His return to the Silver City had been long awaited, according to his brother Michael. And yet, as he ascended the pearly gates with his black-feathered wings, he couldn't help but despise his former home. After all, he hadn't seen it in billions of years. That, and the purpose of his visit wasn't the best reason for returning home. An argument between his Father and Mother had been destined to happen for eons, and yet here they were, with Father having finally caught Mother in the act of killing humans. And now she would be killed. He needed to stop it.
Homecoming Arc
~ Chapter 8: A Hope ~
March 3rd, 845
Within the internment zone of Liberio, the Marley and Eldian officials all crowded together within the city's center to prepare for the Warrior's Homecoming. After six long years, the eight Warriors would be returning to their hometown of Liberio. They would be reunited with their families, who had all returned to the inner depths of the city for this monumental event. Those among the crowd were the Braun family, Mr. Leonhart, the Finger's, the Galliard parents, Mr. Hoover, and the Potter family. The Potters and Braun's were seated beside each other. Lily Potter and Eloise Braun themselves were seated beside each other, each holding their infant baby girls, Gabi Braun and Willow Potter.
The crowd continued to gather in the city square as the celebrations continued. Music echoed through the open city streets as vendors sold citizens food and merchandise. By sunset, the entire population of the city was gathered in the city center, with people beginning to crowd into nearby buildings just to witness the event to come. And by dusk, it began. Generals Theo Magath and Genith Bonzen stepped out onto the central stage, drawing applause from the crowd as they waved and smiled. It took several minutes for the cheer to die down, but when it did, General Magath spoke.
"Two years ago, as many of you know, a new group of Warriors was chosen to lead our Armed Forces into war against outside countries. And in that short time, the Warriors - led by War Chief Zeke Jaeger - won us the territories ruled by Hizuru, marking an end to that war," Applause broke through the city once more. The end of that war had been a massively important event for Marley. With the territories of Hizuru, Marley could expand its industrialization, creating new technologies and weapons that could be used to dominate and crush the Middle-Eastern Alliance. Magath continued. "It is our pleasure to welcome these heroes to their homes, and award them with the honors they deserve,"
"The Warriors!" shouted General Bonzen, motioning towards the side of the stage. At once, the Warriors poured in. First was Zeke Jaeger, then Harry Potter. And behind them were the others; Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, Pieck Finger, Bertholdt Hoover, Marcel Galliard, and Porco Galliard. They were all wearing service uniforms, each adorning the awards they had earned in their years in combat. The applause only increased as each Warrior stepped on stage, and when they were all on stage, the cheering was almost overwhelming.
Harry Potter wasn't bothered by the noise, though. His focus was on two things and two things only. The embarrassment of the crutches beneath his armpits. And his family. He spotted them immediately in the first row, and the smiles on their faces were wide with joy. Harry watched his father, James, whose eyes were filled with tears of emotion. And his mother, Lily, was crying openly in relief at the sight of him. And in her arms was a young infant, who was struggling to escape her mother's grasp. She was watching Harry in awe. So he had been right. His parents had told her about him. His heart swelled with love and pride for his family, and he could feel his chest swell in excitement. He was home.
"The Warriors have been on the front lines of the war for two years, fighting to the death to ensure victory against our enemies. Led by War Chief Zeke Jaeger, the unit led our troops against Hizuru forces, obtaining victory upon victory until the war was done," explained Bonzen. "The War Chief was assisted by his second, Vice-Chief Harry Potter, who planned and led many battles in the war. If it were not for Vice-Chief Potter's tactical brilliance and skill in battle, the war would have lasted much longer,"
Applause broke out for Zeke and Harry, who both smiled and waved toward the audience. Then Magath spoke. "These two lead the current Warriors; Reiner Braun, the Armored Titan. Bertholdt Hoover, the Colossal Titan. Annie Leonhart, the Female Titan. Pieck Finger, the Cart Titan. Marcel Galliard, the Jaw Titan. And Porco Galliard, one of the most skilled infantrymen in our entire Armed Forces. Led by the War Chief and Vice-Chief, these individuals perfectly utilized the powers of their titans and were successful in helping occupy many key cities and enemy bases. Let us hear a round of applause for the Warriors!" The cheering increased tenfold as the Warriors onstage smiled.
When everything died down, Magath stepped forward. "The Warriors will remain here in Liberio for the next few months, spending some much-needed time with their families and friends. In the meantime, a new mission will be planned. Something much larger than the war with Hizuru. A mission to Paradis Island," Harry's eyes widened. So they were announcing it in public? This was exciting. The crowd seemed to think so too, seeing as they were all engaging in hushed whispers. "A select number of Warriors will leave for Paradis in a few months, their task will be to retrieve the Founding Titan and its powers from the island devils once and for all. Once they succeed in this mission, the power of the titans will be in the complete control of Marley and its Armed Forces,"
"Those participating in this dangerous mission are Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, and Marcel Galliard. These four individuals will -" Harry tuned Magath out. His eyes hazed over as he went into deep thought. He wasn't going. They had chosen not to let him go. He had suspected this would be the case, but for it to happen was surprising. The sound of his name drew Harry back to the present moment. "- they bring back the Coordinate and its power, it will be bestowed to Harry Potter, who has been preparing to receive it,"
So that was the plan. Reiner and the others would retrieve the Founding Titan from Paradis, and deliver it to Harry here on Marley. Harry smiled, but within his mind, he knew the truth. He would be going to Paradis. He would find the Coordinate. Harry would gain the powers of the Founding Titan as soon as he could. And when he did, Harry would come back to Marley. He would set his plans in motion. "This mission will launch on August 10th, giving the Warriors over five months to spend with their families,"
Bonzen spoke. "As for the rest of the Warriors, they will be sent off once more to continue the war against the Middle-Eastern Alliance. If everything goes as planned, Harry Potter will have the Coordinate within the next two years. After that, the war will be ours to win. So let us celebrate our future! Let us celebrate our victories! And let us celebrate Harry Potter, the future Founder!" A new, more enthusiastic round of applause began, with the crowd jumping to their feet to cheer. Harry smiled the entire time as they descended from the stage. But they weren't allowed to visit their families in the crowd. Instead, they were led away toward one of the Armed Forces barracks.
"You won't be coming with us," said Reiner, a sad expression on his face. Harry smiled. Even though Reiner had most definitely outed Harry to the Generals, it seemed that his friend was at least sad at the news. Reiner continued. "But don't worry. We'll get the Coordinate, and when we bring it back you'll have the Founder's power. You'll be able to finish the war with the Alliance,"
"Among other things," Harry mused.
"Like what?" asked Marcel, his curiosity piqued.
"Perhaps I can use the Founder's power to persuade the Alliance to go for peace. Maybe we can resolve our problems peacefully," The others all turned to him in shock, as if it was the craziest thing they had heard in their lives. The Alliance? Peace? Those things simply didn't go together. "We've all been at war with each other for thousands of years, and nothing's changed. One empire gains power over the other and oppresses its former oppressors. First, it was the Hizuru. Then the Eldians. And now the Marleyans. It'll keep going until we find a way to live in peace with each other. We need to find a balance. A common interest,"
"What kind of common interest?" It was Bonzen that spoke.
"I don't know. Technological and industrial evolution? There's so much we could learn from each other's cultures. The Hizuru have a way of life that has made them the healthiest human beings on the planet. And the Alliance has made huge strides in technology and machines dealing with electricity and power. Marley itself has come a long way in developing aerial and sea vessels. Imagine the possibilities of combining our technologies and cultures to become one single nation. A single people, all united for one common goal. Expansion,"
Magath laughed. "Expansion? To the west? We've already conquered a large sum of land in the western continent,"
"Yes, but I'm not talking about the expansion here on Earth. I'm talking about up there," Harry stopped, his head tilting upwards to the sky. He raised his hand and motioned to the stars shining through the retreating sunlight. The others all stopped, taking a moment to follow his gaze toward the stars. "An endless number of possibilities lie in the stars. Infinite power lies in the sun. So many planets are fertile for colonization. And even with our knowledge of the solar system, there is so much left to discover. The whole universe is waiting for us to end our wars and exit the door to our tiny home. Because outside of our home is an entire world waiting to be explored,"
Silence echoed through the small alley they stood in as the entire Warrior unit and its guards stared up at the sky in awe. Harry's words had reached their hearts in some way or another, and he couldn't be prouder of that. He dreamt of one day reaching the stars. He dreamed of touching the moon. But he understood that such dreams were impossible with the level of technology humans had reached. They still had hundreds of years left until space travel would be possible, and it could take nearly a thousand years to reach Luna.
Harry would never touch the surface of the moon, but perhaps he could lead to a future in which someone with the same dreams could make it possible. A world where all of the world's sciences were combined into one massive culture, in which a group of talented geniuses could produce the methods necessary to leave the Earth's surface. "Power...in the sun?" asked Marcel.
Smiling, Harry nodded. "The sun is the birthplace of all of the energy on our planet. The heat you feel on you during the day comes from the sun. The plants you see in the fields are fueled by the sun. Everything is fueled by the sun. It gives things heat. It gives things energy. If you can find ways to harness that energy, we could do great things,"
"How can we harness it?"
"Well..." Harry reached for the bag on his shoulder, opening it to reveal several journals and books he kept with him at all times. He removed one of the journals from his bag and opened it to two pages near the back. The pages were labeled 'Solar Sheet'. On the pages were diagrams of a solar sheet Harry had developed himself. Everyone gathered around to take a look while Harry explained. "The Solar Sheet is something I created when I first thought about how to harness the energy of the sun. The sheet uses something I call Photoelectric Cells to convert sunlight into what I call 'Direct Current Electricity' or 'DCE'. But then I ran into a problem. How could I turn this DCE into usable electricity? That's what I've been trying to figure out,"
Flipping the page, he continued. "I decided to come up with a middle-man to my middle-man. An invertor. A device attached to each solar sheet converts the direct energy currents into alternating energy currents, which can be used to power things. But then I ran into another problem," Harry turned over another page, which was covered in scribbles of numbers and equations. At the bottom of the page was a number, which had been circled a dozen times. "The Solar Sheets only work during the day, meaning that at night, they would be effectively useless. So if we wanted more power, we would have to find another solution,"
"We already have power grids. We use it for our lights,"
"That's true. We've been using grids to power lightbulbs and other electrical appliances for years. But that's it. If we add anything else to the system, it wouldn't be as efficient. We only use coal factories to produce power. And while they're effective, they are not only bad for the environment but also produce the lowest amounts of energy. I've crunched the numbers, and several alternatives to coal could be used to produce large amounts of energy. Natural gases, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, wind energy, petroleum, and other bioliquids. I've run through all of these. Biofuels like petroleum and solar energy produce the most energy, though solar energy would be healthier for the environment,"
"How so?"
"Well, solar energy, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, and wind energy all use natural occurrences here on Earth to produce power. Solar energy creates usable electricity. Hydroelectricity uses water-propelled turbines to produce usable electricity through motors. Geothermal energy is produced through geothermal steam turning another turbine. And wind electricity is created by turbines spun by the natural wind. All of these methods do not affect the planet, and instead, use the planet's natural processes to harvest energy,"
"This is opposed to other forms of energy, like petroleum, greenhouse gases, and coal. These things are unrenewable energy sources. Once they're used it's gone, and some of them can harm the planet. Burning gases and coal releases harmful elements into the air, which heats the sky. If it gets too dangerous, the planet could roast itself alive, killing everything,"
"You learned all of this from those books?" asked Porco, who seemed genuinely impressed.
"I learned a lot of it from self-study, but the books helped me come up with a lot of theories and ideas. I've been drawing sketches of devices that could help us draw more energy from the planet and the sun. I can show you all more later if you're interested,"
"I am," said Pieck.
"Same," added Annie. Marcel, Reiner, Bertholdt, Porco, and General Magath all agreed. It also appeared as if Magath had taken much more interest in these developments than the others had. Perhaps Harry could make use of the months between now and their mission to Paradis. The Warriors continued through the alley, entering the Armed Forces barracks to find several Generals and high-ranking officials waiting for them. They all carried briefcases, and they were watching both Zeke and Harry specifically.
"Zeke Jaeger. Harry Potter. Step forward," Harry and Zeke exchanged a glance before stepping forward. One of the higher-ups stepped closer, his eyes on Zeke. "War Chief Jaeger. Your exemplary leadership in the field of battle has shown us how detrimental you are to the Warriors program. As such, we have decided to award you with the rank of Lieutenant-General. This will give you seniority over many individuals within the Armed Force, allowing for more freedom inside the Warriors unit," The higher-up - who Harry now recognized as a Five-Star General - opened his briefcase, and removed a new uniform. On it was a Marleyan crest outfitted with three silver stars placed on the bottom. They handed it to Zeke, who took it with a blank expression.
Satisfied, another Five-Star General stepped toward Harry, who strengthened his posture. "Vice-Chief Potter. Your leadership skills are nearly on par with War Chief Jaeger's, and your genius in the planning room and on the battlefield has proven your worthiness within the Armed Forces. As such, those of us on the committee have decided to award you with the rank of Major General. Only one rank below your superior officer, War Chief Jaeger. With this rank, you will have a certain amount of freedom not offered to other ranked officers. However, due to your age, limitations will be placed regarding your role in the Armed Forces. I hope you understand,"
"I do, sir," Harry replied, accepting the new uniform offered to him that held two silver stars beneath the Marleyan crest. With that done, the other Generals all turned to the other Warriors, all opening their suitcases to reveal several differently-sized uniforms. Reiner's uniform adorned the crest belonging to the rank of Major. Porco had acquired the rank of Captain. Annie's uniform wore the crest of a First Lieutenant. Marcel had gotten the rank of Second Lieutenant. Bertholdt received the rank of 5th Chief Warrant Officer, and Pieck's held the crest of the 4th Chief Warrant Officer. They were all commissioned officers within the Armed Forces now, holding ranks higher than most soldiers they would interact with in the wars to come.
The Warriors were all given cubicles they could use to change into their new uniforms, and when they were done, they were led into a large meeting room. There, Harry was faced with the leaders of the Marleyan Armed Forces itself. The highest of higher-ups. Fleet Admirals of the Navy, Generals of the Armed Battalion, and Generals of the Air Forces. They - along with several ambassadors from the monarchy - were seated in the meeting room, all locked in conversations that were abruptly halted. The General of the Armed Battalion, Kenneth Ayota, stood up from his seat. "Ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to have you all here. Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss,"
Those within the Warriors unit all took their seats around the table, their attention fixed on the General. Smiling brightly, he started the meeting. "I apologize for keeping you from your families, but I assumed because you've waited this long already, you could afford to wait just a few more hours," A few people at the table, chuckled, but the assumption was received with silence. Slightly embarrassed, the General continued. "I've called all of you here to discuss the mission to Paradis, which will be launched on August 10th, over five months from now. Now, as many of you know already from the speech given just now, only a select few of you will be going on this mission. Major Braun, First and Second Lieutenants Leonhart and Galliard, and 5th Chief Warrant Officer Hoover. The four of you will be tasked with retrieving the Coordinate from Paradis, bringing it back to the mainland so that its power can be delivered to Major General Potter,"
"The Coordinate is said to be in the hands of the current King Fritz, who descends directly from the Fritz family line born thousands of years ago. You will find him inside the deepest of the three walls, locked away within his palace. You must discover a way to get inside and apprehend the King. Do not kill him and do not eat him yourself. If any of you are found to have killed or eaten the Founder, you will be tried for treason at the highest degree. Do you understand?" They did. "Good. Now, as for the rest of you, the Warriors unit will be spread out around the borders of the Middle-Eastern Alliance, ensuring the group's effectiveness,"
The General motioned to the large world map situated on the table's surface, which had the Middle-Eastern Alliance highlighted in bright yellow. There were three dots stationed along the southern, western, and eastern borders. That was very dangerous. The southern territories were uninhabited for a very important reason. It was all covered in ancient Titans created over the last two thousand years, all made by various Beast Titans of the past. No nation had dared to step foot beyond the boundaries of the Southern Territories in the fear of running into Pure Titans armed with massive hammers, shields, and swords. Harry eyed the map curiously. They would be positioning Zeke on the southern border, where he could use his Beast Titan abilities to manipulate the titans in the Southern Territories. But the other two dots were mysteries to him.
"General Jaeger will be stationed on the Alliance's Southern Border where he can make the most use of his Beast Titan abilities. If the Alliance attempts to flank our troops from the south, Jaeger will be there to launch a counterattack," Harry smiled. He had been right. "Captain Galliard will be stationed on the western border, where he will command a large force in an attack against the enemy forts there. The western region of the Alliance is the weakest at the moment, with the Alliance having sent most of its resources to the east to assist in the damage done by General Potter,"
So Porco would be commanding his own troops in battle. This was good. Perhaps now his jealousy towards Harry and Reiner could be extinguished. Perhaps he would mature during his time alone on the battlefield. The General motioned to the eastern border. "This leaves the eastern region of the Alliance. With this border being the most guarded of them all, pushing against it will be a struggle, one we are willing to place in the hands of General Potter and 4th Chief Warrant Officer Finger. You two will use your genius and powers to launch an attack against the border and its defenses. With any luck, you could push into the heartland of the Alliance,"
The Fleet Admiral of the Navy spoke. "We are hoping that after several key victories, the three of you could launch an attack on the center of the Alliance. The capital itself," The Admiral pointed towards the center of the Alliance, where a miniature castle had been placed. "The city of Jhal is protected by the most advanced weaponry created by the Alliance. An invasion of this city will be the hardest military endeavor Marley has ever undertaken. It will cost many lives and many resources, but if we succeed, the entire continent will belong to Marley. All that will be left is Paradis Island, which will be defenseless once we have the Coordinate in our grasp,"
"And what will we do with the Coordinate after Paradis isn't a problem?" Harry asked, drawing everyone's attention.
General Ayota smiled. "Once the world is in our grasp, the Founding Titan's power can be used in infinite scenarios. You could become the next Ymir, using your abilities to expand Marley beyond its borders, strengthening its infrastructure,"
Harry frowned. He wasn't entirely sure if he liked the thought of becoming the next Ymir. Ymir had been a virtual slave to King Fritz, bound to his will for her entire life, even after he had cut out her tongue and sentenced her to death. Harry didn't want to become the next Ymir. He did not want to be tied to Marley's will for the rest of his life. But Harry put on a smile for the Generals, tuning back into the conversation. General Ayota was still speaking. "- the mission. Do you all understand your posts?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good. Now, let's get on to our other business," Ayota motioned to Harry, who froze as the entire room turned to face him. "General Potter wishes to share some of his plans with us," Harry's eyes widened. What? Plans? Had someone discovered that he had other plans for the future outside of their current goals? No. It was nothing like that. It had been during Harry's moment of thought before. When he wasn't paying attention, General Magath had told Ayota of Harry's plans for energy. It was nothing serious. Breathing easier, Harry reached into his bag, drawing out several journals he kept inside. He placed them all on the table, opening the first one he saw.
"I've been studying different forms of science over the past few years, and have discovered a lot of interesting concepts that no one else has discovered. For example, other forms of energy, something I discussed with my fellow Warriors earlier. I've been working with new forms of science. New types of fibers and microfibers for clothing. New forms of transportation. But most importantly, I've been working on these plans," Harry held up his journal, motioning to a map he had drawn of the world. The map had the entire Marley Empire spanning from the east to the west, with the Middle-Eastern Alliance in the center. On the map were four points on each border of the Alliance. To the east was Paradis, and to the west was the 'New World', discovered by Marley nearly four decades before.
"Those four points. You guessed we would choose those spots?" asked Ayota.
"I suspected that these points would be the most tactical spots to invade from each side. But that's not important. This journal contains invasion tactics that can be used against both the Alliance and Eldia. Though these plans are contingencies,"
Magath leaned forward. "Contingencies? For what?"
"For my diplomacy tactics," Harry replied. Everyone in the room looked upon him with sudden disdain. Their respect for him had suddenly dropped. But Harry was unfazed. He instead continued, turning to a page near the back. "Marley has near-complete control over the world as we know it. We have every resource you can dream of, with the assimilation of Hizuru into our Empire, we have most of the world's population. Anything the Middle-Eastern Alliance wants we can give them. So what if we try diplomacy?
No one was convinced, so he continued. "In the past four years, Marley has lost over three million soldiers in the front lines of battle. Because of this, our population has hit a major dip in terms of reproduction rates. More war and death means fewer men and women at home to reproduce. Less reproduction means fewer babies. Fewer babies mean a lower population. A lower population means fewer options for Titan inheritors," That did it. Speaking in their language had been the hit Harry needed. If there were few Subjects of Ymir to inherit the Titans, an Eldian on Paradis Island might inherit one. That in itself terrified the Generals. They listened now.
"The Middle-Eastern Alliance is ramping up its research and development of anti-titan artillery weapons. In less than ten years, they may have the means of obliterating Reiner's Armored Titan. And in twenty years, they could have the weaponry needed to take down the Colossal Titan. At the rate of this war, we can't afford to wait ten years. We can't afford the losses of another major conflict, this time against the Alliance, who are a much more formidable opponent than the Hizuru," Clearing his throat, Harry leaned forward. "So I suggest Marley do something just as surprising as their weapons. Diplomacy. Let us go to them with real ambassadors. Let's make a deal. They join us, and in return, we share with them all of our technology and the benefits of our economy and expansive land,"
"Share our land and technology with them?"
"Yes. We can't convince them that we mean well if we don't sacrifice something. We have so much land that it will be impossible to sustain it all for another two centuries, so we might as well give some of it away or let them keep their current land. And with my plans for technological advancement, we could have new inventive things to offer them in just two or three years. I'm sure they would consider joining us just by seeing some of the medicines I've developed," They were all interested now. It was a very gripping topic. A diplomatic end to the war that would see Marley assimilating the entire 'Old World' in one go, except Paradis of course.
"And Paradis?"
"Well, from what we know about them, the 'Devils' live in seclusion within their three walls. They don't have access to water outside of the rivers running through the walls. And they don't seem to use any forms of transportation outside of carriages. This suggests they're rather primitive in terms of society and technology. So we offer them the same things we offer the Alliance, only we offer them something else, too. Inclusion," The Eldians in the room all took on shocked expressions, while the Marleyans leaned back in their chair. A mixed reaction. "We offer to let them join us so that we can become one race again,"
"You want to bring the Devils here?" asked Ayota.
"No. Well...not all of them. A team of ambassadors, maybe. But we would offer the same freedoms we offer Eldians. We would let them join our military. We would boost their technology, their transportation, and their economy. We'll remove the Titans from the island, allowing them to expand and -"
Harry was cut off by Magath. "No. We will not allow them to expand, and we will not remove the Titans from the island,"
"Fine. Then we expand their economy and technology. We show them the benefits of joining the Marley Empire. We show them that even without the freedom they want, it would be better for them to be in the Empire than alone on that island with just the Titans,"
Silence. Absolute silence. No one in the room had anything to say after that. They were all deep in thought. Even the young Warriors wore expressions that showed deep concern or concentration. This silence continued for some time until General Ayota took a deep breath. Getting to his feet, he spoke directly to Harry. "You've given us a lot to think about, General Potter. While we go over the suggestions you've recommended, I suggest you and the other Warriors rejoin your families. I'm sure they are very excited to see you after much time in the war," With that, the Warriors were dismissed.
He remembered them all. Their names. Their faces. They all came and went in what felt like days. Different variations. Different heights. Different weights. Different builds. Each version of humanity different from the last. And yet they were still human. Still alive. And yet...his Father had killed them all. Without hesitation and without cause. Killed each and every one of them once He realized they were not what he needed. And then it all culminated in homo sapiens. The 'real' humans. But he did not see them as real humans. He saw them as another means to an end for his father. For the Cycle.