor Ymir Fritz made a contract with the Devil of All Earth and obtained the Power of the Titans. Upon her death, Ymir's spirit was split into the Nine Titans who formed the Eldian Empire. After defeating the great nation of Marley, they ruled over the continent. Thus began the Dark Ages... The Subjects of Ymir called other races inferior and began to oppress them. They stole lands and fortunes and forced other races to bear their children to increase their numbers. Their ethnic cleansing continued for some 1,700 more years. But the once great nation of Marley plotted to subvert Eldia and its arrogance from within. They brought seven of the Nine Titans under their control and were victorious in the Great Titan War 80 years ago. The Eldian King at the time erected three walls on the island of Paradis and fled there with many of his people. Our ancestors were abandoned and left behind on this continent, but... The gracious people of Marley let us live and stay on their land..."

My father was talkative for someone who had just lost their daughter. He obeyed his master's command and gladly shamed his own ancestry, much like he was their dog.

"That man was telling lies... The truth wasn't good for him, so he lied." The boy says to his father, baring a cold, dead look in his eyes.

"Quiet. The walls here are thin."

"I bet he was the one who took Fay and-"

"Silence! I told you... Our ancestors did terrible things. They believed in eugenics and tried to cleanse-"

Grisha slams his fists on the table. "Fay and I did nothing like that! We were just walking around!"

"...What is wrong with you? Are you that eager for all of us to get shipped off to paradise? Listen Grisha... It doesn't matter that we're not directly responsible for the sins. But what we can do is live humble lives within this internment zone. I'm begging you. Please don't lead us all to the same fate as Fay."

I wonder who was truly in the wrong. Was it me or this world?

"...Okay... I understand."

Perhaps it was both...

I was ignorant and foolish. The world, irrational and insane. I discovered my own path in life when I was eighteen. It was around the time I was to take over my father's clinic.

As Grisha was attending to another patient, one that was around the same age as he, Grisha noticed an unusual scar on his upper right arm when the young man was removing his shirt. "What is that wound of yours?"

He moves his shirt completely out of the way, revealing an 'x' shaped scar. "This is proof I'm a patriot."

"A patriot?"

"Your sister was killed by a man in Marley Public Security." Grisha lightly gasped at this. "We have an informant inside the Marley government. There are some things you need to hear."

When I learned the truth of my sister's death... The fact she was fed to the dogs like a wild animal... I swore in my heart that I'd show them what a real devil was. That my ancestors had done the right thing. In order to correct the world again, Eldia would have to be restored. Our informant in the Marley government was called "the Owl." He led the Restorationists without ever showing himself.

Attending another meeting, Grisha brings a book, it's contents containing a certain truth. "Look! This is the truth! Our founder Ymir awakened the Power of the Titans... Cultivated the wilds... Built roads... And bridged the mountains! She helped the people prosper and develop this entire continent!"

"The history we were taught is just a convenient deception for Marley!"

"That's right! Even if they fool the others, they can't trick us true Eldians!"

"Impressive, Grisha... You can read this ancient language."

"No... I still haven't deciphered most of it."

"Then how did you know the truth?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Grisha raises his fist. "I know it because I believe in our founder Ymir! We're the chosen children of God! The Subjects of Ymir!"

"Yeah!" Everyone cheers...but soon stops at the sound of a door being slammed open.

"Comrades! The Owl sent us somebody!"

"Nice to meet you, everyone..." The sound of a woman's voice gains everyone's attention. She lowers her red hood, revealing her beautiful facial features and blonde shoulder-length hair complimenting her deeply sunken grey eyes. "My name is Dina Fritz. I'm a descendant of the royal family."

I allowed fate to steer my life and followed wherever it took me.

Dina was the last descendant of royal blood who remained on the continent. She provided info about the Titans that only the royal family knew. This was the break we needed for victory.

SLAM!

"I'm sure of it! The King took the Founding Titan into the walls! If we obtain that, we can control all other Titans and completely annihilate Marley!"

"But if he could wield a power that absolute, why did he flee to an island?"

"That is because he refused to fight." Dina refutes. "At the time of the Great Titan War, the King abandoned his role of balancing the continent's powers and moved the capital to a remote island. And so, these wretched days we live all began when the King turned away from conflict."

"...Let's fight!" Grisha shouts. "The true royal family held their ground on this continent for the sake of Eldia! It's time we bring the Founding Titan back to them!" Every seated man in the room rises to their feet. "My comrades! We'll overthrow Marley and restore the pride of Eldia!"

Everyone cheers as a new hope arises for their people...and Dina cries her heart out in pride and joy into Grisha's shoulder.

The next year, the two of us married and were blessed with a son. His name was Zeke. A child with royal blood. Someday, this child would've led us all to victory...

As time goes on, people change... As the world around us rapidly advanced, a turning point came for the Restorationists.

The Marley government needed subjects of Ymir to serve as vessels for the Nine Titans and become Marleyan warriors. According to the information from the Owl, the reason Marley was making a move was to prepare themselves for a struggle for resources as military technology advanced. Though Marley led the world using the power of the Seven Titans, the end of their dominance was neigh. A massive cache of fossil fuel lay beneath Paradis, and gone were the days they could ignore it. But the king of the walls left a warning over eighty years ago...

"If you ever interfere with us, the millions upon millions of Titans in the walls will flatten the entire world."

The King called it... The Rumbling.

As long as this threat exists, none dared to confront him. The thing is, the Marley government had the same goal as us. To infiltrate the walls and recover the Founding Titan. We were desperate. At that rate, Marley would've gotten it before us. Eldia would've never seen the light of day again.

But there was still a way for us... My son, Zeke...would become a Marleyan warrior.

But if anyone, I should have known... How terrible the sin to besmirch one's beliefs on your children...

Not as a child of royal blood... Not as the hope of restoring Eldia... But as my son Zeke, had I ever thought of him in that way? In any case, Zeke chose to protect himself and his grandparents in exchange for turning in his foolish parents to Marley Public Security.

"We're here."

Grisha's blindfold is removed, and his eyes are met with nothing but sand, sand, and even more sand. The eldest Jaeger, now on his knees with his now fingerless hands bound behind his back sits upon a towering concrete wall on the coast of an island.

"This is...Paradise..."

"That's right. The penal colony of Eldia traitors: Paradis Island. This is where you'll serve your life sentence... As a Pure Titan, that is."

Grisha looks back to the man... A man he has not seen since the day his sister never came home... The very man who beat him so long ago... The same man who watched him as he had each of his fingers cut off. "I've met you before... When I was little..."

"You remember that?"

"As if I could ever forget what happened that day...!"

"Please, just kill me..." Another Restorationist is escorted to the edge of the wall. "Don't..."

"Keep walking!"

"Please not a Titan..."

"Grice?"

He lowered to his knees at the edge. "Grisha?! What the hell?! Why in the world did Zeke betray us?! He's your son! I was an idiot to entrust everything to you! The Restorationists! Dina, too! Say something!"

"...I'm sorry..."

Grice lowers his head, silently crying. "Why did we let...a guy like you...? Elida is finished..."

"We've got a lively one here." The same man who brought him up to the wall stands behind him with his hands behind his back. "You're free to go." With no hesitation, the man kicks him off the edge of the wall.

"Grice!" Grisha watches helplessly as his friend hits the sand, rolling around desperately trying to stand. "Hey, Grice!-"

"Run straight north! If you're lucky, you might make it to the wall!"

"Seargent Major Gross?"

"Hmm?" The heavy-set man looks to the officer. "This is your first time here? If we let him run off, the Titans we're about to make will chase him down and leave the area." As Gross explained, Grice managed to get to his feet an is now desperately running for his life. "It won't be long 'till he's eaten. Isn't that right, Kruger?"

"Yeah..."

Grisha's eyes widen in hatred as he recognizes the heavy-set officer. It's him... Without a doubt... He's the one who killed my sister!

Gross claps his hands twice. "All right! We've got a bunch to do this time! Let's get a move on!" Each officer, now carrying a syringe in their hand injects each Restorationist, minus Grisha with a mysterious fluid and is immediately thrown off the wall afterward.

"Guys!" Grisha is forced to watch in horror as his friends turn into Pure Titans in a flash of yellow light. "Guys..." Each Titan only merely resembles the ones he used to call his comrades... One would one day kill a young blonde boy...just before he believed he could be in the Scouts with his close friends. Another...would almost eat a blonde boy, only to be saved by his best friend. But that's a story for another day. The Titans finally see Grice running for his life in the distance...and they chase after him. They chase after their dinner... "Stop it! Guys, stop it! It's grice! Can't you see?!"

"Kruger!" Gross shouts. "He's so loud, I can't stand it. Kruger! He's so loud it's annoying!"

"I still want to interrogate him a bit. Continue without me."

"Oh?" Gross notices the arrival of another one to serve their life sentence. "A woman this time? What a waste... If only you weren't a devil!"

When Grisha looks to his left... "Dina..."

"Darling..." She weakly gasps.

"Why are you here? I...I told them everything there is to know! She's a royal-" Grisha's mouth is immediately covered by Kruger before he can finish and slammed into the ground.

"Silence!"

Could it be...he's trying to cover it up?!

"Sheesh. Make him a Titan to shut him up already."

"Grisha, I..." Grisha's wife is injected. "No matter what form I take, I promise you I'll come and find you."

"That's lovely. You'll make a great Titan couple." Like he did to Grice before...he kicks the woman off the edge.

"DINA!" In horror, Grisha is forced to watch his beloved turn into a Pure Titan in a flash of yellow light. Little did he know... That specific Titan would become the catalyst of a young boy's future determination to wipe out the very race that ate his mother right in front of him.

"Hahaha! Look! She's running after Grice and forgot all about you! I guess she fancies that guy more than you! Haha!"

"Shut up!"

"Did you say something?"

"It's you!" Grisha raises his head, looking to Gross with pure hatred in his eyes. "Fifteen years ago, the one who fed my eight-year-old sister to the dogs was you!"

"...Tsk! Let me get him off your hands," Gross says to another officer escorting one last prisoner. "You can head back to the ship."

"Um, yes, sir."

With Gross' command, all the other officers head down to the ship, wanting to have a little fun with the last two prisoners. He lights a cigarette as he looks over to Kruger. "Kruger. Are you done interrogating? Let's have that lad dance for us."

"...Dance?"

"I remember you now, son. Let's not make you a Titan. I'll have this one turn into a three to four-meter Titan so you can fight him."

"...Why would you...do something like this?" Grisha asks in disbelief. "Do you get enjoyment out of people getting eaten by Titans?"

"Why, you ask. Because it's interesting. Do you think that's a little crazy? But you know, people actually want to see cruelty. Peace can be such a wonderful thing, but something about it is lacking. Losing touch with life and death perhaps? We should live thinking this might be the last day we've got. That's the only proper state of mind for living things. I'm ready to accept it when that day comes for me. That's because I've faced this cruel world head on and deepened my understanding of it. " Gross injects the man with a syringe. "Yeah... It was educational having my sons' dogs eat your sister." He kicks the man off the edge.

Grisha...his eyes now in pure shock and disbelief. "Do you not feel any remorse?"

"Well, I get what you're saying. If something like that happened to one of my sons, it would crush my heart." In a flash of light, the man who was pushed off the edge is turned into a Pure Titan. "You poor things. If only you weren't Eldians. Look. That's your people's true form." The new Titan...that would someday eat a black-haired girl bearing twin pigtails...looks back u the wall with its oversized eyes. "All it takes is some Titan spinal fluid and you turn into gigantic monsters. The world needs to wipe out every last one of you Eldians. That's the wish of humanity everywhere."

"What did you...?"

"Of course I don't feel remorse." Gross throws away his cigarette. "You're the murderers here. What were you Restorationists planning to do to Marley?" Gross lowers down at eye level with Grisha. "Don't you feel any remorse?"

"It's a lie! I know the truth! Our founder Ymir helped people prosper on the continent-"

"Yeah, whatever. Since your history is so grand, go and share it with your friend below!"

Grisha struggles as Gross tosses him around before he tries to throw him off the edge. "Stop it! Don't!"

"Hear that? Your sister is calling for you!"

"Dammit!"

Kruger...in an unexpected turn of events...pulls Grisha from the edge of the wall...while he pushes Gross over the edge. Gross' pitiful pleas for his life can be heard from all the way on top of the wall... In a righteous sense of irony...he's slowly eaten alive by the Titan like the filthy dog he was.

"Well? Is it really that interesting?"

"You're..."

Kruger tosses his uniform hat over to the side. "I'm the Owl." Kruger then pulls a knife from his pocket, ready to slice his hand open. "Remember this, Grisha. A Titan uses their power like this." He slashes his hand open, blood splattering over the top of the wall as lightning strikes. When the steam clears...Grisha gets to his feet...and watches in confusion, awe, and terror as a Titan destroys the very boat that brought him to Paradise. That Titan...bears a pair of glowing green eyes.

"AHH! NO! NO! N-"

The soldiers had their lives squeezed out of the, like fruit being juiced...and their scraps cast into the sea. I suppose I should explain what the sea is. The sea is a body of saltwater that covers seventy percent of our world's surface.

The Owl cuts Grisha from his bindings, his face now bearing Titan marks around his eyes. "Owl... Who are you?"

"I am Eren Kruger. As you just saw, I possess one of the Nine Titans. In other words, I'm a Subject of Ymir, just like you."

"You pretended to be a Marleyan and infiltrated Public Security? What about the blood tests?!"

"That was easy enough with the help of a doctor. Doctors make good spies. In all honesty, you did very well. But in terms of results, Grice had every right to grieve like he did."

"You're absolutely right..." Grisha lowers his head in remorse. "I was a useless father, a useless husband, and a useless man. And yet..." He looks down to one of his fingerless hands. "Why am I the only one who remains as a human? Dina was someone special, being a Subject of Ymir with royal blood. She can tap into a Titan's true power. If you hadn't jumped to keep me quiet, Dina would..." Grisha raises his hands, attempting to pull on Kruger's shirt collar despite having no fingers. "Answer me! Why did you let only me live?!"

"Enough. Don't your fingers hurt?"

"Thanks so much for your concern! You didn't seem to care so much when you were chopping them off! Well?! If you had gone on a rampage as your Titan sooner, wouldn't the others not be Titans right now?! What was the whole point of letting them become Titans?!" Kruger drops to his knees, breathing heavily as his nose starts bleeding. "What's wrong? You look pale..."

"It wasn't just fellow patriots... I've severed thousands of fingers from Subjects of Ymir...and made them into Titans. Women and children, too... All while believing it was for the sake of Eldia. I don't have much time, Grisha. I'm entrusting you with the final task. Not anyone else. Just you."

Grisha and Kruger sit on the edge of the wall, looking out to the distance. "That day... The day I first met you, if none of that had happened, you wouldn't have festered enough hatred of Marley to come this far."

"Is that...the reason you chose me?"

"That's part of it. The country... Your father... Yourself... The hate in your eyes was enough to burn the world to ashes. I was once like that, too... The royal family that stayed behind formed a revolution. My father was part of it. However, they accomplished nothing at all...and were burned alive. I was so young, all I could do was peek through the closet door and watch. Ever since then, I've sworn revenge on Marley and the revival of Eldia. But all I've managed to do is cut the fingers off my fellow patriots, kick them off this wall, and turn them into Titans. It's because of the things I've done that my true identity was never discovered. I'm no different than when I was little. Perhaps I'm still looking at the world through a crack from the closet."

"...Tell me, Owl. What is this task left for me?"

"It's to infiltrate the walls and retake the Founding Titan. After you inherit my Titan, that is."

"...What did you say? That would mean...you..."

"I'll be eaten by you as a Titan. You'll take the Founding Titan from its owner the same way."

"Why aren't you doing it?"

"Those who inherit the power of the Nine Titans perish in thirteen years. I inherited this power thirteen years ago. It's 'The Curse of Ymir.' Our founder Ymir lived that long after her power was awakened, so it's the same for those who inherit her power. If one possessing the power of the Nine Titans does without passing it on, the power is inherited by a baby yet to be born by a Subject of Ymir. Our inheritor once said they saw paths. The blood and bones that form a Titan, and at times, even memories and thoughts are sent through those paths. All the paths cross at a single coordinate. In other words, that's...the Founding Titan. Every single Subject of Ymir is connected to that coordinate."

"Who was the founder Ymir exactly?"

"Under Marley authority. she's a pawn of the devil. During the Eldian Empire era, she was a miracle of God. Some say she touched the source of all living matter. Who's to say they're wrong?"

"Huh?"

"The only truth in this world is that there is no truth. Anyone can become a god or devil. All it takes is for people to believe it."

"You're the one who said that Dina had royal blood in her. Was that a 'truth' of yours?"

"Unfortunately, Dina having royal blood was true."

"Then why abandon her?"

"Precisely because she had royal blood. I couldn't let the enemy have her. It had to be done before Zeke told Marley everything."

"Even so..."

"Even so? Would she be better off giving birth to children for the enemy her entire life? I've done my duty. You do yours. Only someone with the power of the Titans is capable of reaching the walls."

"...To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'm fit for the job."

"You will do it."

Grisha looks down to the ground from the top of the wall. "Look at that..." The only thing left of the mongrel known as Gross is a half-eaten head. "He was eaten alive by the Titan. And you asked if watching it was interesting? It wasn't interesting at all. His screams of agony were unbearable to hear." He looks at his fingerless hands. "I...didn't know any better. If I had known this was the price of freedom, I wouldn't have paid for it."

Kruger stands to his feet, clenching his fists. "Stand. Fight! For the sake of restoring freedom and dignity to Eldia... Stand!"

"I...can't."

Kruger reaches into his back pocket, slipping out a small piece of paper, and hands it to Grisha. "Look. I brought this from your home."

Grisha opens his eyes for a second but closes them in shame. "I can't look."

"You can't look. Can't stand. Can't fight. Have you no balls? Did Marley castrate you?"

"It's pointless to try and make me recall my hatred. All I have left now...are my sins."

"That's more than enough. The main reason I picked you was because you left the walls that day. That day, if you hadn't taken your little sister and gone past the walls, you would've taken over your father's clinic, your sister may have grown up, married, and even had children. But you did go outside the walls. Ever since the first day I kicked a patriot off this wall... Ever since the day you took your sister outside the walls... We must push forward until the price of our actions is paid. Even in death and after death." Grisha finally looks...and sees the paper Kruger holds in his right hand is...the family photo of himself, his beloved wife, Dina, and his son, Zeke. Desperately fighting back his tears as he holds the photograph to his chest. "This is...a story you began, is it not?"

Grisha stands, continuing to hold the only thing he has left of his home, looking to Kruger. His eyes may be doubtful, but there's still that spark of hope. Without saying a word, he accepts his mission.

"There are names given to each of the Nine Titans. That includes the Titan you will inherit. No matter which era this Titan has found itself in, it has pushed ever forward seeking out freedom. for the sake of freedom, it fights. It's name..."

"The Attack Titan."

"If the Founding Titan falls into Marley hands, Eldians are done for."

"The King in the walls wouldn't allow that to happen."

"The King in the walls won't fight."

"Huh?"

"'If once again Eldia is driven to sin, we will perish as it's meant to be. I have made a vow renouncing war with the Founding Titan.' He said that to the royal family on the continent and then closed the walls."

"Did he not warn that the Titans of the walls would flatten the earth?"

"Those words were meant to deter an attack. It allowed for a brief time of peace. The King of the walls stole his people's memories and made them believe humanity perished beyond the walls. He surrounded himself with the ignorant and babbled about paradise. A King who can't protect his people is no King. You must find that cowardly King and strip him of the Founding Titan. That is our mission."

Kruger prepares the injection for Grisha, only now, instead of serving a life sentence as a Pure Titan on Paradis, he will be the next Attack Titan.

"Have a family."

"Huh?"

"After you enter the walls, build a family."

"What are you talking about? I have Dina... Won't I forget the things you tell me just before I become a Titan anyways?"

"That's not always the case. And someone may see it later."

"Eh?"

"Your wife, your child, your neighbors if need be... Love someone inside the walls. If you can't do that, it'll only repeat. The same history... The same mistakes... Over and over... To save Mikasa, Armin, Elijah, and everyone else, you must see it through."

Grisha looks back to Kruger in confusion at the mention of those names... Names he has never heard before. "Mikasa? Armin? Elijah? Who is that?"

"...Who knows? I'm not sure... Whose memories are those?"

Elijah...Present day...

"..."

The basement falls silent as Hange finishes the late Dr. Jaeger's testament. Eren and Mikasa are in complete disbelief that someone they held so dear to their hearts kept a terrifying truth from them for so long. Levi...though none could tell with that tired-eye look he always bears, he was astonished at the truth. Hange, for once, was completely silent. While I...

"Dad..."

"Eren..." Mikasa rests her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"This...changes everything."

"...He was right."

The other Scouts turn to me, noticing the shocked expression that takes over me. "Elijah?"

"What are you babbling about?"

"...He was right!" I ignore everyone's calls as I hastily make my way out of the basement, desperately getting outside. I still have time! He has to know!

"What exactly is the dream you and my father had?"

"...Are you sure you want-"

"Yes."

"Very well. My father... He was a teacher. One day, we were learning history. As you're well aware from our history books, to protect ourselves from the Titans, humanity took refuge within the walls and realized one hundred years of peace. In doing so, any records of our earlier past were lost for all of time. That's what we were all taught. However, I...having doubts of my own, asked my father a question. My father evaded answering the question and ended class as normal. But... After we got home, my father answered my question. He said the history books given by the government were full of contradictions and mysteries. My father continued to tell me more, and even as a child, I was astounded. There's a reason he didn't tell that story to the entire class, but I wasn't smart enough to know. I'd been telling the other kids my father's story, and one day, the Military Police came to question me. My father didn't come home that day... He died in some accident in a faraway town. Based on what I knew, my father was killed by the government."

"...I'm sorry, sir."

"One hundred and seven years ago... Humanity that fled into these walls... The King had altered their memories to make them easy to rule. That was my father's theory."

"Well, he was right all along."

"Yes. Ever since I was a child, I've been thinking... Why did my father have to die for nothing more than getting close to the truth? Even those in the government would believe what they're doing is just. However, I realized one thing about them... What they're trying to protect is not humanity, but their gardens, houses, and lands. Rather, if anyone dares to threaten their authority, they'll be extinguished, whoever they are. In the end, there was nothing to justify my father's death. My father was killed by human greed... And by the foolishness of his own son. Before I knew it, my father's theory became truth inside my heart. Now my mission in life...is to prove my father's theory once and for all."

"...What was the question?"

"...Elijah. How do we know there's not more humans...outside the walls?"

"Sir? What are you-"

"After everything that's happened, how we proved our history is a lie. How do we know?"

"...Are you saying...we aren't the last of humanity?"

The Commander chuckles. "Your father had that same expression."

I finally reach the top of the wall, running as fast as I can to the others, heading for the one soul who deserves to know the truth. Jean sees me running, looking concerned. "Elijah? What's-"

"Out of my way!" I run passed him, kneeling down to Erwin's side, lightly shaking him on the shoulder, hoping he's still alive and that he's able to hear me. "Commander! Come on... Commander! Erwin!" He got us here, it's only fair he knows the truth of the world. I lower my head to his slowly rising and falling chest, hearing a faint...but slowing heartbeat. "Erwin..."

"Elijah?" Connie says from behind me. I ignore him along with everyone else present.

"Erwin... You were right. We...are not the last of humanity. There's more of us...beyond the walls...beyond the sea... You...and my father... You were right all this time."

"Elijah..." Armin rests his hand on my shoulder.

"Erwi-" My soul momentarily leaves my body as the commander's left hand jolts to life, grabbing me by my shirt collar and pulling me closer. Everyone around me looks in astonishment, not knowing what to say...and neither do I.

"...Moses.." Erwin says in a weak, hushed voice. "...Humanity...I...I entrust it all...to you..."

Those were the last words...of Commander Erwin Smith.

A lifeless hand falls back to the earth...as a soul rises from it. The former Commander of the Scouts... A trusted soldier of humanity... A great man... My friend...is finally at peace. As I stand over his lifeless body...there's only one last I can offer him. I salute my fallen friend...one last time, allowing one tear to escape from my inner anguish.

"Goodbye...Erwin Smith. I promise... I'll do everything I can."