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Chapter Text

Armin looked at the unfolding scene in horror.

The Colossal Titan continued to pick up houses, the heat of his body setting them on fire, and then tossed them down, expanding the ring of fire that Shiganshina was becoming.

Armin was at a loss of what to do. Bertolt had acted completely differently to how he had anticipated, and now he and his friends might be the only survivors - if they could come up with a plan of counterattack before Bertolt's flames and debris finished them off.

Connie and Sasha's faces displayed the rising panic that Armin was trying to suppress.

"What about Hange?" Connie cried.

"Did they really all just die in that blast?" Sasha asked hysterically.

Mikasa stepped forward, trying her best to appear calm. "We don't know. But Bertolt isn't going to give us a time out to go save them."

Mikasa placed her hand on Armin's shoulder. "For now, we take orders from you Armin."

Everyone looked at Armin expectedly, who felt himself buckling under the pressure of the position that had suddenly been forced upon him.

Armin swallowed nervously. "B-Begin...retreating. We'll meet with the Commander's group and seek his orders."

Armin continued, feeling slightly more confident. "We'll follow our original plan of fighting a war of attrition against the Colossal Titan. We'll keep trying to make him use his Titan's strength until our main target appears. His gigantic body won't be able to make it over the wall. So we just have to trap him inside this cage until he exhausts his power."

Jean glanced at the wall, then back at Armin. "Hold on. We can't let Bertolt get near the wall where the Commander's group is. He's torching everything around him. Just because there's a wall between us and the horses on the other side, that doesn't mean they're safe. We still share the same sky!"

Armin's eyes widened. "Oh…"

Jean nodded. "In other words, if the fire spreads to the buildings inside the wall, dead horses won't be all we'll have to worry about. The Commander's group will be sandwiched between the Bestial Titan to their front and flames to their back."

Jean looked at Armin grimly. "Yes, a war of attrition is the best way to defeat the Colossal Titan, but we have limited supplies too. The gas in our ODM gear. It looks like time isn't on either of our sides."

Armin glanced away uncertainly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Well...then...does that mean...we have to defeat the Colossal Titan right now? With only the strength of those here at this very moment?"

A few seconds after Armin had finished speaking, several burning houses fell about a block away, shaking the ground and air and visibly frightening his friends.

Connie looked at the flames nervously. "A-Armin! The fire's getting close!"

"Come on!" Sasha cried. "We need orders!"

Armin felt frozen, unsure of what on earth to do.

Bertolt's face suddenly flooded his thoughts.

"I know...so long as you're standing there, shaking...you can't do a damned thing."

Armin lowered his eyes. Damn it...I thought I'd grown somewhat...but in the end…

His mind flickered back to when he had been cornered by the Female Titan, his body motionless as she examined him.

I'm no different from then. All I could do was cower in fear...I couldn't do anything…

He thought back to the two Scouts she'd killed right in front of him, their bloody remains scattering across the ground.

I couldn't help them. All I could do was sit there uselessly. I couldn't even assist them with the abnormal that showed up before she did. All I could do was watch as they took it…

Armin froze. As they...took it down…

Armin's mind began to race, and he peeked out to get another look at the Colossal Titan, his fear ebbing away slightly. All at once, a plan had hit him like a lightning bolt.

Mikasa looked at him in concern. "Armin?"

Armin's eyes lit up. "He's big, but when you get down to it, he's no different from the other Titans."

Jean looked at him uncertainly.

Armin turned around, his face no longer fearful, which reassured his friends a little. "Guys, I have a plan. We are going to take down the Colossal Titan. I need you all to listen to me very carefully…"

Bertolt surveyed the unfolding destruction beneath him. The flames were spreading outward in all directions, and he was fairly confident that anyone who had not been blown away by his initial transformation had almost certainly perished in the fires.

He took no joy from this fact, merely grim satisfaction. With that done, he began to slowly make his way toward the wall.

He spotted the commander on top of the wall, observing the situation.

Bertolt watched him carefully. So, Commander Erwin. I wonder, will you come up with a plan to counter us?

After Bertolt had crossed about half of the distance between the wall and his starting point, the Commander suddenly disappeared over the wall.

Hmmm, he's going down to the other side. Warchief Zeke must have begun the next phase of the plan. Between his deadly throws and my flames, the scouts are finished.

Bertolt sighed mentally. It's a shame, but it's for the best. If we can end it here, all this killing will finally stop. I just hope Reiner is…

Bertolt paused. In front of him, directly between him and the wall, was Eren's Titan, glaring up at him defiantly.

Bertolt eyed him critically. So he's still alive. I expected as much. However…

While he was too far away to make them out clearly, he could see three people standing on Eren's shoulders.

Looks like a few of them managed to survive. It would have been better for them if they had died.

Suddenly, Eren's Titan let out a frustrated and angry roar that echoed throughout the blazing district.

I understand your anger Eren. But you might as well give up. You can't beat me.

Bertolt resumed his slow advance toward the wall. At the same time, Eren began to walk slowly toward him, the three people still perched on his shoulders.

What are you thinking Eren? Are you determined to go down fighting? You're too small to hurt me, and all I need to do is step on you or kick you once.

Eren kept moving forward.

Fine. Have it your way.

The two Titans continued to slowly walk toward each other.

He's almost in range. One good kick, and he's…

Suddenly, Eren let out another roar, this one much louder than the first.

Bertolt winced slightly at the unexpected noise, but quickly recovered.

What, are you trying to scare me Eren? That's going to be pretty hard, considering…

Bertolt paused, because he realized that the three people that had been on Eren's shoulders were suddenly gone.

Where did…

Bertolt then noticed a series of movements directly below him, and saw the three people using their ODM gear to scale up his massive body. While he couldn't feel it, he could tell that they were using his body as an anchor for their wires.

Now that they were up close, Bertolt could clearly see that the three people were Connie, Sasha, and Armin. The three scouts soared up near his head and upper chest. Armin's face was neutral, while Sasha and Connie looked angry.

"HEY! OVER HERE YOU BIG SON OF A BITCH!"

"WE'RE GOING TO KNOCK YOU DOWN TO SIZE!"

"YOU'LL PAY FOR ALL THE LIVES YOU'VE TAKEN!"

"YOU DIE TODAY YOU BASTARD!"

Bertolt ignored their words and kept his attention focused on Armin.

So, if you're still alive, then the others must be following a plan you came up with. With all this yelling, you guys must be a diversion…

Bertolt noticed a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision.

...so another person can go for my nape. Not bad, but you'll have to do better.

Just before the person behind him could reach his nape, he let out a blast of steam, blowing everyone around him away.

I'll be honest Armin, I'm a little disappointed. I expected-

Bertolt suddenly froze as he felt a spike of pain in the back of his right foot just above the ankle. It felt like someone had taken a handful of toothpicks and jabbed them into his foot.

What is-

Suddenly, the toothpicks exploded, tearing apart his muscles and shattering part of his fibula bone.

?!

With his right foot suddenly no longer able to support his weight, Bertolt felt himself begin to tilt backwards. In an attempt to right himself, he placed more weight on his left foot and raised his arms out to help with balance. In order to do this, he stopped the burst of steam on all parts of his body except for his nape.

As the steam cleared, Bertolt spotted Connie and Sasha sailing toward him, looking slightly burned but overall still fine, their spears upraised.

What are they-

The next second, the world went black as he felt a series of pricks inside each of his eyes, before his eyes were painfully torn apart, the stinging causing him to involuntarily cry out in pain. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. They had imbedded their spears in his eyes, and then the spears had exploded.

Shit! What the hell were those?!

The realization that he could no longer see sank in, and he began to panic slightly.

This panic was not helped by the further realization that he had involuntarily recoiled backwards while having his eyes gouged out, causing him to tip precariously back.

No! I can't fall!

Bertolt put more weight on his left leg and lifted his right leg slightly off the ground in an attempt to steady himself. But the next second, he felt a series of cuts slicing down his left leg, tearing through numerous muscles. A few seconds after that, he felt two pairs of swords carving up his right arm and one pair of swords carving up his left arm.

NO! NO!

Unable to fully control his limbs any longer, Bertolt lost his balance and his gigantic body began to fall backwards, descending down and meeting the ground with a thunderous boom that shook the whole district.

His back screamed in protest as he felt his entire body being jabbed by the remains of various houses.

Ow...damn...you...Armin...I underestimated you...but what do you expect to do-

Suddenly, Bertolt felt his legs being sliced up again.

What?!

The next second, he suddenly felt a massive pressure on his waist, like someone had pummeled him in the stomach with the hilt of a knife. As he felt further pressures moving up his stomach and onto his chest, he realized that the pressures were actually foot steps. Someone was walking on him.

Eren!

In an attempt to stop him, Bertolt let out another blast of steam. The attacks on his legs ceased at once, but Eren didn't stop. Letting out another roar, Eren reached forward and using his teeth and hands began to tear open Bertolt's neck.

He's...he's trying to dig through to the nape. I have to get out of here!

Hoping the steam from his Titan body would provide him the cover to escape, Bertolt emerged from the nape, readied his ODM gear, and began to flee.

"Oh no you don't!"

Bertolt glanced over his shoulder and his heart sank as he saw the very last person he wanted to see, Mikasa, brandishing a pair of swords at him.

Mikasa flew directly at him, and would have killed him then and there under normal circumstances. But because part of Bertolt's body had been stripped away from his time inside his Titan body, his body was slightly lighter than normal, and thus he was slightly faster than normal, and just barely managed to dodge Mikasa's attack.

Not expecting this, Mikasa soared past him, and Bertolt continued to make his escape.

Mikasa cried in anger. "No! I won't let you get away!"

Bertolt faced forward, determined to make it out of there alive.

Suddenly, he saw a flicker of movement in his peripheral, and the next second his legs were blown up beneath him. Screaming in pain, he crashed onto a nearby roof and came to an abrupt stop lying face down into the wood.

DAMN IT! DAMN IT!

Before he could even try to get up, he felt his arms being sliced off. He cried out in pain, and was forcefully turned around and found himself looking into the faces of two people. One was Mikasa. And the other…

Hange looked down at him grimly with her one good eye. "It's over, Bertolt."

As Mikasa stared down at Bertolt's shocked face, the realization that they had actually defeated the Colossal Titan began to sink in.

It had worked. Armin's simple but brilliant plan had worked.

Mikasa and Jean had followed the Colossal Titan from behind, making sure to keep a safe distance from him and the flames. At the same time, Eren would carry the others toward the wall to preserve their gas, and when he was sure Bertolt had noticed him, he would let out a roar. This would signal to Mikasa and Jean that he had Bertolt's attention, and thus they could get closer to the enormous Titan.

Once Eren had gotten reasonably close to the Colossal Titan, he would let out a second roar, signally everyone to begin their attack. Armin, Connie, and Sasha would get in Bertolt's face and yell at him, getting his attention. While they did that, Mikasa would then go straight for the nape with her blades.

There was a slim chance that this alone would be enough, but Armin felt that Bertolt would be smart enough to see through it, and thus Mikasa's attack was another diversion.

As soon as Bertolt released a cloud of steam to protect himself, Jean would strike the shifters' right foot using his and Mikasa's thunder spears. After that, they would have to move quickly.

In order to ensure that the Colossal Titan would fall, Mikasa would dive down and slice up the back of the Titans' left leg. Connie and Sasha would blind him, and then they would slice up the right arm, while Armin would deal with the left arm. They would all then retreat to avoid being smacked by the Colossals' falling body.

Once the massive Titan was down, their first goal was to make sure he did not get back up. To that end they would continue to inflict injuries on his limbs, with Armin taking the left arm, Sasha taking the right arm, Connie taking the right leg, and Jean taking the left leg.

While they were doing this, Eren's job would be to climb onto the Colossal Titan and force his way down to the nape, while Mikasa was positioned near the head, her job being to stop Bertolt if he tried to make a run for it.

A job she had nearly failed to carry out, but thanks to the unexpected appearance of Hange, Bertolt was down for the count.

Mikasa looked at Hange in concern. The veteran scout's glasses were gone, and the left side of her face was badly burned.

"Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

Hange nodded shortly. "Yes I'm fine."

Mikasa hesitated. "...and the others?"

Hange's eye dimmed, and she shook her head slightly.

Mikasa lowered her gaze. "I'm so-"

"We can mourn later." Hange said briskly.

She knelt down next to what was left of Bertolt's body. Bertolt looked back at her, the fear and panic on his face gone and replaced with grim resignation.

Hange cleared her throat. "So, Bertolt, will you tell us what we want to know?"

Bertolt glanced away. "No."

Hange sighed. "I figured as much."

She abruptly punched him in the face, knocking him out.

"Whoa, we actually got him?!"

Mikasa and Hange turned around and saw Connie standing a few yards away on a nearby roof, looking almost ecstatic.

Mikasa's eyes widened. "Connie. You're okay…"

Jean soon followed Connie, and a moment later Eren emerged from the massive steaming cloud the Colossal Titans body was becoming and approached their group.

Hange looked at them all. "Well, I'm impressed. To think you guys managed to come up with a plan to bring down the Colossal Titan, and so quickly too."

Jean shrugged. "It was actually Armin who came up with the idea. You can ask him…"

Jean, Connie, and Mikasa looked around when they realized that there was no further signs of movement, with the only other people in sight being Eren and Hange.

Mikasa froze. Where are Sasha and Armin?

She abruptly readied her gear and went back the way she had come.

Seeming to have the same thought, Connie, Jean, and Eren began to follow her back toward the Colossal Titans' dissolving corpse, with Hange following close behind after securing Bertolt.

They first found Sasha a little distance away from the remains of the Colossal's right arm, lying sprawled on the rooftops, unconscious with a trail of blood coming down her face.

Connie's eyes widened. "Sasha!"

He and Jean reached her first, and while Connie fretted and quickly bandaged her wounds, Jean looked back at Mikasa, Hange and Eren with a tired smile.

"She's a bit banged up, but she looks like she'll be okay. She must have gotten hit with some debris when the Colossal Titan landed."

Mikasa relaxed slightly, but not completely, as there was still no sign of Armin.

Jean and Connie remained by Sasha's side, while Eren, Hange, and Mikasa continued to search for Armin.

When Mikasa finally found him, she could almost feel her heart stopping as she took in his crumpled form.

While he was sprawled on a rooftop next to some debris similar to how Sasha had been, it was clear that Armin was more than just a little banged up. His clothes were torn, his face looked like someone had used it for a cutting board, and his arms were bent backwards at unnatural angles, with his right hand facing the wrong direction. Worst of all, there was a mess of blood and wood where his legs should have been, the red liquid dripping down the side of the roof and onto the ground below.

Mikasa put a hand over her mouth. "Oh, Armin…"

Mikasa knelt down next to her dying friend, gently touching his side. "Armin...how...why…"

Hange stared down at the young Scout with a look of sorrow, while Eren's Titan's eyes were wide in disbelief.

Mikasa felt tears welling up in her eyes, while Hange roughly set Bertolt down and sat on the edge of the roof, clearly exhausted.

Mikasa glanced at Bertolt, and abruptly stood back up.

Hange looked at her uncertainly. "What is-"

"The serum." Mikasa interrupted. "That serum, that Captain Levi had. It's Armin's only chance!"

Without waiting for confirmation from Hange, Mikasa immediately readied her gear and began soaring through the ruined district toward the inner gate, desperately hoping she would be in time.

Captain Levi, where are you?

Levi stared down at the defeated human form of the Beast Titan, breathing heavily.

It had worked. Erwin's desperate plan had worked, and now the bastard responsible for the slaughter of the Survey Corps was in front of him, helpless.

And yet, Levi couldn't bring himself to feel glad, knowing that even if he had won the day, even if he could avenge himself upon this man, it wouldn't bring back those who had given their lives on that day.

Or at least, not all of them.

Levi glanced back at the now silent battlefield. I can't kill this guy just yet. If there's at least one person still alive out there...it doesn't matter how badly they're injured, as long as they're still breathing...I can use this injection to turn them into a Titan...and have them eat this guy and steal the Bestial Titan power...isn't there anyone…

Levi froze. Wait a minute...wasn't there another Titan?

Levi turned around, and as if in answer to his question he saw the quadruped Titan running straight towards him, its mouth wide open and eyes filled with anger.

Levi knew he only had seconds, so he quickly withdrew his blade from the human form of the Beast Titan. (Ignoring the further damage he was causing to the man's face)

He then fired his hook into the quadruped Titan's left shoulder and propelled himself into the air. The Titans' mouth snapped shut, missing Levi's body by inches. Levi then flung himself forward and in one swift motion severed the Titans' left limbs from its body.

The Titan abruptly crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop just in front of the human form of the Beast Titan, letting out a bellow of pain and confusion.

But Levi wasn't done yet. After pivoting in the air, he fired his hook into the Titans' right thigh, flung himself forward again, and severed the Titans right limbs from its body, leaving it completely defenseless.

Before it could recover, Levi zipped over to the nape and sliced it open, with the intention of cutting the shifters' arms off. After reaching down, grabbing the shifters' hair, and yanking them out into the open, he could see that he had succeeded.

He was also able to see that the shifter was a woman, looking up at him in astonishment and fear.

Levi let out a heavy sigh through his nose. "Well, you were even easier to take down then your friend over there."

The woman's eyes widened, and she tried to kick Levi. But Levi easily avoided the clumsy attack, and sliced off her legs in response, causing her to let out a shriek of pain.

Levi felt a twinge of sympathy for her, which he quickly suppressed after reminding himself of all the people that they had just killed.

Levi picked her up roughly by the collar and slid down the quadruped Titans' face, coming to a stop a few feet from the human form of the Beast Titan. The man was trying to squirm away from Levi, a task made difficult by the fact that he only had one working limb left.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "And just where do you think you're going?"

The man looked back at Levi and the female shifter, and immediately looked at the remaining Titans.

He raised his voice. "ALL OF YOU! KI-"

But before he could complete his sentence, Levi kicked the man in the head, knocking several of his teeth out.

Levi glanced at the Titans nervously, but while they were looking their way, they showed no signs of moving from their positions.

Levi dropped the woman and walked over to the man, who glared up at him.

Levi looked down at him indifferently. "It seems those Titans are under your command. So if you can't talk, they can't obey your orders. Am I right?"

The man said nothing, continuing to glare at him.

Levi smiled humorlessly. "I'll take that as a yes."

Levi then used his sword to cut off the man's lower jaw, being none too gentle about it either. The man continuously screamed in pain, and when it was over, a mixture of blood, bile, and saliva was dripping down onto the man's chest. For good measure, Levi cut off the man's remaining leg, though the man barely reacted to this final dismemberment.

Levi then dragged the man back to the place where he'd left the woman, who was lying helplessly on her back, tears running silently down her cheeks.

Levi glanced back and forth at them. "So, I doubt you guys will give me any in depth information, but could I at least get your names?"

The man glared at him.

"Oh right, I suppose you can't really tell me your name right now, can you?"

Levi glanced back at the woman. "Perhaps you can enlighten me, unless you'd prefer the same treatment I gave him?"

The woman looked at him in horror, before closing her eyes in defeat.

She whispered. "My name...is Pieck. And his...his is Zeke."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Pieck and Zeke, huh? Well, since you shared, my name is Levi."

Levi grabbed them both by the collar and dragged them over to the nearest set of bodies, which happened to be the last three recruits the Beast Titan had killed. After verifying that the three were truly deceased, he then took off their clothes and created makeshift bandages and splints out of them to cover the shifters' stumps in order to prevent them from regrowing their limbs. This done, he began dragging the two shifters back toward the inner gate, hoping he would find someone, anyone, still alive.

Then, all of a sudden, he spotted someone jogging toward him. As the person got closer, he recognized them as one of the fresh recruits, Floch he vaguely recalled. He also noticed that Floch was carrying someone on his back.

Before long Floch was right in front of him. "Captain! Are these…?"

Levi glanced back at his prisoners. "Yeah, they're the human forms of the Titans who were behind this attack."

Floch looked both relieved and anxious. "Thank goodness."

Floch flung the person on his back to the ground, and Levi's eyes widened as he realized it was Commander Erwin.

Floch looked up at him anxiously. "He's still alive, but his wounds are serious, and I can't stop the bleeding. Do you think…?"

Levi nodded. "Yes."

Levi then unceremoniously dropped Zeke right next to Erwin, the man letting out an involuntary grunt of pain.

Levi held Pieck out to Floch. "Take her for me. Go over there, quickly, alright?"

Floch nodded. "Yes sir."

Floch then picked up Pieck and began to carry her away. Pieck looked confused as to what they were doing.

Once Floch was a fair distance away, Levi took out the injection and began to assemble the syringe.

Upon seeing the syringe, Pieck lost all control. "OH GOD NO! NO! ZEKE, YOU CAN'T! NOT HERE, NOT LIKE THIS! LET HIM GO! YOU DEVILS! YOU WILL-"

Floch dropped her and grabbed her by the throat, looking down at her with unrestrained anger. "Devils? You break down our wall, kill thousands upon thousands of our people, and when we try to reclaim what is rightfully ours you slaughter us mercilessly, and you dare to call us devils?! I will-"

"Enough."

Pieck and Floch both fell silent at Levi's word.

Levi glanced at them tiredly. "She's trying to rile you up with words because it's the only weapon she has left. Just ignore her."

Floch grimaced, but reluctantly nodded, and continued to walk away. Pieck stopped her screaming, and began to sob uncontrollably as she was taken further and further away from Zeke.

The syringe complete, Levi glanced down at Zeke and the Commander. Unlike Pieck, Zeke didn't appear angry or frightened anymore, merely resigned and bitter.

Levi held up the syringe. Hmm. Since we actually managed to capture two shifters, I'll start with just half of the injection and see if that's enough to turn him into a Titan. If it's not, then I'll give him the whole thing, but taking two powers would be quite useful. It would almost make up for the sacrifices that had to be made today.

Levi grimaced. Almost.

Without hesitation, Levi injected the syringe into Erwin's arm.

After Levi got a safe distance away, he heard an explosion and turned around to see a burst of light.

Once the light faded, Levi could see that Erwin had turned into a 10 meter Titan. The Titan's face looked vaguely like Erwin's, but the eyes were vacant, and its head was noticeably too small for its body.

The Titan glanced at Levi, before picking up the human closest to it, Zeke, and raised him to his mouth. Levi looked away as the Titan bit down, spraying blood everywhere.

A few moments later, the Titan collapsed, and steam began to pour out of its body as if its vital spot had been cut.

Levi cautiously approached the Titan body, and was relieved when he saw the Commander lying face down on the ground, his eyes surrounded by the same strange markings shifters had after recently transforming.

Levi smiled softly, and gently picked up the Commander's unconscious form.

Before long he caught up with Floch, who was carrying a now unconscious Pieck.

Levi frowned. "What happened?"

Floch scowled. "She wouldn't stop crying, and it was really pissing me off, so I decked her in the face."

Levi sighed, but decided not to comment. "See if there are any other survivors."

Floch looked around the battlefield, his face pale. "Yes sir."

Unfortunately, they were unable to find any more survivors, only the dead and maimed corpses of their comrades and horses.

As they got near the few houses that were still standing, Levi suddenly spotted some movement along the main road.

A moment later, Mikasa flew down to the ground and stared out at the battlefield, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Levi and Floch walked up to her.

Mikasa looked at them in shock. "What...what happened? Where are…?"

Levi looked down. "They're dead. The Beast Titan killed them all."

"Oh." Mikasa bowed her head. "And the Beast Titan?"

"He's dead." Levi answered shortly.

Mikasa looked like she didn't know how to take the news, whether to be happy or grieved.

She suddenly gasped. "Captain, do you still have that injection?"

Levi blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I do."

Mikasa looked at him urgently. "We managed to take down the Colossal Titan, but Armin is seriously injured. Please, you have to give him that injection now, before it's too late!"

Levi's eyes widened slightly, before he nodded his head. "Alright. Take the commander for me, will you?"

Mikasa nodded. "Right."

With the commander now in Mikasa's hands, Levi readied his gear and sped off toward the inner gate. Before long he had passed the gate and was soaring over the abandoned district of Shiganshina.

His search was made easier by the fact that Eren was still in his Titan form, and provided an easy landmark for him to head to. When he arrived, he saw Hange standing at the head of the group near Eren, Jean kneeling down next to Armin's crumpled form, next to which was placed what was left of Bertolt, and further away Connie was tending to Sasha.

Hange gasped in shock. "Captain! What…"

"We can discuss things later." Levi answered. "Right now it seems that Armin needs help?"

Jean looked up anxiously. "Yes. Do you have the injection?"

Levi nodded. "Yes. All of you, get back."

After everyone had gotten away from the rooftop, Levi glanced down at Armin and Bertolt's unconscious forms, and without hesitation injected Armin with the rest of the serum. His job finished, he quickly moved away.

While the others watched the process, this time Levi looked away the entire time, and tried to block out Bertolt's screams. After a moment, there was a crash, and just as with the commander, Armin's form emerged from the Titans' nape.

After Jean and Hange had retrieved Armin, Eren emerged from his Titan and stepped onto the roof.

Eren looked at Levi uncertainly. "So...what happened?"

Levi looked away. "Short answer, we won. But...well, I'd rather wait until the others get here, as I only want to explain this once if possible."

Eren nodded. "Right."

A few minutes later, Mikasa arrived carrying Erwin, while Floch arrived carrying Pieck.

Jean and Connie looked at Pieck curiously.

Hange glanced at Erwin, then back at Levi. "So, what happened?"

Levi then explained what had transpired on the other side of the wall, how the Beast Titan had begun to throw a deadly barrage of rocks, and how Erwin had come up with a last, desperate plan to take down the Beast Titan. He described how the plan had worked, how he had taken down the Beast Titan and the quadruped Titan, and then used half of the injection on Erwin so that he could take the Beast Titan's power.

After they had processed this information, Mikasa then explained what had happened on their side of the wall, how Bertolt had transformed and wiped most of the scouts out, but unknowingly left a few alive. She then described Armin's plan, how they had carried it out and succeeded in taking down Bertolt, and how they had found Sasha and Armin injured.

Mikasa looked at Armin. "So, I take it you used the other half of the injection on him?"

Levi nodded. "Yes."

Hange looked amazed. "Incredible. We've managed to acquire both the Beast Titan power and the Colossal Titan power. In one battle we've gained a great deal while depriving the enemy. The sacrifices made today will be repaid by the opportunities this opens up for us."

Floch gestured at Pieck. "Not to mention we've got her as well. She could prove to be quite useful."

Eren shook his head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have a lot of work that needs to be done. Although I'll admit, I'm a little relieved that the fate of humanity no longer rests solely on my shoulders."

Connie looked down anxiously. "I just hope Sasha will be okay."

Jean patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Mikasa looked at Levi and smiled warmly. "Thank you for saving Armin."

Levi shrugged.

Hange stood up. "Well, despite everything I think we can declare this day a success, albeit one snatched by the skin of our teeth. Let's head up to the wall where it's a little safer."

Levi glanced at her sharply. "Wait a minute. Whatever happened to the Armored Titan?"

This was, without a doubt, the worst day of Reiner's life.

While he'd been through a lot, he didn't think there would ever come a day worse than the day Marcel had been eaten. Fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.

What made it all the more terrible was that he couldn't remember most of the day. The last thing he remembered clearly was parting ways with Bertolt, and then, nothing. Nothing but scattered fragments he couldn't make sense of.

When he came to, he was in Titan form, lying amidst the ruins of Shiganshina. He had no idea how he had gotten there, and didn't understand why there was no one else nearby.

After standing up, he spotted Bertolt in his Titan form headed toward the wall, a series of fires raging around him. Reiner deduced that he must have acted as bait for the scouts, and then Bertolt had transformed and killed them all. His armor would have protected him, but apparently the force of the explosion had knocked him out for a few minutes.

Still, Reiner couldn't help but feel that he was missing something.

After hearing Eren roar somewhere on the other side of the district, Reiner began heading in the same direction as Bertolt in order to assist him. While he wasn't sure what was going on, he did know that if they could capture Eren, victory would be theirs.

After Eren roared a second time, Reiner got a sinking feeling. He peered around Bertolt's legs, trying to spot Eren, but was unable to.

And then, the unthinkable happened. It occurred so fast that Reiner could never say for sure what happened. One moment, Bertolt was standing tall and strong, the next moment he was falling.

Falling. Reiner was in shock. How was it possible for Bertolt, the Colossal Titan, the God of destruction, to fall? This had to be a mistake.

Reiner was so stunned that he realized too late that he should get away from Bertolt before he hit the ground.

When Bertolt crashed to the ground, the impact shook the whole district, and tons of debris was launched into the air.

When Bertolt's head hit the ground, it sent the remains of several houses flying, and a few of them smashed into Reiner, sending him sliding back and burying him under a pile of debris and rubble. The sudden collision knocked him out again for a few minutes.

When he came to, it took him some time to dig his way out. After freeing himself, he noticed that Bertolt's Titan was gone, and apart from some nearby fires the district was eerily silent.

Reiner was overcome with dread, and began winding his way through the ruined streets, trying to find out what had happened to Bertolt.

As he made his way around one final corner, Reiner laid eyes on a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

A long distance away there was a cluster of people standing on one of the roofs. On another roof nearby there was one person lying down by themselves.

And crawling toward this lone person was a five meter Titan, with a twisted, hollow face.

Reiner's eyes widened. Is that...Armin?!

The Titan picked up the lone person, and while he was too far away to tell who it was by looking at them, as soon as the person began to scream, Reiner knew that the person about to be eaten was Bertolt.

Reiner screamed at himself to start running, to save his friend. But he found himself unable to move, filled with equal parts horror and despair. No matter how fast he was, he knew he was too far away to stop it. Another friend of his was about to die, and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it.

Reiner was unable to make out most of Bertolt's screams clearly, but he did catch his last words.

"REINER! ANNIE!"

Then the Titan bit down, silencing him forever.

Reiner remained frozen for several more minutes, and during that time he saw several of the people on the other roof swoop down to retrieve the person emerging from the Titans' nape.

Eventually Reiner broke himself out of his shock and hid behind a nearby house to avoid being spotted.

And now here he was, his mind racing, feeling just as scared and helpless as he had felt after watching Marcel die.

Pull yourself together damn it. You're a warrior, and you've got a job to do. Focus.

Reiner let out a heavy sigh. Okay. Most of the scouts on this side of the wall are dead, and Warchief Zeke should be able to wipe out all the scouts on the other side of the wall, assuming he hasn't already. That's good.

However, Bertolt is dead, and it seems that the scouts have found out how to obtain the power of the Titans, and have stolen the Colossal Titan power. Damn...what do I do?

Hmm. I'll see if I can get closer to them. That Titan looked a lot like Armin, so I'm guessing he's the one who has the Colossal now. If the opportunity is there, I'll try to grab him, flee to the inner gate, and seek further orders from Zeke.

Reiner nodded to himself, and began to put his plan into motion.

He slowly crept down the streets, trying to be as stealthy as he could for a Titan, and made his way over to where the survivors were gathered.

To his good fortune, Reiner was able to find a vantage point that gave him a clear view while making it very difficult for the others to spot him. He peered around a building to get a better look.

The first person he spotted was Captain Levi, who was standing near the unconscious form of Commander Erwin.

Damn it. Of all the people to survive, of course you had to be one of them.

A little distance away, he next spotted Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Armin was unconscious, while Eren and Mikasa were looking over him.

He has the markings around his eyes. So, I was right, Armin has the Colossal Titan power. We need to get it back. But Eren and Mikasa are right there. This may be harder than I thought.

Reiner continued to scan the rooftop, and his heart stopped when he spotted one person lying near the edge of the roof, with their arms and legs missing.

It can't be...no...it is...Pieck?!

Reiner's eyes widened. She was only playing a support role. There's no way Zeke would ever let her be captured. Does...does that mean something happened to Zeke?!

The situation had gone from bad to worse. As improbable as Bertolt being defeated was, the idea that the Warchief was beaten was utterly foreign and terrifying.

Does...does that mean I'm the only warrior left?!

If he was the only one left, then that meant they had truly lost. And if that was true…

Reiner peeked out again. Eren's right there. If I could grab him and get away, our mission would finally be completed. But I don't know how much strength he has left, and I don't know if I could beat him if he transformed. Plus I don't know what the others would do. I don't think they can hurt me, but if they were able to defeat Bertolt and Zeke, it would be extremely unwise to underestimate them.

Reiner shifted his gaze to Armin. And if I try to take him, all of the same issues apply. As tempting as it is, I can't go for it. I can't die here.

Reiner's gaze settled on Pieck. It's too late for Bertolt. But it's not too late for her. If I grab Eren or Armin, they'll chase me for sure, but if I grab her they might not.

Reiner lowered his eyes. Plus, I made a promise to Ymir.

Reiner straightened up, and began to move.

He barreled through the building and charged down the street directly toward the remaining scouts.

This immediately got their attention, and Reiner caught a few of their exclamations.

"THE FUCK?!"

"IT'S THE ARMORED TITAN!"

"THAT BASTARD IS STILL ALIVE?!"

They all scattered before Reiner reached them, and as he expected they pulled their unconscious comrades to safety, but left Pieck where she was.

Now's my chance!

Reiner reached out and grabbed her, making sure his grip on her was firm but gentle.

I have to move quickly.

Going as fast as he could, Reiner partially emerged from his Titans' nape, pulled out the metal case containing Ymir's letter to Historia, and tossed it onto the roof where Pieck had been lying.

His work finished, Reiner hastily went back inside the nape, turned around, and began to sprint back the way he had come.

He focused all his energy on speed, trying to get away from them and reach the outer gate as fast as he could. After several minutes of running, he realized that there was no one pursuing him. He relaxed slightly and slowed down a little, though he continued to run.

When he reached the outer gate, Reiner found that it had been sealed shut, much to his shock. Eren must have learned about his Titans' hardening abilities, but it frustrated Reiner to no end that he couldn't remember what had happened.

Unsure whether he would be able to break through it, Reiner decided to play it safe and climb the wall. Hoping she would forgive him for it, Reiner gently placed Pieck on the tip of his tongue so that he would have both hands free for climbing.

As he climbed, Reiner tried to focus on the task immediately before him, putting one hand in front of the other, and tried to avoid thinking about what had happened to Bertolt, what had probably happened to Zeke.

It almost worked.

When he reached the top, Reiner glanced back into Shiganshina. He had hoped that he would never have to come back to the walls after today, but with this massive failure, it was almost certain he would be forced to return.

Assuming he wasn't killed and his power passed on to the next warrior in line.

Reiner smiled bitterly. There was a time where that fate would have terrified him, but now it didn't seem to matter. Marcel was dead. Bertolt was dead. Annie was gone. He'd promised they'd all return home together, and yet it was because of him that could never happen now. What right did he have to go back home when they couldn't?

Reiner felt Pieck stirring on his tongue, and decided to take her out to see how she was doing.

He opened his mouth and carefully pulled her out, setting her on the palm of his right hand. Her legs were still gone, but her arms had grown back.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him unsteadily. He held his hand up to his left shoulder, emerged from the nape so he could look at her with his own eyes, and called out to her.

"Pieck! Are you alright?"

Pieck abruptly burst into tears. "Reiner...thank God...thank you...thank you…"

Reiner was startled, as he had never seen her this emotional before. He hated to distress her further, but he needed to know.

"Pieck...where is Zeke?"

Pieck shuddered and closed her eyes, tears still streaming down her face. "He's dead."

Reiner bowed his head, his worst fears confirmed.

Pieck hiccuped, and clumsily wiped her eyes and nose with the back of her hand.

"Reiner...where is Bertolt?"

Reiner stiffened, and found himself unable to look at her. "He's dead."

Pieck's eyes widened before swiftly closing, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks.

Reiner sighed wearily. "We...we need to get out of here."

Pieck nodded silently.

Reiner gently set her on top of his head, where she would be able to grab onto his hair. After making sure she was secure, he went back inside the nape of his Titan.

Reiner then slowly slid down the wall, and began the long and bitter journey back to the coast, unsure of anything anymore except protecting his last remaining friend.

Armin opened his eyes, and was greeted by the sight of the clear blue sky, a handful of birds flying overhead.

Huh?

Armin sat up, and found himself lying on top of the wall.

Where...where am I?

Armin glanced to the side, and saw that Sasha was lying down next to him, her face bandaged.

Armin scooted over next to her. "Sasha? Are you okay? Those wounds look bad…"

Armin heard movement behind him and turned around. He saw Eren standing a few feet away, looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

Armin looked at his friend uncertainly. "Eren? What's going-"

Before Armin could say another word, Eren rushed forward and gave him a bear hug.

Eren tightened his grip on his friend. "Welcome back."

Armin frowned, now more confused than ever.

"So, he's finally awake."

Eren stepped back, and Armin looked past him.

Armin blinked. "Captain Levi?"

"Armin!"

Armin turned around and saw a small group of people. Near the front was Mikasa, looking extremely relieved about something. Standing next to her was Jean, Connie, and Floch, looking a little exhausted with some minor injuries, but overall appeared to be okay.

Standing off to the side was Hange, who also looked alright, apart from the large bandage covering the left side of her face. Lying down next to her was Commander Erwin, who was out cold.

Mikasa smiled softly. "Don't scare us like that Armin."

Armin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Mikasa frowned. "You don't remember what happened?"

Armin shook his head. "No. The last thing I remember was Bertolt transforming…"

Armin gasped. "Wait, what happened? Did we win?"

Jean was about to answer when they noticed the Commander stirring.

Erwin opened his eyes.

Hange looked extremely relieved. "Commander. It's good to have you back."

Erwin blinked in surprise, and slowly sat up. "I'm surprised. How...how did I survive?"

He looked down at his hands and his eyes widened.

Armin looked around. "Come to think of it, where is everyone?"

Jean grimaced. "Well, the battle ended about four hours ago. We've been looking, but it appears that the only survivors are those gathered here right now."

Erwin bowed his head, while Armin gasped in horror.

Armin looked at Eren in disbelief. "What...what happened? How...how are we the only ones left?"

Erwin coughed. "I'm rather curious about that as well. Would you mind telling us what transpired while we were out Levi?"

Levi scowled, and glanced at Hange.

Sensing that he didn't want to tell the story again, Hange proceeded to fill Armin and Erwin in on what they had missed. She first recounted how the Beast Titan had started hurling stones at the Commander's group, causing massive casualties. After seeing them caught between the Beast Titan and the Colossal Titan, she explained Erwin's plan to use himself and the recruits as a decoy while Levi would ambush the Beast Titan. She detailed how the plan had worked, how Levi had successfully taken down the Beast Titan and the Quadruped Titan. She concluded by explaining how Floch had somehow survived unscathed, found the badly injured Commander, and brought him to the Captain, who then saved him by injecting him with half of the serum and having him consume the Beast Titan.

Levi looked at Erwin carefully. "You don't seem surprised."

Erwin looked down at his right hand. "Well, after noticing that my arm had mysteriously come back, I figured it was the most likely possibility."

Erwin flexed his fingers. "So. I now have the power of the Beast Titan."

He looked unsure if he was happy about this fact or not.

Armin glanced back at Hange. "What about our side of the wall?"

Hange continued, explaining how Bertolt had transformed and wiped out most of the scouts, but a few had survived. She detailed the plan Armin had come up with to defeat the Colossal Titan.

Erwin looked impressed. "Nicely done. That's a very clever plan, and to come up with it so quickly under that kind of pressure is no small feat."

Armin blushed. "Oh, it was n-nothing."

Connie clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you kidding me? Give yourself a little credit, your plan really saved us."

Armin smiled shyly. "Thanks, though I'd feel more comfortable giving myself credit if I could remember it."

Hange then recounted how they had executed Armin's plan and succeeded in defeating Bertolt. She then explained how they had found Armin and Sasha injured, the former gravely injured, and how Mikasa had found Captain Levi, who then gave Armin the other half of the serum and had him consume the Colossal Titan.

Armin's eyes widened. "So...you're saying...I'm the Colossal Titan now."

Armin took a swig out of his water flask, stunned by this revelation.

Levi nodded. "That's right. So we'll be expecting even more from you now. Understand?"

Armin nodded reluctantly.

Erwin smiled softly. "I guess we have that in common now, Armin. Though I'm sure Eren must be glad that he's not all alone now."

Eren nodded. "Definitely."

Armin frowned. "Hold on. I thought you said you captured the human form of the Quadruped Titan. Where is she?"

Levi scowled. "Tch."

Hange grimaced. "Unfortunately, she's gone. I'm not sure how, but it seems Reiner was somehow able to come back to life."

Armin gasped. "What? But we knocked his head off!"

Hange shook her head. "I don't know. It must have something to do with his Titan abilities. Anyways, he showed up soon after we revived you, and charged straight toward us. We all hastily fled using our gear, making sure to pull you, Erwin, and Sasha out of harm's way. But he didn't even try to attack us or make a move for Eren. Instead, he just grabbed his comrade, turned tail and fled."

Hange sighed. "Some of them wanted to pursue him, but I told them not to. We're low on gas, and we had used up all of our remaining thunderspears taking down the Colossal Titan, so trying to chase after him wouldn't have been a good idea."

Jean glanced at her. "Besides, we were curious about what Reiner had dropped."

Armin blinked. "Dropped?"

Hange held up a small metal container. "Before retreating, Reiner briefly emerged from the nape of his Titan and chucked this down onto a nearby roof. It turned out to contain a letter, from Ymir to Historia."

Connie looked at her sharply. "What?! You didn't tell us that!"

Jean leaned forward eagerly. "What did it say?"

Eren looked uncertain. "Is she okay?"

Hange shook her head. "As the letter was of a rather personal nature, I won't disclose too many details. But Ymir made it clear that she was about to die."

The former members of the 104th looked stunned.

Eren exclaimed. "What? How?!"

Hange sighed. "It seems Ymir went with Reiner and Bertolt not to join them, but rather to make it so that they wouldn't have to return home empty handed after failing to retrieve Eren. Her power is going to be passed on to someone else."

Jean lowered his eyes. "And in order for that to happen…"

"...she has to die." Armin finished grimly. "Damn. I wonder how Historia will take this…"

Eren shook his head. "Ymir. She was…"

"Complicated?" Mikasa suggested. "Despite what she claimed, she was actually a very nice person."

Levi's eyes darkened. "I'm not sure the scouts she killed would agree."

Connie grimaced. "Well, what's done is done. Still, why did she choose them...and now Reiner's escaped...again…"

Hange shrugged. "Well, we got the Colossal Titan, and the Beast Titan, who seemed to be their leader. So even if the Armored and Quadruped Titans got away, we still gained a great deal today."

Floch bowed his head. "Perhaps. But what it cost us to get to this point…"

Erwin carefully stood up. "As I said, it's up to us to give their sacrifices meaning. And we will do just that, by carrying on the fight, just as we've always done."

The others nodded in approval.

Armin carefully stood up, and glanced into Wall Maria.

He gasped. "Whoa."

Just inside the inner gate, a bunch of Titans were roaming around, some scratching at the wall directly beneath them, others wandering around aimlessly.

Levi glanced at the Titans in distaste. "Those were the remaining Titans that had been under the Beast Titans' command. He'd given them orders to blockade the district, which they were good about following at first. But roughly an hour and a half after the Beast Titan died, a few of them began to wander away from their post, and by about thirty minutes ago all of them started behaving like normal Titans again."

Armin looked at the Titans nervously. "So, are they inside Shiganshina?"

Connie smirked. "Nah. They tried, but that boulder the Beast Titan blocked the entrance with made getting in more difficult. The first Titan to try to climb over it happened to be a really fat one, and he got stuck, so now none of them can get in."

Erwin looked thoughtful. "So, that means we can proceed to the basement without worrying about them getting in the way. Eren, you still have that key?"

Eren pulled it out. "Yeah, it's right here."

Erwin nodded. "Very good. Eren, Mikasa, Hange and I will go to the basement to investigate. The rest of you remain here, and keep an eye on those Titans."

Armin saluted along with the others, and watched as his friends descended down the wall.

He glanced back at the ones still on the wall. Levi was staring indifferently down at the Titans below, Jean was talking to Floch about something, and Connie was at Sasha's side, looking at her almost tenderly.

Armin smiled to himself. Despite all the hardships that they had endured, they had pulled through. They were closer than ever before to true freedom, and Armin was now more hopeful than ever that he would be able to see the ocean.

Armin laid back down and closed his eyes, just as several more birds flew by overhead.

Author's Note: I've had this idea buzzing around in my head for a while, so I decided to finally put it into writing. If you liked this story, let me know what you think, and maybe share it with other AoT fans. And if you thought it was a piece of shit, let me know what I could do better.

Chapter Text

Mikasa looked around the room, feeling slightly bored.

A week had passed since the battle at Shiganshina, and she along with the other survivors were now at a meeting with the government and military officials, including Historia and Zackley, to decide what to do next. All of them were present except for Sasha, who was still recovering from her injuries at a nearby hospital. The survivors were grouped near the center of the room, with Erwin, Hange, and Levi in the front row, Eren, Armin, and herself in the middle row, and Jean, Connie, and Floch in the back row.

At the moment Hange was explaining to everyone what they had discovered in the basement, namely the contents of the three books left by Grisha Yeager. As she already knew the information being discussed, Mikasa found her mind wandering.

The general public had naturally been ecstatic over the news, as retaking Wall Maria was the first step toward reclaiming the lands beyond Wall Rose. However, most of the public didn't seem to bat an eye at the obscenely high death toll of the battle, seeming to expect that sort of thing from the Survey Corp. However, Mikasa was glad that at least this time those who perished would be remembered as heroes, rather than just dismissed as wasted tax money.

Mikasa glanced behind her and spotted Floch, his face looking somber, and she once again felt pity for the newer recruit. While the battle had been a traumatic event, at least everyone she cared about had made it through alive. Floch, on the other hand, had watched all of his closest friends and acquaintances die right in front of him, and it was only through some quirk of fate that he had survived.

Mikasa lowered her eyes. While those she cared about were still alive, they had not gotten through unscathed. During the past week, both Eren and Armin had been haunted by the memories of the previous owner of their Titan. In Armin's case he'd caught some glimpses of Bertolt's training days as a Warrior, and some glimpses of Bertolt's training days as a soldier. Funnily enough, Armin said that they weren't all that different.

But Armin had confided in her that Eren had woken up screaming from a nightmare several times the past few nights, and later admitted that they were actually memories from his father, which seemed to confirm what they had found in the books. Eren wouldn't say exactly what he had seen, though, which caused Armin and her to worry.

But what really weighed on her mind was one particular fact they had discovered in the books, namely the curse of Ymir. She knew there would likely be consequences to the Titan powers, but learning that those who inherit one of the Titan powers will only have 13 years to live was a disturbing idea that she had yet to come to terms with.

After everything they had been through, everything they had suffered, she had managed to keep their little family safe and together. And yet it wouldn't amount to anything in the end, because regardless of what they accomplished, regardless of what they wanted, Eren had at the most 8 years left, while Armin had only 13.

She tried to look on the bright side. She reminded herself that the Titan powers had saved Eren's life several times, and while Armin might only live for 13 more years, that was still 13 years more than he would have lived otherwise. But it was a small comfort, knowing that one day in the near future, she would still be there, and suddenly they wouldn't anymore.

Mikasa shook herself and tried to focus in on the talk. They had moved on to discussing the power of the Founding Titan, and how despite not being of royal blood, Eren had managed to use it once.

"COULD IT BE!?"

Mikasa jumped violently at Eren's unexpected yell, and she wasn't the only one. She looked at him, puzzled.

Eren was standing up, and all eyes were suddenly on him.

Hange looked back at him uncertainly. "You startled me. What's the matter all of a sudden?"

Eren looked flustered. "Ah...um...I just…"

Zackley motioned at him. "Continue, our Titan."

Eren hesitated, then abruptly sat back down. "It's nothing. Sorry for causing a disturbance."

Levi looked at him incredulously. "What?"

Eren looked down. "I apologize for interrupting the meeting."

Everyone was still staring at him uncertainly. Erwin looked at him, his gaze calculating.

Erwin spoke up. "Perhaps he was disturbed by the memories of the previous owner of his Titan."

Eren's eyes widened.

Zackley frowned. "What do you mean?"

Erwin faced forward. "Ever since we visited the basement, Eren, Armin, and myself have seen glimpses of the memories of the people who had the power of the Titans before us. It seems he suddenly remembered something shocking that caused him to unintentionally yell out, but was not necessarily relevant to what we are discussing today."

Eren nodded slowly. "Yeah...something like that."

The people around them began to murmur, but seemed to accept this.

Mikasa looked at Eren uncertainly, then back at Erwin.

Erwin slowly stood up. "Now, we need to discuss what we need to do going forward. As Hanji stated, the world despises us, and wishes for our destruction. But the situation is not hopeless. While the world hates Eldians, the world is not a monolith. They are also divided among various nations and peoples, and have their own disagreements and conflicts with each other. Most of the world has ignored this island for the past century, and will likely continue to do so in the near future."

Pixis spoke up. "But Marley will surely return, and attempt to finish what they started."

Erwin smiled grimly. "I am sure that they intend to. But unfortunately for them, they may have other problems to deal with. Based on what was revealed in those books and on the few memories I gained from the previous Beast Titan, Marley is still a military superpower, but they have become too dependent on the power of the Titans. Over the past few years, they have used their Titans to crush the resistance of other nations when disputes over territory and resources arose. Naturally this has caused a lot of resentment from the subjugated nations. But so long as Marley kept the six Titan powers held by their Warrior division, the other countries wouldn't dare to openly oppose Marley. However, Marley has now lost the Female Titan, the Beast Titan, and the Colossal Titan. I very much doubt that they will be able to keep this a secret for long, and so it is very likely that other nations will take this opportunity to declare war on Marley while they're weakened."

The people around them began to murmur again, and looked a little less somber than before.

Erwin continued. "This should hopefully buy us some more time before we have to deal with the rest of the world. Now that we have reclaimed Wall Maria, our first goal must be to eradicate all of the Titans within Wall Maria. To that end, we'll continue using the hammers on the outer districts, and in the meantime learn more about our Titan powers."

Zackley nodded. "Well, that is at least a little reassuring. Still, we'll need to go beyond Wall Maria and verify the state of affairs outside of this island as soon as we can."

Erwin nodded. "Of course."

Zackley straightened up. "Now, the final thing we need to discuss today is what we're going to tell the public. While some details will obviously need to be kept confidential, I feel that it would be best to reveal most of what we know to the people."

One of the MP officials protested. "But, the walls will fall into chaos if we were to make this public!"

The person sitting next to him agreed. "That's right. Even we aren't able to fully assess the scale of what's going on here."

Pixis slowly stood up. "So we should deceive the people again? You're suggesting that we keep the people ignorant and domesticated, just as King Reiss did? If that's the case, what cause were we fighting for when we snatched the crown from his head?"

The MPs looked down uncomfortably.

Historia spoke up. "We will make an announcement. We will be returning the memories King Reiss took from the people a century ago back to the people a century later. That's all. We are all the people of the walls. We must now unite as one and work together."

Niles nodded. "I agree. Besides, we now have the power of the Beast Titan and the Colossal Titan, so while there may be some unrest among the people, I doubt they will try anything extreme."

Mikasa grimaced at the implication, but could see his point.

After some more discussion, the meeting came to a close.

Sasha yawned. "So, the meeting went well?"

Connie nodded. "Yeah. It's a shame you couldn't make it."

Sasha shrugged. "Eh, I don't mind. It sounds like a lot of it was kind of boring."

A few hours after the meeting ended, the survivors of the battle all went to visit Sasha in the hospital.

Erwin allowed them to make some small talk for a few minutes before clearing his throat and getting their attention.

Erwin looked at them all seriously. "So, we'll naturally have a lot of things to discuss over the next few days, but there's one thing that I think we need to at least touch on right now. Namely, the issue of succession."

Sasha frowned. "Succession?"

Armin grimaced. "He's talking about who will inherit the Titan powers once our….tenure is up."

Mikasa fiddled with her scarf, while the others became more somber.

Erwin nodded. "Naturally we still have a number of years before we need to come to any final decisions about this, but once our time is up, we'll need to hand our powers on to the next person in line. In my case, the Beast Titan seems to have been passed from leader to leader when it was in Marley's hands, and since it's now in my possession, passing it on to the next Commander of the Scouts would make the most sense."

Erwin glanced at Hanji. "In which case, the most likely candidate would be you, Hange."

Hange's eyes widened. "Really? But…"

Mikasa interrupted. "But shouldn't we be trying to find some sort of cure for the curse of Ymir? Or at least some way of passing on the power without killing the previous owner?"

Eren glanced away uncomfortably.

Erwin looked at her seriously. "I agree that we should do research and try to find such a cure. But we have to be realistic. It's possible we won't find a cure, or that we won't find a cure before our time is up. And in that case, we'll need to do what needs to be done, namely passing on the power to the next soldier in line so the power isn't lost and forced upon an unsuspecting Eldian child."

Floch nodded. "He's right. It may not be what we want, but that's the reality of the situation."

Jean spoke up. "So, how will we decide who should inherit the powers?"

Erwin shook his head. "I'm not sure, but there should be some system in place to ensure that those who are most qualified will inherit them. As I said, we still have a number of years before we need to give more serious thought to this, but we can't ignore it completely in the meantime."

Hange nodded. "Agreed. Still, the idea of actually being able to become a Titan one day…"

Hange's expression became dreamy.

Levi scowled. "So, what do we do now?"

Erwin replied. "Well, naturally we'll need to recruit more people for the Scouts. We can't remain a ten person organization forever."

Levi scoffed. "Yeah, good luck getting anyone to join after how many people died this time."

Erwin smiled knowingly. "I have a few ideas. In addition, we'll need to get to work studying our respective powers. We already know a fair amount about Eren's, but we know next to nothing about mine or Armin's yet."

Hange's eyes gleamed. "I can't wait to get started!"

After some more discussion, they all gradually dispersed.

Erwin tapped Eren on the shoulder. "Eren, a word with you?"

Eren looked at him uncertainly. "Sure. What is it?"

After seeing that no one else was within ear shot, Erwin looked at him seriously.

"Listen, about that outburst at the meeting earlier today…"

Eren grimaced and looked slightly anxious.

"I can understand why you may not have wanted to discuss whatever it was in front of all of those people, but if it's important, you need to tell us."

Eren hesitated. "Well...it might be important...but...I don't even know if I'm right…"

Erwin shook his head. "All right. I'll let it slide for now, but we need all the information we can get right now if we're going to protect the people of the walls. If it's really not important, then you don't have to share, but if it is I expect you to share it at some point, okay?"

Eren nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Eren walked away, his head slightly bowed.

"So, how are you holding up?"

Erwin turned around to see Levi staring at him.

Erwin shrugged. "Fairly well. It's funny, I had just gotten used to having only one arm, and then suddenly I get it back. It does make certain tasks a lot easier though."

Levi looked at him seriously. "So...did you find what you were looking for in the basement?"

Erwin sighed. "...well, yes and no. We're no longer groping in the dark, completely ignorant of what's really going on, so I'm grateful for that at least. But the answers we gained raise even more questions, and it's clear our work is far from over."

Levi glanced away. "When you first woke up, you almost seemed...disappointed. And then, when we read about the curse of Ymir, you seemed...relieved. What was that about?"

Erwin looked at Levi, his expression solemn. "Over the years, I've put my life on the line countless times. But during that final charge, that was the first time I really let go of any hope of making it back home. I accepted that this is where it would end. It terrified me, but at the same it was a comfort, knowing that the burden of being the strong leader, of putting my humanity aside for the greater good, was finally going to be taken from me. So when I woke up, I was a little disappointed, as I had yet again survived after sending countless soldiers to their deaths. And when I learned that I only had 13 years to live, it was a bit of a relief. I may have to carry this burden for a while longer, but at least there is a definitive end point that I can't go past."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you're almost hoping there is no cure for this curse."

Erwin grimaced. "If it can be found, I will be happy for the others, but I'll admit the selfish part of me hopes that there is no cure."

Levi shook his head. "Well, we're stuck with you in the meantime, so don't let us down, ok?"

Erwin smiled softly. "No. I will do my best not to let our comrades down."

Levi scowled. "Hange, would it kill you to shut up for five minutes?"

Hange giggled. "How can I keep quiet?! This is so amazing!"

Hange peered down at the ground, which was almost 60 meters away. "Eren was incredible enough as it was, but you Armin, you are a magnificent creature!"

Levi shook his head in exasperation, while the Colossal Titan's eyes gleamed with amusement.

The experiments on Armin and Erwin had started a few days ago, and while Levi's enthusiasm had faded before long, Hanji remained as excited as ever.

With Armin they had started simply by having him transform, making sure to keep a safe distance. This was the part that they had been the most nervous about, as they were concerned Armin might lose control, hence why the experiments were taking place far away from any civilians.

Fortunately, Armin was able to retain control of his Titan right away, which made things easier. After transforming, Hange simply analyzed his form for a while, noting the differences and similarities between his Titan and Bertolt's. Then, the more involving experimentation began.

Over the course of the experiments, they learned that Armin's Titan was slightly faster than Bertolt's, but still much slower than an average Titan. They also discovered that maintaining balance was actually fairly difficult for the Colossal Titan. They learned this the hard way when Hange had accidentally overworked Armin after having him try several of the same exercises she'd had Eren go through, and caused Armin to lose his balance and fall to the ground. The impact had come close to killing Hange, and after that Levi had been tasked with babysitting Hange and preventing her from letting her enthusiasm get the better of her.

It was after this incident that they also found out that Armin could only transform about once a day, as even one transformation took a lot out of him. As a result, they were more careful after that.

Today they had Armin walking alongside Wall Rose, in order to see how long and how far he could walk in Titan form. Hange was perched on his right shoulder, busy taking notes and squealing with excitement every two minutes, while Levi was perched on his left shoulder, trying to gauge how tired Armin was and keeping an eye on Hange.

After a while, Levi did his best to ignore Hange and focused on Armin. While Armin was being a good sport and trying to keep going as long as he could for Hange, Levi could tell that he was reaching his limits.

His suspicion was confirmed a few minutes later, when Armin burst out of the nape, the outer layers of skin on his face stripped away.

He took a few deep breaths before calling out. "Captain, I think this is far enough for today."

Hange looked disappointed. "Aw, but we just got started."

Levi gritted his teeth. "Hange, we've been here for four fucking hours. I've just been standing here and I'm tired. If Armin says we're done, we're done. Don't make me drag you away."

Hange sighed. "Okay."

Hange readied her gear and latched onto the wall. Levi then secured Armin and followed Hange onto the top of the wall. As soon as Levi pulled Armin away, the Titan body fell to the ground like a marionette that had suddenly had its strings cut.

Jean, Sasha, and Connie were already prepared for them on the wall, and had laid out several blankets for Armin to lie down on, as well as a flask of water for him to quench his thirst.

Armin accepted the flask. "Thanks guys."

He took a long drink before sinking down onto the blankets with a weary sigh.

Connie smiled softly. "This is so weird. The Colossal Titan was once our greatest enemy, and now here it is, taking a stroll right by the wall."

Sasha smirked. "Well, I think your Titan is much more handsome than Bertolt's, not to mention nowhere near as scary."

Jean shrugged. "Speak for yourself. It still looks like an ugly SOB to me, but it is nice knowing the Colossal is on our side now."

Hange looked at Jean incredulously. "Are you kidding me? He's not ugly, he's beautiful!"

Jean shook his head, but didn't say anything.

Levi ignored their banter and glanced back into the interior of the wall. They'd decided until they had a better handle on their respective powers, they would only have one person transform at a time, so if something went wrong they would only have one Titan to worry about at any given time.

While they were busy with the experiments with Armin, Erwin, along with Eren, Mikasa, and Floch, were busy training the newest recruits, of which there was a surprisingly high number.

Levi had to give Erwin credit, he knew how to handle people. When going out to recruit new members, the commander had been incredibly blunt about the high death tolls of the battle, and the dangers that still lay ahead of them. At the same time, though, he'd really played up the fact that the vast majority of the deaths in the battle were due to the Beast and Colossal Titans, the very same Titans that were now under their control. It was a clever move, being honest about the unknown perils ahead while still pointing out that the dangers they'd encountered at Shiganshina had not only been eliminated, but turned into advantages for their side.

He'd also mentioned the speech he'd given before the suicide charge, about how it was up to them to give those who had died meaning, and ensure their sacrifices meant something. It was an effective method that had yielded good results so far.

Some of the new recruits were younger soldiers from other divisions, like Floch had been. Others, however, were older members of the garrison and even a few MPs, who, emboldened by the success of the Survey Corp and no longer content to sit back and let others decide their fate, had chosen to participate in the new war, where Titans would soon be replaced by other humans as the main enemy.

Erwin's duties as commander had kept him fairly busy, so they hadn't done as many experiments with his Titan yet as they had with Armin, but they had done a few. Like Armin, Erwin seemed able to control his Titan from the very beginning. Appearance wise his Titan looked fairly similar to the previous Beast Titan, with the only notable exception being his head. First, like his pure Titan form, the head was noticeably a bit too small for the body, which gave him a slightly funny look. Another difference was that the Titan's face now had a full beard despite Erwin not having a beard, which Levi found ironic, as the previous Beast Titan did not have a beard even though the shifter did.

Erwin also had the ability to speak while in Titan form, which made communication easier, and made him seem less threatening. Levi could tell that his Titan powers would make Erwin an even greater leader than he had already been.

Levi glanced back at Hange, who was busy examining Armin's face as it healed. Of the original Survey Corps, the only ones left were Erwin, Hange, and himself. He'd come to accept that the high death tolls were a part of life when venturing beyond the walls, and didn't let it bother him too much.

But a part of him hoped that the latest battle was the beginning of a new era, one where joining the Survey Corps wasn't practically the same as signing your death warrant. And he hoped that Erwin would be able to guide them through this new era and set them on a better path during the time he had left.

Erwin stood on top of Wall Rose, his Titan form giving him an even higher view than normal. Behind him was Trost district, the site of humanity's first victory. Ahead of him lay the lands of Wall Maria. The lands that had once belonged to them, and would belong to them again soon.

Erwin cleared his throat and let out a roar, projecting the sound as far as he could.

Erwin glanced down to his left, and saw the members of the Garrison covering their ears.

Erwin smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that gentlemen."

The Garrison captain shook his head and laughed good naturedly. "Ah, don't worry about it Commander. You're doing humanity a great service, we can handle a little noise."

Erwin nodded, and glanced down to his right, where several of the newest members of the Survey Corp were gathered. Directly next to him was a large wooden cart containing a large pile of rocks.

Floch, who was looking through a pair of binoculars, suddenly yelled out. "Here they come, Commander! From the Southwest this time, just beyond that small cluster of trees."

Erwin faced forward. "Very good."

A group of between one and two dozen Titans were walking toward the city, like moths drawn to a flame.

And just as doomed. Erwin thought grimly.

Once the Titans had gotten a little closer, Erwin reached down and picked up some of the rocks in the cart. He then drew back his arm, aimed carefully, and hurled the rocks at the Titans.

His aim was slightly off, however. Three of the Titans on the far right edge of the group were killed instantly, while several more standing next to them were injured but not fatally so. The bulk of the group didn't even seem to notice the deadly barrage that had just wiped out their companions, and continued to lumber forward.

Erwin frowned. "Hmm, my aim was slightly off again."

Floch admonished him. "Commander, remember, your first goal is to eliminate the Titans. Let them get close before throwing the stones, you can worry about practicing your long range throws later."

Erwin smiled. "Right. Sorry, I just couldn't resist trying with this first group."

It was still early in the morning, and the days work had just begun. It had been about two weeks since Erwin's first transformation, and during that time they had learned a number of things about his Titan powers.

The first major discovery they'd made was that Erwin could speak while in Titan form, which was useful. After further experimentation they'd discovered other things as well. The Beast Titan's roar had a similar effect as the Female Titan's, and could be used to attract other Titans. They'd also discovered that the ability to command other Titans was not an ability inherent to the Beast Titan, but rather a power unique to the previous owner of the Beast Titan, which was disappointing but important to know.

They'd also found that the Beast Titan was most effective at a distance, and wasn't really suited for close quarter combat. After learning this, and remembering how effective the Beast Titan's throws were at the Battle of Shiganshina, Erwin began trying to learn and master the same technique. He was getting there, but his throws still weren't as powerful or as accurate as those of the previous Beast Titan.

That was where it had started. Floch had suggested that perhaps Erwin could stand atop Wall Rose and hurl rocks at the Titans, practicing his throwing technique while also eliminating some of the mindless Titans still within the walls. Floch had mostly been kidding, but Erwin had taken the idea seriously and acted upon it.

Between his roar that attracted the mindless Titans and his still deadly if not yet perfected throws, Erwin was able to mow down far more Titans per day than the Titan guillotines could ever hope to. After realizing the implications, Erwin announced that he would continue to practice his throws on top of the wall in order to speed up the rate at which the Titans were eliminated, and thus reduce the amount of time it would take before the Walls were safe once again.

Which led him to now, where he was perched on top of the Wall of Trost, using the creatures that had once been their greatest foe as target practice. As this task would take up a lot of his time, he'd entrusted many of his duties to Hange for the time being.

He spotted another group of Titans coming in from the East, and reached down for more rocks. It was a good plan, but it was going to be a long day.

After Erwin began using his Titan power to eliminate the Titans within Wall Maria safely from atop Wall Rose, they made progress fairly quickly.

Erwin started with Trost district, which had the most Titans nearby, as it was the Southern District. Eventually, though, there came a day when there were no Titans in sight, and no matter how loud or how often Erwin roared, no Titans appeared. Erwin then repeated the process with Karanes District, with Krolva District, and finally with Utopia District. Only three months after the battle of Shiganshina had passed before most of the Titans were killed.

The Survey Corps then cautiously and carefully combed the lands of Wall Maria, with Eren, Armin, or Erwin always present, in order to eliminate the remaining Titans scattered throughout the lost territory. Only five months after the battle of Shiganshina, about half a year after the attack on Trost, and Wall Maria was declared safe for resettlement, which led to a large migration of people. Many of them were refugees returning to their lost homes, but others were simply citizens of Wall Rose who had grown tired of being cooped up behind Wall Rose, and wanted to see the lands beyond.

While Wall Maria was declared safe, the lands beyond Wall Maria were not, and citizens were not yet allowed to travel freely outside of the walls. However, based on their observations, they determined that most of the Titans had entered the walls to get closer to humanity, and by killing all of the Titans within Wall Maria, they had killed most of the Titans on the island, so it wouldn't be much longer before the lands beyond the walls were safe as well.

About two months after the resettlement of Wall Maria began, for the first time in six years an expedition beyond Wall Maria was approved.

Jean looked up sharply when he spotted the red signal flare.

He grimaced. "A Titan."

Connie nodded. "One finally showed up. Be careful!"

However, before long several of the scouts had directed their horses toward the Titan. After getting closer, Connie was able to see why.

The Titan had a massive body, but stubby little arms and legs, and its mouth was buried into the ground.

Connie frowned. "It can't move?"

Sasha nodded grimly. "It must have slowly been trying to crawl its way toward the wall. "

Erwin looked at the trail behind the Titan carefully. "Based on the pattern it left behind, it looks like it took a very, very long time just to cover a tiny distance. We must be getting close."

Erwin moved his horse forward. "Let's move."

Sure enough, they soon found the spot described by Grisha's book and Eren's inherited memories where Eldians were turned into Titans.

And just beyond that, they found a sight that none of them were fully prepared for.

The ocean. Clear blue water, spreading out in every direction as far as the eye could see.

After making sure there were no Titans nearby, Erwin approved for the Scouts to have a little fun near the shore.

Erwin stood nearby, taking in the salty air, and just quietly observed the serene scene for a while.

Armin was simply standing with his feet bare, the water lapping at his ankles as it moved in and out. Connie and Sasha were splashing each other, while Jean tried tasting the water, only to quickly spit it out in disgust.

Hange was studying the water and the objects brought in by the tides onto the shore with nearly the same enthusiasm as she would have when studying Titans, while Levi was keeping his distance and scolding her for touching things that could be poisonous.

Mikasa soon joined Armin, and after some encouragement from Floch the other newer recruits got over their self consciousness and joined in as well.

Erwin smiled, grateful to have been able to finally see this happy moment.

Off to the side, Eren was standing in the water by himself. Unlike the others, he didn't seem to be enjoying himself. Rather, he looked lost in thought, as if something was troubling him.

Erwin felt sympathy for the young man. While they had gained a great deal from their recent victory, they had also given up a lot. And after all that hardship, Eren's reward was to be given a bunch of horrific memories of past tragedies and atrocities, and to learn that he had less than 8 years to live.

Erwin shook his head. He'd have to keep an eye on him. While Eren had matured a great deal over the past year, he still needed to be watched over, lest he do something stupid.

Erwin shifted his gaze to the horizon, and his eyes softened. While he didn't know exactly what they would do going forward, he knew they would figure something out. He smiled, and for once felt hopeful about the future.

Several seagulls flew by overhead, calling out joyfully to each other as they soared over the shore.

Author's Note: Hopefully this chapter was good, let me know what you think.

One quick thing, some people might try to argue that Zeke's Beast Titan did have a beard, but I would disagree. He did have a lot of hair on his head, but hardly any on his face, the hair is more like a mane around his face. Also, if I got any facts wrong, let me know so I can correct them. As far as I'm aware I got things right, but I'm not sure.

Chapter Text

Falco coughed, the bitter scents of gunpowder and smoke invading his lungs.

He pulled his limp brother's body as fast as he could, trying to drag him back to the trenches where it was relatively safe, hoping that they wouldn't be spotted and torn to shreds by the machine guns lining the lower wall.

Without warning, he suddenly slid back, and he and his brother tumbled down into the trenches in a heap.

Commander Magath looked at them. "Colt!"

He rushed over. "What happened?"

Falco looked at his brother anxiously. "The Warrior unit got blown away by an explosive round."

Colt opened his eyes, looking unsteady. "Ughh...where...where am I?"

Koslow frowned dismissively. "He must have hit his head."

Gabi rushed forward. "Here, I can patch your wound."

Falco watched them patch up his brother, feeling slightly relieved but worried at the same time.

It had been like this for some time. Four years ago, the Mid-East Alliance had declared war on Marley, and they'd been fighting ever since.

At the moment, they were nearing the end of the war. All they had to do was take control of Fort Slava, the location they were currently sieging, and victory would be theirs. Falco knew there was more to it then that, but that was their main task at hand.

Directly in front of them loomed the fort. The lower wall was only yards away, while further back the upper wall towered over the landscape. To their right lay several small mountains, and to their left, below the fort, lay the enemy port, and beyond that the ocean. If Falco peered up, he could catch a glimpse of the endless blue water stretching all the way to the horizon. Of course, he didn't do that, as they had work to do.

During the war, Commander Magath had taken the time to select worthy candidates who would become the next Warriors. They had three Warriors, Reiner, Pieck, and Porco. Porco had inherited his Titan, the Jaws Titan, four years ago, and so still had nine years left of tenure. Reiner and Pieck, on the other hand, only had two years of tenure left, and so suitable replacements would be needed.

Colt was slated to inherit the Armored Titan. Falco and Gabi, meanwhile, were the final candidates for the Cart Titan.

Falco frowned. Gabi seemed to think that she was the one most worthy of inheriting the Cart Titan, and constantly pointed out that since his brother was already guaranteed to get the Armored, his family would become honorary Marleyans whether he got the Cart Titan or not.

Falco had to concede that she had a point, and yet he couldn't just give up. While she could be stuck up, Falco could tell that Gabi really cared about their Eldian friends and family in the internment zones, and wanted to make their lives better. While gaining one of the nine Titans was an honor, it also severely shortened your life span, and Falco felt that he ought to spare Gabi from that fate, at least for a while.

Falco shook himself and tried to focus on what was going on around him.

Colt looked more steady, and was talking with Magath.

Magath looked at his subordinate carefully. "It sounds like you have an idea?"

Colt nodded. "I think we should let the Jaws and Cart Titans loose in there. Together Pieck and Porco could clear out the trenches and pillbox in an instant."

Magath held up a hand. "No. We lose if we play our cards in the wrong order."

Koslow, who had been peering out with a pair of binoculars, called out. "It's appeared!"

Colt carefully peaked out. "What's appeared?"

Magath took the binoculars and looked himself. "It. The armored train. More specifically, the four guns it carries. It's the Mid-East Alliance's new weapon, the anti-Titan artillery. Those guns are capable of taking down a Titan in a single shot, even one of the nine."

Colt protested. "But both of our Titans are fast, the chances of their napes being pierced are incredibly slim."

Magath glanced at him. "But if that should happen?"

Colt grimaced. "In that case...we would lose a Warrior, as well as the power of a Titan...and there is no guarantee that we would be able to recover the power of that Titan."

Magath nodded grimly. "Exactly. The tables would be turned on us again, just as it was four years ago, when we lost the Female, Colossal, and Beast Titans. It was seen as a major drop in Marley's military capabilities, triggering the war that continues to this very day. We cannot afford to lose any more of our Titans."

Magath looked at Koslow. "Prepare the Warrior unit for a frontal charge."

Colt's eyes widened. "Sir…"

Magath glanced at him. "What, Eldian? Haven't you Eldians pledged your loyalty to Marley? I'm giving the 800 Eldian soldiers here a chance to be honored by our Motherland."

Colt glanced off to the side. "But…"

Magath touched his shoulder. "I understand how you feel. But the Warrior unit must destroy those tracks no matter what, because so long as that train prowls around the perimeter of the fortress, we cannot risk deploying any of our Titans."

Koslow, who was looking through the binoculars again, called out. "Sir, the train is changing directions! It's coming this way!"

Magath took a look himself. "Excellent. This gives us a chance to destroy the whole train as well as the tracks."

Gabi looked up at him eagerly. "Let me do it."

She held up the seven hand grenades she'd tied together. "Ta-da! I can do it. I can neutralize the train alone."

Colt and Falco looked at her in shock.

Magath scowled. "Do you have any idea how much it's cost this country to train you brats? Denied."

Gabi shrugged. "It's true. I am a remarkable talent, unlike him. I doubt you'll ever see another cadet so skilled. I'm super cute too."

Her eyes gleamed. "But if I succeed, you don't have to lose the 800 man unit. And if I fail, you'll just lose one promising cadet and seven hand grenades."

Magath's eyes widened.

Gabi sighed. "Well, I guess if I'm worth more to you than the 800 man unit, I suppose your hands are tied. But…"

Magath shook his head. "I get it. Go."

Gabi's eyes lit up in triumph.

Falco looked at her anxiously. "Gabi…"

Gabi ignored him, and her face became serious. "I will prove to you that I am the Warrior worthy of inheriting the Cart Titan."

She began taking her uniform off.

Magath looked slightly perplexed. "What are you doing?"

Gabi tossed her jacket to the ground. "I need to do this for the plan to work. Please let me take my arm band off, just for now."

Magath nodded grimly. "Fine by me."

Gabi discarded it, and then climbed out of the trenches, and began slowly walking toward the lower wall.

Falco could only watch in disbelief. Admittedly it was a clever plan. While pretending to be a noncombatant, she would approach the enemy trenches as if to surrender. If all went well, this would allow her to get close to the tracks that were just behind the lower wall. Then, when the opportunity was right, she could toss the grenades and derail the train.

But Falco was stunned that Gabi would go this far. And it did seem a little underhanded to him.

Colt voiced his thoughts. "You know it's a violation of international law to have plain clothes soldiers, right?"

Magath watched Gabi's progress through the binoculars. "If the enemy who witnesses it survives, then it is."

Then, when the train came near, Gabi tossed the grenades, and her aim was true. The explosion destroyed part of the track and derailed the train.

Koslow watched in disbelief. "She actually did it!"

Magath raised his voice. "Galliard! Now!"

As Gabi ran back toward them, Falco saw that one of the enemies had survived, and was firing his machine gun at her. Without thinking, he rushed out to help her.

Colt cried out. "Falco!"

Falco managed to grab her and pull her into a nearby hole, saving her from the machine gun.

Gabi looked at him uncertainly. "You didn't have to do that."

Falco looked at her incredulously. "Are you kidding? If I hadn't, you'd…"

They both stopped speaking when they noticed a shadow looming over them. They looked up and saw the Jaws Titan standing next to the hole they were in, checking to make sure they were okay.

Gabi cried in delight. "Galliard!"

The Titan huffed, before leaping forward and destroying the remaining enemies in the pillbox.

As Gabi and Falco made their way back to Magath's post, Falco became more convinced than ever that he would need to look after Gabi in order to protect her from her own recklessness.

The Marleyan officer put down the receiver. "We have confirmation that the armored train is down. We can proceed with the airborne operation."

He walked over to the other soldiers, who were watching their cargo of semi-conscious Eldian criminals uneasily, knowing that they would soon be turned into Titans.

He glanced at the Eldians. "Remember, stick to the plan. The first air unit will go first and damage the fort with the first wave of Pure Titans. Depending on how it goes, we may or may not need to deploy the second wave. Either way, once the Pure Titans have done their work, the Armored Titan will go down and mop up the rest."

He looked over at Reiner. "Be warned, there are still many stationary anti-Titan artillery cannons within the fort. We don't think they can pierce your armor, but be careful."

Reiner nodded. "Yes sir."

After the officer walked away, Reiner glanced out the window, looking at the ground far below their airship.

Four years. Four long years of endless fighting and destruction. But at last, it was about to come to an end.

After their failure at Shiganshina, Reiner had taken full responsibility, prepared to accept the consequences. He didn't want to die, but then, neither had Marcel, or Bertolt. Maybe, if he'd died back then instead of Marcel, none of this would have happened.

But Pieck had intervened. She'd pointed out that Reiner had saved her life, and it was thanks to his quick thinking that they knew exactly what had happened in Shiganshina. She also mentioned how Zeke had been even more loyal and skilled than Reiner, and yet even he had fallen to the Devils of Paradis.

It was a risky move, but the military higher ups had taken her input into account, and concluded that Reiner's loyalty and abilities as a Warrior were unquestionable despite the failure at Shiganshina, and decided to let him keep the power for the rest of his tenure.

Not only that, but since Zeke's untimely death, he had been appointed as the new Warchief. It was a position he'd never wanted, but now that it was his he had sworn to himself to make the most of it.

Under his leadership, they'd managed to use the power of the Titans several times during the war that helped bring them closer to victory. He couldn't do anything about the naval battles, but for the battles on the ground and near the shore, he had put his all into it.

After these successes, the Titan Research Society had given him a serum that enhanced his hardening abilities even further, with the hope that it would enable him to withstand any projectiles fired at him, even the anti-Titan artillery. Reiner was grateful for the enhancement, and intended to use his powers to end the war as soon as possible.

Because the sooner they ended the war, the sooner they could resume the operation on Paradis Island, and complete their mission.

In addition to recovering the Founding Titan, Reiner was determined to rescue Annie. While there was a chance she was dead, the Scouts had demonstrated their knowledge of the Titan powers when they took the Beast and Colossal Titans. So he was sure that if they could have, they would have taken the power of the Female Titan before the battle at Shiganshina and used it there. Since they hadn't, it seemed that something was preventing them from doing so.

Reiner had heard from the Titan Research papers that apparently some Titan shifters had the power to encase themselves in an impenetrable cocoon of crystal. It was possible that this was what Annie had done, and so was safe, for the moment.

He thought back to the Scouts. While he still felt some guilt for what he had done to them, after they had taken the power of the Beast and Colossal Titans, his feelings had become more neutral. He had hurt them, and they had hurt him. Who was right and who was wrong didn't matter anymore. They were the enemy, and it was because of them that the present war and all the suffering that resulted from it had happened. So he would fulfill his duty, no matter what.

Magath watched the unfolding battle grimly. With the armored train down, it was now safe to deploy their Titans, and the Jaws and Cart Titans were doing wonders to the enemy line, as were the infantry units.

And yet Magath couldn't help but feel uneasy. Things were going a little too well.

His misgivings had begun a little over a week ago, when they had captured the last remaining port the Mid-East Alliance had apart from Fort Slava. The battle had been quick. Too quick. The relative ease with which they had captured the port made Magath suspicious.

Further warning signs had cropped up after interrogating several captured soldiers. They hadn't been able to get much information out of them, but two of the soldiers had mentioned something about a trap being prepared at Fort Slava. However, they had stated that the details of the trap were being closely guarded by their military's higher ups, and most of the army knew nothing other than they were preparing a trap.

Magath had been unable to verify their claims, as all the available information indicated that Fort Slava was the Mid-East Alliances' last stronghold, and their other forces had been all but spent. But Magath had a feeling that the intel was genuine, and consequently wanted to be cautious when it came to capturing Fort Slava, at least until they knew what this supposed trap was.

Magath's superiors had disagreed, however, feeling that the intel was simply a bluff made up by the enemy in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable. Wanting to end the war as quickly as possible, they had ordered Magath to capture the fort by the end of the month.

As he watched the Jaws Titan tear up the tracks and the Cart Titan chase the enemies out of their underground bunkers, he was fairly satisfied with how things were unfolding so far.

He tried to be optimistic. They had 30,000 troops gathered around the fort, and an additional 20,000 troops stationed nearby, reinforcements that were well out of the range of the fort's guns, but close enough to come to their aid in an instant if something went wrong.

Below the fort lay the harbor where the Mid-East Alliance's fleet was taking shelter. Further out at sea Magath knew that a large number of Marleyan ships were blockading the port. The leadership of the Navy wasn't very competent in Magath's opinion, and he knew he wasn't alone in thinking that. It had taken the Navy four years and massive casualties before finally taking control of the sea.

But at this point it didn't matter. All of the Allies remaining ships were cornered in the harbor below, and it would take a miracle for them to make it past the blockade. Between that, and the fact that they had finally broken the stalemate at the fort, and things were swiftly moving in their favor.

And yet Magath couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Magath glanced to the left, where Colt, Falco, and Gabi were watching Pieck and Porco in awe as they tore through the enemy.

Magath eyed Gabi uncertainly. While she had proven her skill and dedication as a Warrior, she was still rather impulsive and hotheaded. Falco, while not quite as skilled as Gabi, was much more level headed. He still hadn't made up his mind on which one should inherit the Cart Titan, and wanted to give the matter some more thought once they'd secured the fort.

He cleared his throat, getting their attention.

He gazed at the fort. "What do you make of the situation?"

Colt looked thoughtful. "Well, I think we've done enough damage to the enemy's frontline for now. We ought to pull back and block off the enemy's path of retreat."

He looked up at the sky, catching a glimpse of the two blimps in the distance. "The rest is up to the air units."

Magath nodded. "That's right."

Magath watched as the air units came closer and closer. It wouldn't be long before they were in range. They were almost there…

Suddenly, there was a massive flash of light from their left.

Magath looked out toward the sea, and saw the horizon lit up, the light so bright that he was forced to squint.

His eyes widened in astonishment, and he heard the others gasp in shock and surprise.

Gabi stammered. "Are those...battleships?"

Magath looked at the edges of the flash of light, and saw several small black objects moving up in the distance. After looking at them carefully, he was able to see that they were indeed ships flying high in the air.

Koslow looked astonished. "What the hell?"

Without warning, a roar of sound and a blast of wind hit them, causing them to stumble back and cover their ears. It sounded like someone was firing a cannon right next to them, except the sound kept going and going.

Then, as quickly as it had come, it stopped. The noise and wind ceased, and the light faded. All that was left was a massive cloud of smoke on the horizon.

Falco looked up fearfully. "What...what was that?"

Colt seemed just as apprehensive, though he tried to hide it. "Was that some sort of bomb?"

Magath's eyes widened. "That explosion...it came from where our ships were."

Magath snatched the binoculars from Koslow and looked out to sea.

At first all he could see was water. As he scanned back and forth, he realized there were no ships in sight at all.

Then he saw it. Standing tall, monstrous, with no skin and its muscles and bones showing, a Titan was in the middle of the ocean.

Magath lowered the binoculars, trying to keep his hands from shaking. "It's the Colossal Titan."

The others reacted in alarm.

Colt was stunned. "What?!"

Koslow exclaimed. "But that's impossible!"

Gabi looked slightly fearful. "But I thought you said that the Colossal Titan had been taken by those Island Devils. Why would it be here?"

Magath froze, then looked through the binoculars again, this time looking down at the port below.

The harbor was bustling with activity, and several ships were already moving out into the open water.

Magath watched in disbelief. "They're leaving. Our navy was annihilated by the Colossal Titan...and immediately afterwards, their ships are leaving. There's only one explanation."

Colt's eyes widened. "Paradis Island...has joined the Mid-East Alliance."

Koslow's face paled.

Gabi sputtered. "But those devils are a threat to the entire world! They're dangerous! Why would the Mid-East Alliance ever work with them?"

Falco grimaced. "They were losing the war. They couldn't exactly afford to be picky about who they let join their Alliance."

Colt gasped. "But...this means...the war…"

Magath nodded grimly. "The war isn't over."

He scowled. "Damn it. I thought something might go wrong, but this…"

It was a major blow. Having their blockade annihilated and letting the Alliance fleet escape was an unfortunate set back that would delay the end of the war for several more weeks, if not months. And the fact that Paradis Island was now assisting the other enemies of Marley was a troubling revelation. The only positive was that at least he now knew what the supposed trap was, and felt some grim satisfaction that his suspicions had been correct.

An officer ran up to them. "Commander Magath, after seeing that light, the air units have halted. They want to know if we should continue the operation or abandon it."

Magath mulled it over. "No. Tell them to continue. While the war may not be over today, we still have a job to do, and we're going to do it. We keep going. We must capture the fort."

The officer nodded. "Understood sir, I'll relay your orders."

The officer jogged back the way he had come, leaving the others feeling disheartened.

Magath looked up, and saw the two air units nearing the airspace directly above the fort.

He sighed mentally. Good. They're almost within range. Let's just get this over with.

The second air unit halted in its advance, hanging back for the moment, while the first air unit continued forward, ready to deploy the first wave.

Suddenly, there was another flash of light, this time originating somewhere within the fort. But due to the walls blocking the source of the light from their sight, they couldn't see what had caused it.

Koslow looked nervous. "What now?"

Gabi murmured. "That almost looked like the flash of light from before…"

The next second, a volley of artillery rounds were hurled high into the air, traveling a seemingly impossible distance upwards, like a flock of birds speeding across the sky.

The volley reached the first air unit and tore it to shreds. The gases within the airship ignited, and the entire thing blew up in midair, leaving only a few scattered bits of debris to slowly fall back down to the ground.

Before they even had time to fully process what they had just seen, a second volley was hurled, this time heading toward the second airship. This time only part of the airship was shredded by the artillery rounds, but that was enough to severely damage it and cause it to catch fire.

The airship spiraled out of control, and the pilot appeared to be attempting to redirect the ship so that it would slam into the fort and do at least some damage. But his efforts were in vain, as the ship flew over the fort before smashing into the ground, landing on the lower wall between the frontlines and the fort.

"REINER!" Gabi screamed.

Falco was shaking in disbelief. "This can't be happening...this can't…"

Colt and Koslow were looking pale. Magath tried to think of something to say to calm them down, but nothing came to mind.

Magath grimaced. "There's only one person who could have done that."

As the smoke billowed out from the wreckage of the airship, a massive figure emerged on top of the upper wall of the fort.

Colt's eyes widened. "It's...it's the Beast Titan!"

Around the Beast Titan the Mid-East Alliance soldiers were bustling with activity. Several of them were bringing forward a large cart.

Magath froze. "Oh no…"

The Beast Titan reached into the cart and picked up a handful of the supplies in the cart, which turned out to be more artillery rounds.

The Beast Titan looked out at them, and spoke. "NOW, SOLDIERS OF MARLEY! FEEL THE TERROR YOU INFLICTED ON US!"

The Titan drew back it's arm, aimed carefully, and flung the rounds directly into the trenches closest to the fort.

The carnage was horrific, with the rounds tearing through the front lines like a hot knife through butter, turning dozens of soldiers into dismembered corpses in the blink of an eye.

"FALL BACK!" Magath roared. "GET AWAY FROM THE FORT!"

At Magath's command, all of the Marleyan and Eldian soldiers began retreating through the trenches, trying to get away from the fort as quickly as they could.

All of the trenches were difficult or impossible to see clearly from the fort, but the Beast Titan's gaze was elevated an extra 17 meters above the upper wall. So while he couldn't see all of the trenches, he could clearly see the trenches closest to the fort. While Magath and most of the Marleyan soldiers were able to get to the safer trenches in time, many of the Eldian soldiers were not so lucky.

The Beast Titan hurled volley after volley into the frontline trenches, each throw letting off a sound like a dozen cannons being fired, killing countless soldiers each time.

As Magath and the others retreated, over the screams and booming noises he could faintly hear a euphoric cheer coming from inside the fort, the enemy soldiers celebrating their good fortune. He grimaced, knowing now that the tables had truly turned on them.

Finally, all of their surviving forces made it to the trenches too far away for the Beast Titan to see clearly, and the endless barrage stopped, at least for the moment.

Magath breathed heavily, and could see that Colt, Falco, and Gabi were also exhausted by both the quick pace and the stress of the situation.

Magath looked over as Koslow returned. "Damage report."

Koslow's face was pale. "It's hard to say. Almost nobody who was still on the frontlines made it out in time. So the casualties are at least in the dozens, if not hundreds."

Several loud footsteps shook the ground behind them, and Magath turned around to see Pieck in her Titan form approaching them.

He walked up to her. "Pieck! Are you alright? What about the Panzer squad?"

Pieck tilted her head to the side. "I'm fine. We're all okay. Porco's safe too, he's over on the east end."

Magath let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's something at least."

It was a stroke of luck that both of their Titans were small enough to be able to hide within the trenches.

Both of their remaining Titans, Magath reminded himself grimly.

Koslow looked at him uncertainly. "What do we do now?"

Magath wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "We don't have any weapons that are capable of taking down the Beast Titan, and so long as he remains there, trying to capture the fort is impossible at this point."

Magath looked through the binoculars again, this time zooming in on the Beast Titan. He was still standing in the same spot, surveying the now quiet battlefield, his expression neutral.

Magath frowned. So, that must be Erwin Smith. While I'm sure the other nations have a grudge against us, something tells me this plan was his idea. Based on Reiner and Pieck's report, they're using a similar strategy as what was used against them at the battle of Shiganshina. He's a capable leader, unlike some of the idiots who are in charge of our military. He will be a dangerous enemy.

He put the binoculars down. "We need to retreat. Tell all of our units that we're pulling out."

Koslow looked shocked. "But sir, they told us that we must capture the fort! If we leave-"

Magath shook his head. "I will take full responsibility. But the situation is not what it was a week ago. This is no longer the Mid-East Alliance's last stronghold, this is a deathtrap we are unprepared for. We need to-"

He was cut off when they heard the sound similar to cannon fire crack through the air.

Magath looked around sharply, afraid that the Beast had somehow spotted them.

Then, a volley of artillery rounds flew far over their heads.

Koslow blinked in confusion. "What? Did he miss?"

Magath's eyes followed the trajectory of the falling projectiles, and his heart stopped when he saw where they were headed.

They slammed into the peak of one of the smaller mountains on the opposite side of the fort from the sea. The impact caused the mountain to shudder, and release part of its mass as an avalanche.

The mass of rock and debris swept down the side of the mountain before sliding over the reinforcements that had the misfortune of being too close, erasing them as quickly as a large wave erases a sand castle.

Magath's eyes widened when he realized what the Beast had done. The avalanche had only killed a tiny fraction of the reinforcements, but it had also blocked off their main escape route. The only way for them to retreat now was for them to make their way over and take the escape path on the other side of the mountain. And if they were to do that, they would be easy to pick off. But if they remained where they were…

Magath looked back at the Beast Titan, and his suspicions were confirmed. The Titan unleashed another volley, this time arcing high in the air, though not as high as the previous volley, and came down upon the reinforcements like a deadly rain. While they were well out of the range of the fort's guns, they were not out of range of the Beast Titan.

Magath tried to suppress the panic he felt rising within him.

Koslow was less subtle. "What do we do?!"

Magath didn't know how to answer that.

Before he could think of a response, another flash of light appeared, this time just outside of the fort.

Falco was shaking like a leaf.

Colt's eyes were wide in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me! Another one? What the hell are we..."

They paused, because as the light faded, they could see which Titan had just appeared.

Standing near the wreckage of the airship was the Armored Titan, glaring up at the Beast Titan.

"Reiner!" Gabi cried joyfully.

Falco and Colt looked immensely relieved, as did Koslow.

Pieck murmured. "Thank goodness."

Behind them, Magath could hear a cheer coming from the Marleyan and Eldian soldiers, their morale improved by the appearance of the Warchief.

The Beast Titan picked up some more rounds, and hurled them at the Armored Titan.

They momentarily tensed up, worried that Reiner might be torn to shreds like everything else that the Beast Titan had aimed at. But the volley was unable to pierce the armor, leaving only a few minor scratches and dents.

Magath let out a sigh of relief. He'd hoped that the serum from the Titan Research Society would be enough to make the Armored Titan immune to all projectiles and explosives, and it appeared that it had worked.

The Armored Titan began walking toward the fort, while the Beast Titan simply watched him.

Magath observed the Armored Titans movements for a moment, before turning toward his subordinates.

"Listen up. Our top priority is to get our troops out of here. I don't know how much time Reiner can buy for us, so we need to make the most of it. Organize a retreat."

Koslow saluted. "Yes sir!"

He then left in order to give Magath's instructions to the other officers.

Magath looked up at Pieck. "Meanwhile, we have work to do."

Pieck looked at him carefully. "Are we going to help Reiner?"

Magath nodded. "That's right. Based on his movements, I'm guessing that Reiner is going to attempt to ram the wall in order to knock the Beast Titan down. He's aware that bringing down the Beast Titan, or at the very least keeping it occupied, is crucial. However, this will leave him vulnerable to the anti-Titan cannons within the fort. So while Reiner is dealing with the Beast, you two must quickly take out the stationary cannons. Porco will approach from the left side of the fort, keeping within the trenches as long as he can in order to avoid being spotted by the enemy until the very last minute. Meanwhile, Pieck, you and the Panzer unit will approach the fort from the right, using the smoke from that ruined airship as cover to mask your approach."

Pieck nodded. "Right."

Magath looked grim. "Remember, Reiner's job is to deal with the Beast Titan. So no matter what happens, focus on taking out the cannons. Once they're all down, then you can assist Reiner against the Beast Titan. But be careful. And tell Porco to avoid taking any unnecessary risks."

Pieck nodded. "Understood."

Within a few minutes they were making progress, with their soldiers retreating through the trenches, while Pieck and Porco were moving back toward the fort.

Magath watched them carefully, using the binoculars when necessary. Reiner had started to pick up speed, and the Beast Titan had for the moment ceased with his deadly barrage.

On the left Porco was nearing the fort, moving at incredible speeds. On the right Pieck was moving more cautiously, using the billowing smoke from the wreckage of the airship just as he had instructed her to. While he could see them, he was fairly certain that the enemy could not, and would not see them until they were right in front of them.

Magath felt slightly calmer now. They may have the Beast Titan, but we have three Titans, all of whom have had training since they were children. The cannons will be a problem, but they won't be able to take down the Armored Titan, and the Jaws and Cart Titans are too fast for the cannons to get a clear shot. And while the annihilation of our fleet was unfortunate, at least we know that it's impossible for the Colossal Titan to appear and assist them here. We can still pull this off.

Magath glanced over his shoulder. Still, I'm not taking any risks. If they aren't able to bring down the Beast Titan, we need to get as many of our soldiers out of here as possible. Better to have to make them walk back then to assume everything will go according to plan and remain sitting ducks.

A few seconds later, all three of their Titans were almost at the fort, Porco approaching from the left, Pieck from the right, Reiner from the middle. Reiner was running straight toward the wall where the Beast Titan was standing, gaining momentum. He was almost there...

Suddenly, the Beast Titan hurled another volley of artillery rounds. But instead of aiming directly at the Armored Titan, he instead aimed at the ground directly in front of the charging Titan.

The sudden attack and uneven terrain caused Reiner to stumble and almost fall, but managed to keep running. However, in his efforts to maintain balance, he lost much of his momentum, and when he collided with the wall it was enough to crack it and let out a boom that was audible even to Magath, but it was not enough to break through the wall.

Then, while Reiner was still slightly disoriented, the Beast Titan spoke again.

"NOW!"

What happened next, Magath would have never believed if he hadn't witnessed it himself.

Four people dressed in black vaulted over the wall, and swarmed around the Armored Titan like a colony of bees protecting their hive.

Magath's eyes widened. "What…"

One of the people hurled a spear-like weapon at the Armored Titan's right leg, and the resulting explosion destroyed the knee, causing the Armored Titan to stumble and fall.

Falco gasped, while Gabi was in shock.

She stammered. "How did…"

Over on the right side of the fort four more people appeared directly above Pieck, at such an angle that the Panzer squad couldn't shoot them. Before Pieck could move, they unleashed a volley of the same spear-like weapons, damaging the carriage on Pieck's back and destroying two of the machine guns, presumably killing the soldiers inside.

As he watched their movements, Magath realized that the people were equipped with some type of grappling hooks.

These must be the Survey Corps...

Meanwhile, Reiner was in a kneeling position, and drew back his arm to attack the people swarming around him like flies. But before he could, one of them swooped near his head and jabbed two more of the spears into his eyes, blinding him.

Pieck was crying out in distress and pain, but the damaged carriage was unbalanced and made it difficult for her to move quickly. Before she could recover, the four people unleashed another volley, completely destroying the carriage and killing the remaining Panzer squad soldiers.

At the same time, two of the people near Reiner swooped down near his shoulders, and fired one spear on each side of his mouth. The two explosions caused the Armored Titan's lower jaw to detach and fall to the ground.

Colt was gripping the sides of his head. "No no no no!"

Ordinarily Magath would have reprimanded him for losing his composure, but considering the circumstances decided to let it slide.

Suddenly, a ray of hope appeared when the Jaws Titan leaped onto the wall and began running toward the Beast Titan. They couldn't possibly ignore this new opponent, and so would be forced to halt their attack on the Armored Titan and Cart Titan in order to defend the Beast Titan.

Or so they thought. But as the Jaws Titan drew near, none of the flying people seemed to even acknowledge his presence.

Instead, another person who had apparently been perched on the Beast Titan's back emerged and flew directly at the Jaws Titan.

As the Titan and the man flew toward each other, Magath expected the Titan's jaws to bite the man in half, scattering his bloody remains into the air.

Instead, the jaws closed on empty air, and the next second the Jaws Titan let out a bellow of pain before sliding to a stop on top of the wall, his left arm and leg missing.

Falco's mouth was hanging wide open. "How…"

The four people around Pieck released a final volley, this time destroying Pieck's helmet and left arm, causing her to cry out in pain once more.

The man who had incapacitated the Jaws Titan swooped back and sliced the nape open, and Magath could see through the binoculars that Porco's real body was exposed. He was still alive, but looking terrified and bewildered.

That speed...that can only be Levi...

The next second, the same person who had destroyed the Armored Titans knee flung a spear directly into the Armored Titans exposed mouth, and blasted Reiner clean out of the nape. He flew backward into the air before falling and crashing into the ground, his body limp. The Armored Titan body also went limp, stuck in a kneeling position as it began to dissolve.

Gabi screamed. "REINER!"

Colt looked at the flying people in fear. "They...truly are...devils…"

Magath watched the unfolding scene in alarm. I don't believe it. They've defeated all three of our Warriors...and so quickly...this is…

Suddenly there was another burst of light.

They all gasped in shock when they saw the Jaws Titan appear out of nowhere again. The explosion from his second transformation pushed Levi away, and got the attention of all the flying people.

While they were still shocked at his sudden reappearance, the Jaws Titan leaped at the Beast Titan and bit his right ankle.

It wasn't a serious wound, but it was enough to cause the Beast Titan to lose his balance. He fell backward into the fort, letting out a bellow of confusion before crashing to the ground.

Shortly after this, Pieck pulled the wreckage of the carriage off her back, and began running away, still moving fast despite only having three working limbs. The flying people looked like they would have pursued her, but as the wreckage of the carriage fell it snagged the wire of one of the people, forcing their comrades to save them from falling to their untimely death.

The Jaws Titan leaped at the people who had taken down the Armored Titan, forcing them to retreat, and he landed somewhat ungracefully in front of the wall. He then began running back toward Magath's position.

Meanwhile, Pieck reached Reiner's fallen form and snatched him up in her teeth, and followed after Porco.

The flying people appeared to be yelling in outrage, but did not pursue them, as without the wall they had nothing to anchor their wires to out in the battlefield.

A few minutes later, the three warriors were back at Magath's side.

Pieck set Reiner down. His body was badly mangled and burned, but he was still alive.

Gabi and Falco rushed over to him. "Reiner!"

Pieck breathed heavily. "I'm sorry…"

Magath shook his head. "No. You were only following my orders."

Porco partially emerged from the nape of his Titan. "The Beast Titan crushed most of the steps that he used to get up on top of the wall when he fell, so we should have at least some time before he can get back on the wall."

Magath nodded. "Very good."

It would have to do. It wasn't much, but at least they had bought some time.

Magath walked over to Pieck. "We need to get out of here as quickly as we can. Colt, Gabi, Falco, secure Reiner on Pieck, we need to get him to a hospital as soon as we can. His healing powers should be enough to bring him back, but I don't want to take any chances."

Magath looked at Koslow and Porco. "You two, work on getting as many soldiers out as you can."

They both saluted. "Sir!"

A moment later, Porco had gone back inside of his Titan, and Magath, Colt, Gabi, Falco, and Reiner were on Pieck's back, secured by makeshift ropes they'd spliced out of some of the deceased soldiers clothing.

As Pieck made her way to their escape route next to the mountain, Magath looked back just in time to see the Beast Titan appear once again on top of the fort's upper wall. A moment later, the Beast resumed his deadly barrage on their forces, though fortunately for them he didn't aim for their group, instead going for the reinforcements who were still exposed.

Magath faced forward, his mind occupied with two disturbing truths.

The first truth was that not only was the war not over, but the war may in fact continue on for much, much longer now, as this defeat was a major setback.

The second truth was that not only was the power of the Titans no longer the unstoppable force that it had once been, but it was now a power that their enemies enjoyed as well.

He closed his eyes, trying in vain to block out the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and screams in the distance.

Author's Note: So as you can see I'm taking the story in a very different direction then what happened in canon. A lot of what happened in the manga is because of Zeke's plans, but here that obviously won't be the case because he's dead. And I think Erwin would have been more bold than Hange when it came to interacting with the outside world. I also think he would do a better job of reigning Eren in, something which Hange didn't do too well.

Some may argue that the Mid-East Alliance would never work with Paradis Island, as they hate Eldians. Well, Marley hates Eldians too, but they still use them because they recognize their strategic value. Plus, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Both the Mid-East Alliance and Paradis Island have a bone to pick with Marley, and I doubt that the other nations would pass up a chance to give Marley a taste of their own medicine.

Chapter Text

The Army Commander slammed his hands against the long wooden table. "How could you have let this happen? Do you realize how many ships we've lost now?"

The Navy Commander fired back. "It wasn't my fault! I had no possible way of knowing that the Colossal Titan would show up and obliterate the blockade!"

"And where did he come from? How did he sneak up on an entire fleet of ships?"

"I don't know, I wasn't there. And I can't ask the people that were there, because they're all dead."

Magath sighed internally as he watched the unfolding argument.

Several days had passed since their defeat at Fort Slava, and they had regrouped their forces at one of the continental cities well away from the coasts and Mid East Alliance controlled territory. At the moment the higher ups of the military had gathered to discuss their next move.

"Excuses! Your division has been screwing up since day one, it's your fault that we-"

"How dare you! I've done everything I-"

"Gentlemen! Be silent."

Magath looked up to see that Admiral Calvi had arrived, and was relieved when the other Commanders obeyed him.

Calvi shook his head disapprovingly. "This is not the time for us to be arguing. Being angry and trying to figure out who is to blame will get us nowhere. Now is the time for us to analyze the situation, and discuss what we must do moving forward."

Calvi took his seat at the head of the table before speaking again.

He cleared his throat. "Now then, what was the damage?"

The Navy Commander grimaced. "...the entirety of our blockade was destroyed by the Colossal Titan. As far as we know, there were no survivors. If there were, then they most likely have been captured by the enemy. With the blockade gone, the Allies fleet was able to escape Fort Slava. They then quickly capitalized on their victory at Slava and recaptured two of their ports from us, Derya in the east, and Yilmaz in the west. Yilmaz they recaptured using the bulk of their naval forces, while the Marleyan ships protecting Derya were destroyed by the Colossal Titan in the same manner as the blockade. There are unconfirmed reports from both locations that the Mid East Ally ships were supported by a number of unknown vessels, presumably belonging to the forces of Paradis Island."

The Army Commander frowned. "Hmm. We sent over 30 Survey Ships to Paradis over the last three years, and none of them returned. While some were undoubtedly destroyed, it seems that some of the ships were captured and are now being used by Paradis, likely with outside help, which further adds to the mounting evidence of the new alliance between Paradis and the Mid East Allies."

Calvi turned toward Magath. "Which brings us to the trap at Fort Slava, namely the Beast Titan. It seems your suspicions were correct, Magath. I apologize for not taking your concerns more seriously."

Magath shook his head. "Not at all. Even I never expected the Mid East Alliance to join forces with the devils of Paradis Island. When it comes to the damage inflicted on us, I won't lie, it was pretty bad. Of the approximately 50,000 soldiers gathered there to capture the fort, about 28,000 of them were killed, with another 11,000 injured, many of them severely so. Our warrior unit managed to buy us enough time to evacuate some of our forces, but with the enemy forces defeating all three of them in relatively short order, the morale of our soldiers suffered greatly."

The AIr Force Commander spoke up. "There were also the two air units that the Beast Titan shot down."

Magath nodded. "Yes. And of course the Mid East Alliance has regained several of their strongholds along the coast, and now has the support of Paradis Island. I don't know how things could get much worse."

Calvi frowned grimly. "Well, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, because things are already worse. Have a look at this."

Calvi pulled out several copies of the international newspaper. One of them he held onto, while the others he flung onto the table for the others to see.

Magath peered at the front page, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Taking up most of the front page were two large pictures. On the left was a picture of the Beast Titan hurling artillery rounds into the Marleyan trenches, taken from the perspective of the fort. On the right was a picture of the dissolving husk of the Armored Titan, kneeling with its head hanging limp in front of the fort, also taken from the perspective of the fort.

Calvi read the opening paragraph. "'In a stunning turn of events, the mighty nation of Marley was turned back at Fort Slava, as the Mid East Alliance received unexpected support from the devils of Paradis Island. What seemed like a guaranteed victory for Marley was transformed into a stinging defeat, as their forces were decimated by the Islands' Titans.'"

"'Ambassador Mazhar, speaking on behalf of the Mid East Allies, revealed to the press that the Mid East Alliance had officially welcomed Paradis Island into its ranks, and stated that much of the Marley inspired propaganda about the Island nation was simply not true.'"

Calvi fell silent as he let the rest of the Commanders read the paper and digest the information it contained.

Magath read the article carefully, his heart sinking more and more the further he read.

The paper began with a brief summary of the Great Titan War, before revealing that the 145th King's threat to destroy the world was a bluff, and that he had in fact wiped the memories of the people within the walls, leaving them ignorant and helpless against their enemies outside of the walls.

The paper then explained how the Warriors of Marley had broken down Wall Maria, and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of them civilians, by letting the mindless Titans in.

It then went on to explain how they had fought back, and after much hardship and sacrifice eventually defeated both the pacifistic royal family and the Marleyan Warriors, and obtained the Founding, Attack, Female, Beast, and Colossal Titans.

There was a section that had a brief biography of several notable members of Paradis's military forces, which included a photograph, a list of their rank and accomplishments, and the losses that had been inflicted upon them by Marley. Some of the people included Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Survey Corp and the keeper of the Beast Titan; Hange Zoe, his second in command and one of the survivors of the Battle of Shiganshina; Levi Ackerman, Humanity's strongest soldier and the individual responsible for single handedly defeating the Beast and Cart Titans at the Battle of Shiganshina; Eren Yeager, keeper of the Founding and Attack Titans, one of the survivors of the Battle of Shiganshina, and one of the survivors of the initial attack on Wall Maria; Armin Arlert, keeper of the Colossal Titan, and another survivor of the Battle of Shiganshina; and Mikasa Ackerman, an individual who played a key role in the capture of the Female and Colossal Titans. There were others, but Magath skimmed them in an attempt to get back to the bigger picture raised by the article.

The article went on to state that nobody hated Titans more the people of Paradis, given how many of their people had perished because of them, and hoped that someday Titans would no longer be used in war. It then explained that they had obtained the power of the rumbling which the King had threatened the world with 100 years ago, but that they would only use it as a last resort if the island itself was attacked, and would not retaliate if their forces abroad were attacked.

The article concluded by stating that the Founding, Attack, and Female Titans would remain on the island for security, while they had lent the power of the Beast and Colossal Titans to the Mid East Alliance, and would aid them in their war effort, as the imperialistic Marley needed to be brought down, just as the Eldian empire of old had been.

The rest of the paper consisted of articles responding to the claims made by the people of Paradis and their Mid East Alliance representatives. Some were suspicious, claiming that the Islanders were no good devils who must be up to something. Others, namely those more disdainful of Marley, were more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, and see what they would do next.

After seeing that they had finished reading, Calvi reclined in his chair.

"So, thoughts?"

The Navy Commander let out a long sigh. "Well...they're certainly trying to paint a prettier picture of themselves, aren't they?"

The Army Commander looked at the newspaper uneasily. "It's now clear why Paradis joined the Mid East Alliance. More than military allies, they're gaining something even more important, namely a good PR boost."

The Navy Commander looked at him uncertainly. "But surely no one will believe them, will they?"

Calvi rested his hand on his chin. "It's hard to say. Once upon a time, Marley was the hero nation that drove back the Eldian devils. But now...not so much."

Magath nodded grimly. "Indeed. While they may be using propaganda, it certainly helps their case that their propaganda seems to be closely aligned with reality."

The Army Commander looked at him in surprise. "What, you agree with them?"

Magath shook his head. "It's not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with them. But based on the reports from Reiner and Pieck, much of what they claim in the paper is true. The king wiping the memories of the people, the high death toll after Wall Maria was broken down, and so on."

Calvi glanced at Magath. "Do you think there's anything they might have given away here?"

Magath looked down at the paper, focusing his gaze on the section with brief biographies, his eyes settling on the picture of Erwin Smith.

"Well, it's clear that their intentions are to try to humanize the people of the island, and overcome the image of devils that Marley has been pushing for the past century. Whether it will work remains to be seen, but it doesn't help our case that Paradis hasn't actually done anything to the other nations of the world for the past 100 years, while Marley has."

He turned over a page. "But there are a few interesting things to note here. One is the absence of the Female Titan. They go into a fair amount of detail about the Colossal and Beast Titans, even showing pictures of the ones in possession of them, but they say almost nothing about the Female Titan. It's possible that they simply don't want to reveal all of their cards just yet, which would be a prudent course of action. Another possibility is that they may not actually have access to the Female Titan."

Calvi looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I've spoken with Warchief Braun and the Titan Research society about this. Apparently some Titan shifters can encase themselves in an impenetrable cocoon of crystal. Given that the Female Titan did not make an appearance at the Battle of Shiganshina four years ago, there's a high possibility that this is what happened, and that while the Female Titan has been captured, it is currently inaccessible to the enemy forces on Paradis. If this is the case, then they may be bluffing when they say that the Female Titan will remain on the island in order to defend it."

Calvi frowned thoughtfully. "Well, that would certainly be good news...if it's true. But what about the threat of the rumbling? Is that a bluff?"

Magath grimaced. "That's a more complicated question. Braun says that there was one time where Eren Yeager was able to use the power of the Founding Titan, which allowed him to escape. However, the circumstances that allowed this to happen are not exactly clear. And he was not able to use the Founding Titan at the battle of Shiganshina, indicating that the enemy forces of Paradis didn't know how he was able to use the power either. But if they did discover the circumstances that enabled Eren Yeager to use the Founding Titan, and they were able to replicate them, then their threat could be very real. On the other hand, they could still be clueless, and are just bluffing. But that seems like too much of a gamble to take."

Calvi nodded. "Indeed. The risks are too great. Until we know more, attacking the island is a bad idea. For now, we must focus our efforts on the other nations of the Mid East Alliance."

Magath frowned, turning his gaze toward a map near the front of the table. "Yes. But it's not going to be easy. The Mid East Alliance has had several advantages over Marley from the start. For one, they're more skilled at naval warfare, with experienced sailors and state of the art ships. They also have more advanced technology, in particular with their new Anti-Titan artillery, which has rendered the deployment of mindless Titans practically useless."

"The Mid East Alliances' greatest weaknesses were a lack of resources, and inferior numbers. Unfortunately, both of those issues have been addressed with this new alliance with Paradis. Paradis island is full of natural resources that will fuel their war effort, and without a substantial naval force it will be hard to impede trade between Paradis and the other nations for the immediate future. As for their military forces, they now have the backing of the Beast Titan and the Colossal Titan, two of the most powerful Titans after the Founder. On top of that, they are also being assisted by the Survey Corp, a regiment of soldiers specifically trained to kill Titans, and which act as a counter to our Warrior division. Between all of this, we have a difficult task ahead of us."

Calvi grimaced. "Yes. The power of the Titans is no longer the unstoppable force it once was, and this has become all the more clear by the defeat at Fort Slava. While the Mid East Alliance still can't hope to match our numbers, so long as they control the sea, we will have a difficult time bringing this war to an end. We must rebuild our naval forces as fast as we can. In the meantime, we must also counteract the Titan forces of our enemies. Do you have any ideas?"

Magath nodded. "Yes. For one, I think we need to train at least a few soldiers in how to use the ODM gear that is being utilized by the Survey Corp. Warchief Braun learned how to use it during his time on Paradis, and so he would be the ideal choice to quickly train others. We also need to work on developing our artillery, since the power of the Titans is no longer exclusive to Marley. If we had had Anti-Titan artillery at Fort Slava, we might have been able to take down the Beast Titan. As for the Colossal Titan, our naval forces will have to be more cautious from now on. If any small boat approaches one of our ships and has only one person on board, it should be shot down immediately, without hesitation. It may be harsh, but we cannot risk the Colossal Titan getting close to any of our ships again."

Calvi nodded in agreement. "That sounds reasonable. Is there anything else?"

Magath's expression became serious. "Yes. I would like to request permission to speak to the Tybur family."

THREE YEARS AGO

Connie inhaled the salty air with a contented sigh as he watched the movement of the waves down below. A few feet away Sasha was fiddling with the reins of the horses, looking slightly bored.

Connie raised his binoculars again and peered at the horizon, scanning back and forth for any signs of movement.

It had been six months since the Scouts had first begun exploring outside of Wall Maria. After reaching the ocean, their first task had been to clear out the remaining Titans. Most of the Titans had entered Wall Maria before it had been sealed, and so had already been dealt with, but a few remained. With the help of the Beast, Colossal, and Attack Titans, taking care of the stragglers was fairly easy. The only problem was the sheer size of the island, and their unfamiliarity with the terrain outside of the walls, which meant that they couldn't be absolutely sure they had gotten every last one. Consequently, they still always used horses while outside of Wall Maria, and had a red flare handy in case anyone spotted a Titan.

But after dealing with all of the Titans they could find, they had begun focusing on protecting the island from another, more dangerous foe, namely other humans. To that end, Erwin had the Scouts stationed all along the Southern Coast, their primary job being to keep an eye out for enemy ships, and to fire a black flare if they saw one.

That was what Connie and Sasha were doing, with their horses nearby just in case a Titan showed up.

Sasha sighed. "This is so boring."

Connie shook his head. "Come now, we need to stay focused. A Marleyan ship could appear any minute."

Sasha scratched her head absently. "But we've been here for several weeks, and nothing's happened. I hope Floch comes and relieves us soon."

Connie smiled. "Cheer up. We get a nice clear view of the ocean."

Sasha's gaze softened. "It is pretty. And not too long ago, the idea was just a fantasy. Water stretching out as far as the eye can see...who would have thought such a thing could be real. And yet here it is."

Connie peered through the binoculars with a frown. "Although, I wonder why we can't see the other side."

Sasha's eyes lit up. "And of course the fish near the shore are pretty tasty. Though some of them look pretty weird."

Connie smirked. "Yeah, I remember you almost broke your teeth trying to eat one of those...I think they were called crabs?"

"It looked good!"

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to eat those."

Sasha huffed. "I'm sure there's a way. If only we knew how to cook them."

Connie froze. "Wait."

Sasha looked out at the sea sharply. "What is it?"

A large black shape emerged from the water, several hundred yards away from the shore. Most of it was still underwater, and without warning a large spout of water sprayed from a hole on the top.

Connie looked at it nervously. "Is that a ship?"

Sasha looked enraptured. "No. I remember seeing something like it in one of Armin's books. I think it's called a whale."

The whale let out a loud moan that echoed across the water and through the air before disappearing underwater again, it's tail making a large splash.

Connie looked amazed. "It's huge."

Sasha smiled eagerly. "I wonder what it tastes like."

Connie shook his head. "Of course that's what you would think about."

Connie picked up the binoculars again, and noticed a few seagulls flying above them, their cries just barely heard over the sound of the waves.

Historia sat down in the chair that had been provided for her. "So, how are things going on the frontier?"

Armin turned toward her. "Well enough. We've been keeping a sharp eye out for enemy ships and any straggling Titans, but haven't seen any so far."

Historia nodded. "That's good. I hope I can see the ocean before we have to return to the walls."

Armin smiled. "Yes, it really is an amazing sight."

Eren glanced at the two of them before returning his gaze to Erwin, a slight frown on his face.

In addition to having the Survey Corp stationed all throughout the South of the Island, Erwin also made sure that at least two of their Titans were near the Coast at all times. For the past few weeks, Erwin and Armin had fulfilled this role, while Eren had been stationed back behind the walls.

However, Eren had returned to the Coast after receiving a letter from Erwin summoning both him and Historia.

Now they were present in the Commander's tent. The only occupants were Erwin, Armin, Eren, and Historia, and Eren was anxious to know what was going on.

Eren cleared his throat. "So, Erwin, what is this meeting about? Your letter was rather vague."

Erwin looked at them seriously. "Over the past few months I've unlocked more memories from the previous Beast Titan, Zeke Yeager. From what I've seen in these memories, the world is much bigger and much more dangerous then we could have ever anticipated."

He closed his eyes. "While our military forces are in relatively good shape at the moment, we are still lagging behind the other nations of the world, both in terms of numbers and technology. If an all out assault were launched against us, we wouldn't stand a chance, even with the power of the Attack, Beast, and Colossal Titans."

Erwin looked at Eren. "However, if we were able to access the full power of the Founding Titan, our safety would be assured, at least for the immediate future."

Eren shifted uncomfortably.

Historia frowned. "But Eren isn't able to use it because he doesn't have royal blood."

Armin put a hand to his chin. "That's not entirely true. There was that one time where he was able to use it when he was captured by Reiner and Bertolt."

Erwin nodded. "Yes. Zeke's mentor did a lot of research on the Titans, and learned a lot. One of the things he discovered was a method for overcoming the war renunciation vow that the royal family used to seal away the Founding Titan's power. The two things required to make the method work would be the Founding Titan, and a Titan with royal blood."

Erwin looked back at Eren. "Eren, during that instant when you were able to use the Founding Titan's power, you touched one of the mindless Titans that had surrounded the Scouts, am I right?"

Eren hesitated. "...yes."

Erwin continued. "If I had to guess, I would say that the Titan you touched had once been a member of the royal family. What are your thoughts?"

Eren was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

"...Yes. That's right. From my father's memories, I recognized her. That Titan...was once Dina Fritz, a member of the royal family."

Armin and Historia's eyes widened in shock.

Erwin looked at Eren seriously. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Eren glanced away. "Because...I was worried about what might happen to Historia. Because…"

Historia bowed her head grimly. "In order for us to unlock the full power of the Founding Titan, I need to inherit one of the Titan powers."

Erwin nodded. "Exactly. But more than that, we need to think ahead. In order to protect Paradis into the future, we will need more individuals with royal blood to take your place once your tenure is up. And in order for that to happen, Historia, you need to have children."

Eren lurched to his feet, his face tinged with anger. "What, do you want her to inherit the power and start having kids right away, is that it?"

Erwin shook his head. "No. Eren, please sit down. Let me explain my plan."

Armin looked at his friend anxiously. "Eren, please."

Eren glared at Erwin for another minute before reluctantly sitting down. Historia looked touched by his concern.

Erwin glanced at Historia. "You obviously can't inherit Eren's Titan, as you'll just end up being controlled by the First King's ideology. That leaves my Titan, the Beast, and Armin's Titan, the Colossal. I intend for Hange to inherit the Beast, which means that you will inherit the Colossal. Armin still has twelve years of tenure left, and after that you will have another thirteen years before your tenure is up. That means there will be twenty five years before someone will need to take your place as a royal Titan shifter, plenty of time to raise a family and produce more heirs."

Eren stiffened. "Twenty five years. That is a good amount of time, but…"

"I'll do it." Historia said quietly. "If it ensures our survival, I'll agree to this plan."

Erwin nodded. "Good. I was hoping you would say that."

Eren looked like he was going to protest, but remained silent.

Armin looked at Erwin uncertainly. "But what will we do in the meantime? If we follow your plan, the Founding Titan will remain inaccessible to us until my tenure is up."

Erwin folded his arms. "The answer is simple. We will bluff. Once we make contact with the rest of the world, we will let them believe that we do have the full power of the Founding Titan in order to discourage anyone from attacking us in the near future. However, if an all out attack does happen in the immediate future despite this, then we will need Historia to inherit the Colossal sooner."

Historia bowed her head. "Very well."

Armin nodded, though his face was slightly paler. "I understand."

Eren looked unhappy with the arrangement, but couldn't think of any logical reasons to object.

Armin frowned. "When do we tell the others?"

Erwin sighed. "Obviously we'll need to be as discreet as possible with this plan, but some of the people who will need to know about it are-"

He was interrupted as someone came through the opening of the tent. They all looked up to see Levi standing in front of them.

Levi looked at them grimly. "Erwin. A ship has been spotted."

Niccolo peered through the darkness, clutching his gun tightly, beads of sweat forming on his neck. There were trees all around them, blocking out the stars, and made it difficult to navigate.

He'd known that he was going on one of the reconnaissance missions to Paradis Island, but he didn't know that he was going to be one of the first people to actually land on the island. He just hoped that they could scout out the area without being discovered. He remembered that the Titans weren't active at night, so hopefully their presence would go unnoticed.

In truth, he didn't really like being a soldier much. He'd pursued a military career after much pressure from his parents, but he would have much rather become a chef, fixing fine cuisine for people, even if it didn't pay as well. Even his parents admitted that his cooking was superb. But they also said that cooking wasn't any kind of honorable work, and that he should join Marley's Army in order to help their motherland.

Which lead him to now, walking through the dark in a strange land full of other nervous soldiers.

He sighed internally. If only he could find someone who would appreciate his cooking abilities.

He shook his head. Best to stay focused.

Without warning, the sound of several guns being cocked echoed through the dark night.

Niccolo looked up, and to his alarm saw a dozen or so hooded figures armed with guns, perched in the trees and pointing their weapons at him and the other Marleyan soldiers.

He froze, as did the others.

One of the hooded figures, who did not have a gun, spoke. "If you would prefer your vital organs to remain intact, drop your weapons now."

After a moment of hesitation, they all complied.

After the weapons were all gathered, the lead figured pulled down his hood.

Levi gazed at the nervous Niccolo. "Now then, what's your name?"

A little ways out from the shore, the larger reconnaissance ship was anchored.

One of the soldiers ran to the front of the ship. "Captain, the team that we sent ahead of us would have landed about two hours ago, but there's been no news from them."

The Captain sighed. "I know...but the second and third reconnaissance teams are preparing for landing. We need to fulfill our mission. These devils managed to defeat the Warrior corp. They are a menace to the entire world. We must find out what is happening on this island and report it back to Marley."

One of the other soldiers nodded in agreement. "Yes. These devils killed Zeke. I'll make them pay."

The Captain glanced at her. "I understand you two were close. He must have meant a lot to you."

The female soldier glanced away. "...yes. He was going to change the world. Now that can't happen. If it's the last thing I do, I'll-"

Without warning, the entire ship began to shake, and suddenly began to tilt, causing countless soldiers to begin sliding across the deck.

"HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!" The Captain bellowed.

His eyes widened as he realized what was going on.

Shit! It's a devil!

Sure enough, the ship was lifted clean out of the water by an enormous 15 meter Titan, before abruptly being set down again on the rocky shore.

After the ship had been set down, Hange stepped forward some distance away.

She raised her voice. "Everyone from Marley. Hello and welcome to Paradis Island!"

The crew looked at her with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"My name is Hange! You've come all the way from across the ocean, and you must be tired from your long trip!"

She gestured behind her, where Levi and Niccolo were standing. "So feel free to come this way for some tea."

She wrapped her arms around Niccolo. "I'm sure we'll be such close friends in no time! Don't you think so too Niccolo?"

Niccolo tensed before shouting. "Captain! Don't worry about me and just shoot down these devils!"

Hange looked at him in shock. "What? What are you trying to say Niccolo?"

Levi sighed impatiently. "This is a waste of time."

The Captain looked down at them anxiously. "Niccolo…"

He then raised his voice. "Listen up you devils! Marley won't even lend an ear to you of filthy blood! And we're not about to sit down and sip on a cup of pig piss with you filthy lot!"

Hange put her hand over her heart. "Aw, I'm sorry you feel that way! But do you really think that kind of insult is wise given the situation? Don't you even see the Titan that's behind you?"

The Captain glanced back at the Attack Titan, which the other soldiers were also nervously eying.

Hange spoke. "And he's not the only one. The Colossal Titan and the Beast Titan are lurking around here somewhere as well. Tell me, were they devils when they were controlled by Marley, or are you all just a bunch of massive hypocrites?"

The Captain raised his gun. "Enough! We won't yield to you devils! This is a greeting from Marley!"

But before he could fire, he was sniped between the eyes by Sasha. He fell over dead, blood leaking out from his head.

Hange spoke up again, her tone more serious this time. "Now then, will any of you listen to reason, or will you force us to act like the devils you think we are?"

The crew stood there, unsure of what to do, when the female soldier stepped forward.

She gestured at them all with a bitter sigh. "Enough. We can't win this fight. Everyone, surrender."

A few hours later, all of the prisoners had been rounded up, and were being supervised by the Survey Corp. Hange decided to take the time to thank the female soldier for encouraging the others to surrender.

Hange smiled at her. "Thank you for your cooperation. We didn't want to cause any more bloodshed then necessary."

The female soldier nodded stiffly. "It's fine. Tell me, which one of you is Levi?"

Levi raised an eyebrow. "That's me."

Without warning, the female soldier pulled out a hidden blade and lunged at Levi, aiming for his throat.

Unfortunately for her, Levi disarmed her with ease, her knife falling to the ground uselessly while Levi held her firmly, one hand holding her wrists, the other holding her collar.

She snarled. "YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED ZEKE! DAMN YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"

Levi looked at her carefully. "Tell me, you want revenge?"

She glared at him. "Yes, I do."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "Have you watched your comrades die?"

She blinked in surprise. "Yes…"

"How many?"

"...maybe a dozen or so. Possibly more…"

Levi tightened his grip on her collar. "Imagine hundreds. Hundreds upon hundreds. Most of them devoured alive by Titans. A few killed by other humans. And several dozen obliterated by crushed rocks thrown at unbelievable speeds. That's how many people I've lost over the years, and many of them were slaughtered by your buddy Zeke."

She looked at him in shock.

Levi's face darkened. "Zeke, who was enjoying himself, up until the moment I carved him up like a turkey. I have a duty to make sure the sacrifice of those hundreds of people was worth it, so if you think I'm going to die by the hands of a little pissant like you, then you're sorely mistaken."

Erwin stepped forward. "Levi, that's enough. Put her down."

Levi set her down, none too gently, while she eyed Erwin warily.

Erwin gestured at Levi. "As you can see, trying to kill Levi is a futile endeavor. And besides, technically I'm the one who killed Zeke."

Her eyes widened. "You…you must be Erwin."

Erwin looked at her carefully. "And you...you're Yelena, correct?"

Yelena looked at him in shock. "How did you...you saw Zeke's memories?"

Erwin nodded. "Yes. I can see that he meant a lot to you. You'll forgive me if I don't mourn for his passing, since he was personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of our people, many of them civilians. But I know his true loyalty wasn't to Marley. And I also know that under Zeke's guidance you were gathering forces in order to try to destroy Marley. I'm not Zeke, but we do have a common enemy. Perhaps we could help each other."

Hange and Levi looked at him in shock, while Yelena also looked surprised.

She frowned. "And how am I supposed to trust you?"

"For the same reason you trusted Zeke. I have seen firsthand the destructive arrogance of Marley, and possess the means to do something about it."

Yelena mulled it over. "...what do you want?"

Erwin smiled. "Information, to start with. What exactly has been going on outside of this island for the past few years?"

Author's Note: Let me know what you think of the chapter, I appreciate any and all feedback.

Chapter Text

Reiner blinked at the sudden light. Where was he?

He looked around, and realized he was hanging off of a 50 meter high wall, equipped with ODM gear.

He frowned. How did I get here? Is this Wall Maria?

He looked up, and spotted a massive, hulking figure standing on top of the wall directly above him.

His eyes widened as he recognized the figure as the Beast Titan.

"Zeke!" He cried. Thank goodness, the war chief was alright…

But as Reiner looked more carefully, he noticed something was wrong. He froze in horror as he realized that the Beast Titan was not Zeke. It was…

Suddenly, the Beast Titan drew back it's arm and hurled something directly at Reiner.

Reiner couldn't tell what it was until it was almost upon him.

As it came into view, Reiner realized it was Levi, brandishing a sword and zooming right at him.

Reiner barely got a glimpse of Levi's angry glare before he felt a sudden pain in his neck and everything went dark.

The next minute, Reiner found himself in the middle of the abandoned Shiganshina district, inside his Titan body.

He looked up, and saw the Colossal Titan walking away from him, heading toward the wall.

Reiner's eyes widened. Bertolt. He needs my help.

Reiner began jogging toward his friend, and his fear grew when he saw that his friend had started to fall.

"BERTOLT!" He screamed. Something about his voice seemed wrong, but he didn't care, the only thing that mattered was saving his friend…

Suddenly, four people flew in front of him. They looked like members of the Survey Corp, and as Reiner observed them, he realized they were Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Sasha.

But it was strange. Their uniforms were black, and the ODM gear looked sleeker. Not only that, but the four of them looked older, as if several years had passed since their last encounter.

Reiner felt bewildered. It's only been a few weeks, why do they look so different?

Bertolt's Titan collapsed to the ground, sending out an audible boom that shook the whole district. Debris from the impact flew directly toward Reiner and his former friends.

They quickly flew out of the way, while Reiner hastily raised his arms to shield himself. The debris stung as it hit him, but he was able to withstand the impacts.

But before he could take another step, Jean, Connie, and Sasha swooped in front of him, holding a series of long and thin devices that he didn't recognize.

Jean's face was blank. "This is payback for back then, Reiner."

Then, the three of them fired the devices, and the next second Reiner's arms and legs blew up.

Reiner cried out in pain as he fell. HOW?!

He winced as he hit the ground, but was distracted by another horrifying sight.

Bertolt's Titan was gone, and in its place Bertolt himself lay helpless, with his arms and legs missing.

And crawling toward him was the ghastly form of a Titan, huge and monstrous, with a hollow face that vaguely resembled Armin's.

Bertolt screamed. "SAVE ME!"

"NO!" Reiner yelled. "STOP IT!"

Reiner tried to sit up, but his Titan's arms and legs were gone, it was useless.

And suddenly it wasn't his Titan body, but just his real body that was lying there, limbless and defenseless.

His view of Bertolt's inevitable doom was obstructed by the sight of Mikasa flying straight for him.

Her gaze was hard and cold. "Reiner, get out."

Without another word, she fired another one of those strange devices, and this one flew directly at his face. He tried to dodge, but he couldn't move. He felt a rush of heat, major pain all over his body, the distant scream of bullets, and…

"STOP!"

Reiner held his hand out in front of him, and froze as he realized that his arm had somehow come back, and the pain had mysteriously vanished. Mikasa was gone, and in her place was a beige ceiling.

What?

He sat up, and realized he was in a bed. As he took in his surroundings, he saw that he was in a small hospital room.

His shoulders slumped in relief as he realized that the battle he had just been in was only a dream.

"You okay?"

Reiner turned his head to the other side of the room, and saw Pieck and Porco sitting on another bed, looking at him in concern.

Reiner nodded slowly. "I think so."

He froze as memories came flooding back. While the battle he'd just seen had only been a dream, the dream had been based on things that had really happened. He had seen the new Beast Titan, he had fought his former friends, and they had looked older and were equipped with updated ODM gear.

But his memories were still fuzzy, and he couldn't remember how the encounter had ended.

He looked at Pieck. "What happened?"

Pieck grimaced. "Well...we were defeated."

Reiner fell silent as he remembered the flash of light he had seen from the airship. With the Beast Titan at the fort, that light and the resulting explosion could only have been...

He hesitated. "How bad was it?"

Pieck let out a long sigh. "Really bad. Almost 30,000 soldiers were killed at Fort Slava, our navy forces are a skeleton of what they used to be, and Paradis appears to have joined the Mid East Alliance."

Reiner bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him."

Porco spoke up. "It's not your fault."

Reiner looked at him in surprise. "Huh?"

Porco glanced away. "I'll be perfectly honest, after the defeat four years ago, I'd secretly thought the two of you were a couple of weaklings. After all, how could Titans be defeated by mere humans?"

Porco gripped the side of his head. "But after Fort Slava...seeing those devils up close... I realize how wrong I was. I know you didn't know, but I apologize for thinking that."

Pieck patted him on the shoulder. "It's fine."

Porco shuddered. "Seeing that man up close...Levi...the only reason I survived was because I was able to transform a second time. Otherwise…"

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Reiner cleared his throat. "Where are we?"

Pieck explained. "The city of Radgend. We pulled our forces back from the coast and are regrouping. Our dear leaders are deciding what we should do next."

Porco's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'm sure they'll come up with a brilliant strategy to counter those devils."

Pieck shook her head. "Yes. Like leaving the whole thing to four children."

Reiner glanced at the door. "...Are Gabi and the others okay?"

Pieck nodded. "Yes, they're fine. Let's go see them. They've been worried about you."

After getting dressed, Reiner, Pieck, and Porco left the hospital. They passed by some Marleyan soldiers along the way, and while their arm bands drew a few sneers, most of them looked at them with respect once they saw that they were Warriors of Marley.

After leaving the hospital, the three Warriors of Marley found Colt, Gabi, and Falco just outside of the barracks.

They turned around, and brightened up when they saw who it was.

Gabi cried. "Reiner! You're okay!"

She rushed over and gave him a hug.

Reiner gently patted her on the head, smiling softly. "Sorry to have worried you."

Colt looked relieved. "Glad to see you're better. The power of the Titans really is amazing."

Reiner frowned. "Did I really look that bad?"

Falco nodded. "Yeah. But you're okay now, and that's what's important."

Gabi looked up at Reiner, her expression suddenly anxious. "Oh Reiner, it's just awful! So many of our soldiers were killed! And as if that wasn't enough, those evil devils have been spreading lies to the rest of the world!"

Reiner blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Pieck looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"

Colt rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Oh, right, you guys have been out of the loop. Well…"

Colt pulled out a copy of the international newspaper, and handed it to them.

Pieck held it open, while she, Reiner, and Porco read the main article.

The further they read, the worse it got. Reiner's face became paler and paler, while Porco's eyes widened in alarm more and more. Pieck's expression remained relatively neutral, but her hands had started trembling.

When they finished, Pieck folded the newspaper up, and they stepped back.

Porco let out a breath. "Shit."

Pieck folded her arms. "This is...not good."

Gabi nodded emphatically. "I know! Those wicked demons are responsible for so much suffering, and are a threat to the entire world, yet they have the nerve to try to paint themselves as the victims! They truly have no shame! Disgusting!"

Falco hesitated. "Is any of it true though?"

Gabi looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

Falco winced. "Well, obviously they'll be choosing the statements and ideas that work in their favor, probably with a lot of embellishments."

Falco looked up at Reiner. "But they make some very specific claims. Are they telling the truth, even a little?"

Reiner was silent for a moment, before he stepped in front of Falco and looked at him sternly.

"Absolutely not. It's all a pack of lies, deceptions crafted by the devils on that island to make them seem better in the eyes of the world. But we must not forget who we are. We are the true Eldians, the Eldians who are atoning for the sins of our ancestors, and we must punish these aberrants who have strayed from the right path and threaten our motherland. We must continue to fight, for it is our duty to save the world from these devils."

Reiner's voice was strong and full of conviction. But Falco noticed that the words didn't quite reach his eyes. And he wasn't the only one. Pieck could also tell that Reiner didn't really believe what he was saying.

But the others seemed to believe him, and Gabi brightened up.

She exclaimed. "Exactly! I knew you would see the truth, Reiner!"

She hugged him again, and Reiner gently patted her head once more, trying to give her the assurance that he didn't feel anymore.

ONE YEAR AGO

Yelena gazed out at the sea, her expression calm as she observed the point where the sea and sky seemed to touch.

Erwin stepped forward. "It is a nice view, isn't it?"

Yelena nodded. "Yes."

She looked back at Erwin, and took in the sight of the completed harbor behind them.

It was hard to believe that two years had passed since she'd arrived on the island. Much had changed in the intervening time.

Initially she didn't really trust Erwin, but cooperated with him anyways. She'd found, to her surprise, that the island was completely Titan free, which was much more then she would have ever expected.

After capturing the first Survey ship from Marley, Erwin had confiscated all of the technology on board in order for their military to study and use, and with some assistance from Yelena had used the radio to lure more Survey ships into a trap, with either his, Eren's, or Armin's Titan then capturing the new vessel. Before long they had acquired quite a lot of ships, and accumulated a lot of Marleyan prisoners.

With help from Yelena and some reluctant Marley engineers, Erwin began work on the island's infrastructure, focusing his efforts on building a harbor, and constructing a railroad to connect the harbor and the walls.

In addition to using the labor of the Marleyan prisoners, Erwin himself had helped speed up the construction of the harbor by using his Titan form to assist them.

Naturally the Marleyan prisoners were initially suspicious and afraid, but over time their hostility decreased. For while Erwin used them for labor, he made sure to treat them fairly and with respect, ordered the Scouts to be polite even if the Marleyans were rude, and never overworked them. He did this in the hopes that when they were returned to Marley someday, their experiences on the island would help to lessen the image of devils that Marley had built for the island for the past century.

As time passed, Yelena slowly grew to admire Erwin in much the same way she had admired Zeke. They were different people, and their goals and methods weren't the same, but she couldn't help but see Zeke's spirit living on in him. After all, he was still helping them in their fight against Marley, and wanted to do what he thought was best for the Eldian people.

While the Marleyan prisoners saw Erwin and the other Scouts as devils, when Yelena saw his Titan form, she only saw a God, the same God she'd seen in Zeke, reborn in another person. Perhaps it was the Beast Titan itself orchestrating change in the world.

In any case, Yelena had come to greatly respect and admire Erwin, and as she watched him gaze out at the ocean, she was determined to follow him loyally for as long as he lived.

Armin gently closed the door behind him. "Afternoon, Historia."

Historia smiled. "Thank you for coming Armin. Would you like some tea?"

Armin nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Armin sat down at the table while Historia prepared tea. Armin took the opportunity to glance around the small but homely room.

While her duties as queen were extensive, she still spent most of her time at the orphanage, and Armin couldn't help but admire her for the work she did, and her dedication to helping people.

A moment later, Historia came in with the tea. Armin accepted his cup, and took a sip as she sat down.

She cleared her throat. "How's the harbor doing?"

Armin waved a hand. "Oh, it's doing well. We're expecting a representative of the Mid East Alliance to arrive in a few days."

Historia looked mildly surprised. "I see."

Her reaction was more muted then he'd expected, and he looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

For some reason, she looked nervous. It reminded Armin of the days when she was Krista. It was a side of her he hadn't seen in a while, and he wondered what could be bothering her.

Historia hesitated. "Well...you remember Erwin's plan, right?"

Armin nodded grimly. "Yeah."

That made sense. No wonder she was so anxious.

Historia glanced out the window. "Well, for a while I put it off and focused on other things. But I know I'm going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later."

"I see." Armin said slowly.

While he had went along with Erwin's plan and discouraged Eren's concerns, he did have to admit he didn't much like the plan. It was a lot to ask of her, and it wasn't fair.

But then, life was never fair. For them it hadn't been for the past century. It didn't matter what they thought was fair or unfair. The cold truth was that their survival likely depended on Erwin's plan, as it was the only way to protect the island if an all out attack occurred.

Armin hesitated. "Have...have you met anyone?"

Historia shook her head. "No. My duties as queen make it difficult to meet anyone, for a number of different reasons."

She sighed. "I thought that I would be able to marry for love, but I don't know how long that would take. And time isn't a luxury we have."

Armin nodded grimly. "No. Eren has only about five years left, while I have about ten."

"Yes. Is Eren doing okay?"

Armin shrugged. "It's hard to say. Some days he seems like his usual self, other days he's more withdrawn."

Historia ducked her head. "And...how are you doing?"

Armin winced. "I'm...fine, I guess. I'll admit, the idea of living for only ten more years scares me a little. And I don't really have anyone I can talk to about it. Eren doesn't like talking about it, neither does Mikasa, and Erwin and the others are usually busy. So I try not to think about it too much."

Historia probed him. "Do you feel...lonely?"

Armin blinked. "A little. Why?"

Historia looked out the window again. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately. The only person I ever really loved was Ymir."

"Oh." Armin said. "I'm sorry."

She glanced at him. "Was there anyone who you loved?"

"...yes. Annie. I actually still have feelings for her. But I'm not sure how much of that is me, and how much of that is the memories I inherited from Bertolt."

Armin rubbed his forehead. "It's...a little concerning, not knowing how much of me has been influenced by Bertolt."

He frowned at her. "Why are you asking me about this?"

"...I feel like you're one of the only people who understands what I'm going through."

"Oh."

Historia placed her hands on the table, and Armin noticed that they were trembling slightly.

"I know I have to choose a husband soon. But I'd rather it be someone I know and trust rather then some strange young man who is only with me because of duty."

Armin looked at her sympathetically. "Yeah, that would be nice. Still, I'm sure you'll be able to find someone much easier then I will. After all, you're a very beautiful young woman. I'm sure whoever you choose will be more than happy to be with you."

Historia blushed, and her posture relaxed slightly. "Thank you Armin. But you see...I have chosen someone."

"Oh really? Who's the lucky guy?"

Armin took another sip of tea.

Historia looked like she was steeling herself, before blurting out a single word, the very last one that he was expecting.

"You."

Armin's eyes widened, and the next second he was overcome with a coughing fit, as the tea had gone down the wrong pipe.

Historia looked at him anxiously. "You okay?"

A moment later, Armin had gotten the coughing under control.

He nodded, his eyes still wide. "Yes. I'm just...surprised. Why me?"

Historia leaned forward. "Because I know and trust you. Because we both know about Erwin's plan, and why we need to do this. And because while we won't be marrying for love, I think I can fall in love with you, and hopefully you can do the same for me."

She looked slightly fearful. "If you'd rather not…"

"No!" Armin blurted out. "I mean, yes! I...this is just so sudden. But...yes, I'd be happy to...you know…"

Historia giggled, and then started laughing.

Armin blushed. "What?"

She smiled warmly at him. "This is the first time in a long time where you haven't looked quite so serious."

Armin's blush intensified, his thoughts racing as the full implications of what Historia was proposing began sinking in.

Armin shifted uncomfortably. "Um…"

Historia tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Armin's face turned an even brighter shade of red. "Just...I've…"

Historia waved a hand impatiently. "Come on, spit it out."

Armin blurted out. "I've never been with anyone...in that way. I'm...worried I'll do it wrong."

Historia blushed as soon as she realized what Armin was talking about, but managed to keep her embarrassment under better control.

"Well...I don't have much more experience then you do. But I'm sure we can figure it out together."

Armin nodded meekly. "Okay."

Historia smiled at him, and Armin was suddenly very much aware of how beautiful she was. Her collarbone was just barely visible, and he started wondering what the rest of her looked like…

But then he froze as another, much darker thought occurred to him.

Armin frowned. "But...if we do this...you do realize, once my tenure is up, you'll have to…"

Historia lowered her eyes. "I know. But...I still want to do it."

"...okay. Have you told anyone else about this?"

Historia shook her head. "No. But if they have any problems with it, they can get over it."

"...okay."

She reached forward and placed her hands over his. "Thank you, Armin. I know I'm asking a lot."

Armin smiled shyly. "You're really not. It...I'm happy to help you."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and then, as if to solidify what she'd proposed, Historia leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Niccolo hummed to himself as he tidied up his small but reasonable apartment. It was located a bit inland from the harbor, but close enough that the shore was just a short walk away.

He looked up as he heard the door open.

Sasha smiled and waved at him with one hand while holding the other behind her back. "Hey Nic!"

Niccolo gasped. "Sasha! You're here earlier than I expected."

But he didn't look unhappy that she had arrived early. In fact, he looked quite pleased.

Sasha stepped inside. "I brought you something."

She held up what she had been holding behind her back, which turned out to be a sieve.

Niccolo accepted it gratefully. "Oh, thank you! I've been meaning to get one of those. That'll help me make some new dishes I've been wanting to try."

Sasha grinned slyly. "Well, there's one dish I'd like to try right now."

She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. She held him there for a minute before letting him go, both of their cheeks slightly flushed.

Niccolo got back to work, started gathering ingredients and preheated the oven for the meal he was about to cook, while Sasha chatted with him from the table just outside of the kitchen.

He smiled inwardly. His life had certainly taken some unusual turns in the past two years.

While he'd never really liked being a soldier, he'd done it in order to make his parents happy. It was a job, and it paid well, even if it wasn't quite what he'd wanted. After learning that he would have to take part in the reconnaissance missions to Paradis island, though, he'd become very nervous. After all, he'd been told all his life that it was an island inhabited by Titans and devils. Between that, and the fact that Marley's Warrior division had been utterly defeated and driven out just months prior, he was rather terrified. If they couldn't handle it, what chance did regular soldiers have?

But as a soldier, you have to do as you're told. Disobedience wasn't an option, though the consequences for Marleyan soldiers weren't as harsh as the ones for Eldian soldiers. So he went, even though he didn't want to.

Upon arriving on the island, he and the other men in his unit were promptly captured, and at first it seemed like all his worst fears had come true. After seeing a Titan lift their ship out of the water and setting it down on the shore, and witnessing their captain killed right in front of them, he was convinced that they were all doomed.

But then, strange things began happening. First, a few of their soldiers, led by a woman called Yelena, had begun cooperating with the island devils. Initially he'd just thought they were doing it to save their own skin. But as time went on, he noticed that both parties treated one another with respect, and spoke to each other as equals. And as he overheard snatches of conversations between Erwin, Hange, Levi, and the other commanding officers, he realized that they didn't sound that different from the commanding officers he'd known back home.

Then, when construction of the harbor began, Niccolo had expected them to be treated like slaves, and worked to death. But instead, they were still treated well and given reasonable hours and working conditions, so long as they did what they were told. Not only that, but Erwin, the holder of the Beast Titan, actually stepped in and aided in the construction. At first Niccolo thought he was only doing it to intimidate them, but as time went on, he realized that even in Titan form Erwin still treated them respectfully, and helped a great deal with the heavier parts of the job.

The real turning point came one day when he was preparing food for members of the Scouts. While he'd come to grudgingly respect Erwin, he was still disdainful of the others, and sneered at them when they didn't recognize the dishes he'd made.

Or at least he did, until one of the female soldiers enthusiastically tore into the food. She exclaimed that it was delicious, and declared that Niccolo was a genius.

The compliment and the look on her face thawed his heart, as he saw in her eyes the admiration and appreciation for his culinary skills he'd always wanted.

Which lead him to now. Paradis island, which had once been a forbidden place to fear, had become his new home, one where he was much happier then he had been back in Marley. And while he had once feared the people of the island as devils, now he was good friends with many of them, and had even fallen in love with one.

And now she sat at his table, eagerly waiting for the meal they were about to share together. Life had certainly turned out differently then he would have ever expected, but looking back he found that he wouldn't have had it any other way.

After a while, Sasha became quiet, and her face became more serious.

She cleared her throat. "So, the results for the tests came back."

Niccolo stiffened. "Oh?"

Sasha grimaced. "Connie and I didn't quite make the cut."

Niccolo relaxed. "I see."

He walked over and sat down from across her. "To be perfectly honest, I'm glad. I know inheriting a Titan power is a great honor. Even back in Marley those who have the power of the Titans are greatly revered. But...if you had inherited it…"

Sasha nodded. "I would only have thirteen years to live. I am a little disappointed."

She smiled at him. "But...it does mean that I get to live a good long life."

They held hands for a moment, and just looked into each other's eyes lovingly.

Niccolo abruptly stood up. "Oh, I think the oven is ready."

The following day, Jean, Connie, Floch, and several other scouts were getting ready for a training exercise with the latest model of the thunderspears. As he got ready, though, Jean found himself thinking back to the results of the tests they'd just gotten back.

The new government had established some rules when it came to choosing who would inherit each Titan power. The Colossal Titan's inheritor was a classified matter, which Jean found odd, and since Erwin was so beloved by the people and respected by the military, his decision to name Hange as his successor had gone unchallenged. But for the Founding Titan and all subsequent Beast Titan successors, a series of guidelines had been established.

Those wishing to inherit one of the Titan powers had to be a part of the military, and were required to take a series of tests. About half of them tested their physical prowess, while the other half tested their intelligence and their soundness of mind. Based on the results of the tests, the government would then narrow down the candidate list to five people.

There had been quite a lot of applicants for Eren's Titan, though the number did drop a fair bit after the 13 year limit was revealed to them. Once the final five candidates had been chosen, Eren was allowed to choose whichever one he wanted to inherit his Titan. If something happened to the candidate before his tenure was up, then Eren would choose another.

A few days ago the results had been posted, and the final five candidates were revealed. They consisted of two members of the Survey Corp, and three members of the Garrison.

Jean was one of the Survey Corp candidates, while Floch was the other.

As Jean glanced over at Floch, he could tell that he was thinking about the same thing.

Jean asked. "Who do you think Eren is going to choose?"

Floch fiddled with his ODM gear. "Actually, I've talked with Eren, and he said he was probably going to pick me."

Jean looked at him sharply. "What?! Why?"

Floch shrugged. "He said that of the remaining candidates, he trusts you and me the most, and he said that he wants you to live a good long life, so…"

Jean was stunned into silence.

Floch clapped him on the shoulder. "Cheer up. Look at it this way, Eren is only choosing me because he doesn't like me as much."

Floch then walked away, while Jean remained where he was, still shocked and unsure of what to say.

Erwin, Hange, and a few other officers were gathered at the edge of the harbor, with Mikasa and Levi flanking them on each side.

A small ship had just arrived, the one they had been expecting from the Mid East Alliance. They'd managed to make contact with the Alliance a few weeks prior, and convinced them to send an envoy for negotiations.

The ship was smaller than they expected, even smaller than the survey ships they'd taken from Marley, and looked like it had seen better days. Even to them, who had very little experience with ships, it looked rather sad.

As soon as the ship docked, a ramp was lowered, and an entourage of six people descended down.

They were very different from any of the people Erwin had seen before. While the Marleyan soldiers they'd captured were ethnically different from the Eldians, there weren't any major noticeable physical differences.

The people from the Alliance, however, had much darker skin, and dressed differently, their uniforms a different style, and with white caps on their heads. All of them had mustaches, with the exception of one man near the back, whose skin was much lighter then the others, and appeared to be of a similar ethnicity to the Eldians.

Erwin stepped forward. "Hello. My name is Erwin Smith, the commander of the Scouting Regiment, and representative of Paradis Island. Thank you for meeting with us today."

The man at the head of the group nodded solemnly. "I am Cenk Mazhar, ambassador of Merkezl. We were surprised by your message, but we have come to hear what you have to say."

His voice was heavily accented, and it was clear that the Eldian tongue was not his first language, but even so he spoke with relative grace and clarity.

From what Yelena had told him, Erwin remembered that Merkezl was the nation tentatively leading the Mid East Alliance.

He gestured behind him. "Would you come this way? I'm sure you must be tired from you trip."

Mazhar nodded. "Oh, thank you."

They convened in a nearby building. As Erwin watched their guests, he could tell that all of them were nervous, and Mazhar was the only one who was trying to hide this fact. It also appeared that only about half of the entourage understood the Eldian tongue, Mazhar, one of his guards, the lighter skinned man whose name was Sebastian, and a translator for the others.

Once they sat down, Erwin decided to get down to business. "I understand that your nation is at war with Marley."

Mazhar nodded. "Yes, this is correct."

Erwin folded his hands. "I'll get right to the point. We also are on hostile terms with Marley, and as such we may be able to help each other out. We would like to join the coalition of nations against Marley."

Mazhar looked surprised. "I see…"

Erwin glanced at the other members of Mazhar's entourage. "I can see you're nervous about the idea. After all, how do you know if you can trust the devils of this island? Well, perhaps we were devils once, but that all changed 100 years ago. The 145th king wiped the memories of the people within the walls, and led them to believe that the rest of humanity had perished, and that they lived in a world overrun by Titans, with the walls the last sanctuary for the remaining humans."

Mazhar frowned thoughtfully. "Is that so…"

Erwin went on to explain what had been going on behind the walls for the past 100 years, and the damage that had been inflicted upon them by the pacifistic royal family and Marley. He then said that after much hardship and sacrifice they had managed to recapture several of the Titan powers, including the Founding Titan. This meant that they could carry out the rumbling if they wanted to. But they didn't want to, because it would disrupt their infrastructure and alarm the populace, and it would also make them as bad as the old Eldian empire and Marley. He said that they still had to face Marley at some point, and proposed aiding the Mid East Alliance militarily and economically in their war with Marley in exchange for them trying to improve the image of Paradis island to the rest of the world.

As he went on, Erwin noticed Mazhar's posture become less and less tense, and he began to seem genuinely interested in what Erwin had to say.

When he was finished, Erwin sat back. "So, what are your thoughts."

Mazhar stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I am intrigued. I'll be perfectly honest, this job was sort of fobbed off on me because my government didn't expect me to make it back alive."

He smiled sadly. "My family has had rather bad luck over the years, despite my attempts to correct that. I thought this mission would be the end of me, given this island's reputation."

He looked at Erwin carefully. "But I can see that this is not so. You might have the devil's blood, but I can already tell that you're more civilized and reasonable then the sik kafalis from Marley. I don't have enough authority to promise anything, but I will definitely propose your plan when we return."

Erwin nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Before you go, though, would a small tour of the island help put your mind at ease?"

Author's Note: As you can tell, I'm taking a few liberties and assigning specific aspects to some of the other nations in the world of AoT. There's a chance that my ideas will be contradicted by the manga at some point, but that seems increasingly unlikely. With the way the manga is going, the only nations being focused on are Eldia and Marley, and the only country that we might get some more information about is Hizuru, and the rest of the world will probably be kept more vague.

From what little we were shown of the Mid East Alliance in the manga, it seemed to take inspiration from the Ottoman empire circa World War 1, and so that's what I'm going with.

Anyways, the title of this chapter was lifted from an episode of Babylon 5, an old TV show that happens to be my favorite of all time. Yes, even more then AoT. I also drew inspiration from Londo Mollari for Ambassador Mazhar, as both got their respective jobs because no one else really wanted them, but end up being incredibly powerful and influential down the line. Though Mazhar won't be anywhere near as interesting a character as Londo, since the focus will be on other characters.

As an aside, I think people are way too harsh on Gabi. She's just a kid, and people really underestimate the power of propaganda. I'd recommend checking out a video by Darkmatter2525 called But Intelligent People Believe in God. It does a good job of showing why otherwise rational people can buy into irrational beliefs. It talks mainly about religion, but it can be applied to any dogmatic ideology, and the Marley propaganda that Gabi and the others have been fed since birth certainly qualifies.

Chapter Text

Onyankapon stared out over the edge of the ship, a glum expression on his face as he absently watched the waves move in and out of the harbor.

He was technically the leader of the anti-Marley resistance now, but it didn't really mean anything, as their plans had all but gone up in smoke.

With Zeke's untimely death on Paradis, they'd lost the key player in their bid to overthrow Marley, and after Yelena disappeared during one of the expeditions to Paradis shortly thereafter, any hopes they'd had of carrying on in his absence had vanished.

They still held meetings and still gathered intel and made half hearted attempts at coming up with new plans. But the spark had gone out. They knew all too well that their numbers were too small to make a difference, and without someone high up in the ranks like Zeke to act as a spy and organizer, they had no chance at all of taking down Marley.

They'd had a glimmer of hope after the Mid East Alliance had declared war on Marley, especially after the Alliance had shockingly managed to inflict major damages to Marley's navy. But eventually Marley's superior numbers and resources took their toll, and now it was just a matter of time before the war came to an end with Marley as the victor.

Onyankapon leaned against the railing with a heavy sigh. He'd had some misgivings about Yelena at first. Her devotion to Zeke was a little unnerving, and her ruthlessness toward those who threatened their operation had been chilling. But she had been a valuable ally, and along with Zeke had done a lot of good in the fight against Marley. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing in the end.

Or so he thought.

As Onyankapon stood there with his gloomy thoughts, he was abruptly brought back to his surroundings by the appearance of one of the other resistance members, Gerald.

Gerald looked at him excitedly. "Onyankapon, come quick!"

He looked up uncertainly. "What is it?"

Gerald gestured impatiently. "It's great news! You aren't going to believe it!"

Gerald and Onyankapon soon made their way to the meeting place they had agreed upon, in a more isolated section of the ship, where they found more members of the resistance gathered around a table.

One of the members, Jacob, grumbled. "What's this about? I was sleeping."

Gerald nodded excitedly. "Show them!"

Another volunteer, Mark, flopped a newspaper down onto the table.

As they peered closely at it, all of them were astonished by what they saw, in particular the two large pictures that took up most of the front page.

Jacob frowned. "What?"

Onyankapon's eyes widened. "Is that…?"

Gerald nodded. "The Beast Titan! The residents of Paradis island have entered the war! And read this part here."

He flipped over a page and pointed to one of the middle paragraphs.

After reading it, all of the volunteer soldiers were stunned.

Onyankapon stammered. "That...that's almost word for word what Yelena told us in one of her speeches when we were getting organized! Could it mean…"

Gerald grinned. "Yes! Those words must have been chosen as a discrete message to us! Yelena is alive and helping Paradis!"

Mark flipped back to the front page. "Let them read the rest."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

For the next few minutes they read and absorbed what the paper had to say, and began to feel more astonished and happy the further they read.

Once he was finished, Onyankapon stepped back in amazement. "Wow. This is about as good news as we could have hoped for. So, Erwin Smith is the new Beast Titan. From the sounds of it, he and the other members of the Survey Corp have been through hell."

Gerald nodded gleefully. "And now they're going to return the favor on Marley."

Mark looked at them all seriously. "We need to contact everyone in the resistance. We need to be ready if Yelena or someone else has something planned and needs our help."

Gerald grinned. "Marley is finished now!"

Onyankapon shook his head. "It's a bit early to say that, but this is most definitely a positive development."

In the capital city of Merkezl, a large dinner was being held to celebrate the Mid East Alliances' recent victory against Marley.

Despite the key role they had played in the victory, no members of Paradis island were attending the banquet, as they were already busy preparing for the next stage of the war. The other nations in the alliance, in the meantime, were taking advantage of the lull in the war, using Paradis island as a safe haven for some of their ships and soldiers, and engaging in trade with the island nation in order to use the natural resources of the island to rebuild their forces and revitalize their war machine.

Merkezl had had the fortune of avoiding too much direct conflict with Marley compared to the other Allied nations, and since they had been the ones to bring Paradis into the fold, they had enjoyed the greatest benefits from the recent victory.

And the one who had reaped the greatest benefits of all was Mazhar. Once the head of a declining house, he was now one of the most powerful and influential men in the alliance, and had taken advantage of the perks this offered.

Mazhar was at the head of the table, and was looking over the copy of the newspaper he'd just obtained.

He nodded in approval "Ah, this...this is wonderful. I'm sure Erwin will be pleased with it."

Sebastian, his personal guard, shrugged. "He did ask us to portray them in a better light, and it doesn't get much better then this. Everyone loves an underdog."

Mazhar chuckled. "Ha! Those fools back home thought I wouldn't amount to anything. They thought that the Paradis mission would be the end of me. And look at me now! A key player in the alliance that will bring about the downfall of Marley. How I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they saw this."

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Well, it's a bit early to assume that we've won the war. Marley still outnumbers us."

"Ha! Their numbers mean nothing when they're run by out of touch leaders who can't keep up with the changing new world."

Sebastian frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Mazhar let out a knowing smile. "Oh, Erwin let me know about some of the strategies they plan to use in the coming weeks, and let's just say that Marley is in for some nasty surprises."

Sebastian glanced away. "Well, they've certainly had it coming."

"Oh that's right, your home country was conquered by Marley, wasn't it?"

Sebastian nodded, his expression darkening. "Yes. It was right before they began their operation on Paradis, back when their Warrior division still had six of the Titan powers. My country tried to peacefully protest Marley's aggressive activity on our border. Marley responded by sending in all six of their Titans and slaughtering our army."

He clenched his fist. "My older brother was killed in that massacre. I have harbored a deep hatred for those bastards ever since. It gives me great joy to know that Marley will soon suffer the same fate."

Mazhar smiled coldly. "Yes, and it's fitting that the power of the Titans, which Marley has become so dependent on, is now being used against them."

Mazhar called for more wine, while Sebastian glanced around the room to distract himself from his vengeful thoughts.

Kiyomi Azumabito sat in her lounge sipping a cup of her morning tea. As an ambassador of Hizuru and the head of the Azumabito clan, she had a lot of responsibilities she had to attend to before long, but tried to enjoy the quiet moment while it lasted.

One of her servants approached her with a copy of the paper. "Miss Kiyomi, there's something here you might find interesting."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I already skimmed the first few pages. Quite an intriguing development."

She smiled slyly. "To think, all this time, that island has been so busy, and suffered so much, without anyone else in the world knowing a thing. And of course this puts Marley in a bit of an awkward position. Not only did their operation on Paradis fail, but they've given their enemies exactly what they need in order to rally and band together."

Her servant nodded. "Yes, that's all fascinating. But there's one bit that you should know about."

He flipped over to the bio section that provided some information about a few members of Paradis's military.

Kiyomi scanned the page, and then abruptly froze in shock.

"'Mikasa Ackerman'? She looks…"

He nodded. "Exactly. She must be a descendant of our lost citizens on that island."

Kiyomi picked up the newspaper and held it more closely. "And she's quite revered by those on Paradis, by the looks of things. Hmmm…"

Another sly smile crept onto her face.

Karina stood by the front entrance of Liberio anxiously, and she could see her anxiety was also shared by her sister and brother-in-law.

A week had passed since the defeat at Fort Slava, but Marley still had not released any details about the defeat. They had no idea how or why the attack on the Fort had failed, nor did they know who had or hadn't survived. They hadn't heard from any of their children, and were beginning to fear the worst.

Finally, the two guards showed up for their regular post just outside of the gate, and to her relief, Karina saw that one of them was carrying a package.

Karina looked at them urgently. "Please, has there been any news?"

The first guard grimaced. "Not really, but we did hear from the Warrior unit. Reiner and Gabi are both fine."

The second guard held up the package he'd been carrying. "We actually got a letter from Gabi."

Karina's sister, who also happened to be Gabi's mother, reached forward eagerly. "Really? Let us see it!"

The second guard hesitated.

Gabi's father frowned. "What's wrong?"

The second guard rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...she included a copy of the international newspaper in her letter, as she wanted to let you guys know what the island devils are up to. But we're technically not supposed to let any Eldians see the paper, as it would be disheartening for a lot of them, and even worse might encourage rebellious behavior in some. Still...I know you guys are trustworthy, so I think I'll let it slide this time. Just don't show it to anyone else, and make sure you burn it once you're done reading it, okay?"

Gabi's mother nodded. "Of course."

The second guard handed the package over to her, while Karina looked at the first guard anxiously.

"Did Reiner send a letter?" Karina asked, hoping to hear from her son.

The first guard shook his head. "No, he didn't. But I'm sure the war is keeping him quite busy."

Karina nodded slowly. "Yes…"

But still, Gabi had the time to write a letter. Why couldn't Reiner have written one? I hope he's okay, but...he's seemed so different ever since he came back from that island.

In the safety of their home, Karina, her sister, and her brother-in-law read Gabi's letter. It assured them that she was fine, and also detailed how she had bravely derailed a train all by herself and brought glory to Eldia in doing so. But it then lamented how the island devils had showed up and killed so many of their soldiers, and even managed to defeat the Warriors.

They then read the newspaper she'd attached, which Gabi had said was full of wicked lies from the devils of Paradis. The actual article, though, presented itself as the truth about the islanders, and blatantly called out Marley's propaganda. To those who were neutral or openly against Marley, the article made a compelling case. But to those who had been indoctrinated by Marley since birth, it was a difficult read.

Karina's hands were shaking by the time she finished reading the article.

She shook her head in disgust. "Unbelievable. It's just as Gabi said, these devils have the gall to portray themselves as the victims in all of this."

Gabi's mother nodded angrily. "Not to mention that they freely admit to having the power to destroy the world. How are we supposed to trust them not to use it?"

Gabi's father said nothing, and had a troubled look on his face.

Karina looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you so quiet?"

Gabi's father sighed. "Well... I definitely don't think we should trust what these devils say. But...they say near the beginning of the paper that the 145th king took away their memories of the world. Seems a bit far fetched, but if the Founding Titan can be used to construct three massive walls, it doesn't seem too unlikely for it to also be able to alter the memories of those within the walls. And if that's true…"

Karina slammed her fist against the table. "Nonsense! It's clearly just an excuse they've made up to justify them abandoning us and hiding behind their walls like cowards."

She abruptly stood up. "I'm going to write to Reiner about this. He spent five years on that island. If there's anyone who would know if this ridiculous claim of theirs is true or false, it's him."

Reiner looked up at the grand house in front of him as he and Magath walked down the entrance path. The house had four stories, and stretched for quite a distance to their right and left, with many windows all along the front on every floor. It gave a grand appearance, and was far more luxurious than anything Reiner had ever seen before, even during the times he had visited the wealthier parts of the walls.

He winced. Don't think about the walls. Stay in the present.

Before long he and Magath were at the front entrance, which was flanked on either side by a pair of life-like statues of Marleyan soldiers, who wore the uniform Marleyans had used 100 years ago.

In between the stone soldiers stood several living guards, and in the center stood a well dressed man, who walked forward to greet them.

The man smiled and held out his hand. "Ah, you must be Magath. We've been expecting you. My name is Willy Tybur."

Magath shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to see us."

Reiner looked at Willy Tybur warily. He'd naturally heard of the Tybur family, and the key role they had played in overthrowing the Eldian empire, and the power of the Warhammer Titan they still possessed. But he never thought he would actually see them, let alone meet with the head of the family.

Several weeks had passed since the defeat at Fort Slava, and Magath's request to meet with the Tybur family had been granted. For some reason, though, Magath had brought Reiner along, and he still wasn't entirely sure why.

After introducing them to the rest of the family and making some more small talk, Willy brought them to their greenhouse, where they kept a large variety of flowers and other plants, and also happened to be a bit further away from the rest of the mansion, where they could talk more privately.

Willy looked at Reiner curiously. "So, you're Reiner Braun, the Armored Titan, am I right?"

Reiner nodded slowly. "Yes, I am."

Willy smiled. "You've done a lot for Marley."

He glanced out the window. "Like you, my family and I are also Eldian. You're probably wondering why we get to live in these luxurious mansions, while you and your family have been forced to live in the internment zones."

Willy smiled and shook his head. "Heh, I've often wondered the same thing myself. It's not as if we did anything to deserve this lifestyle. Our ancestors did all the work. And even then…"

He trailed off. Reiner remained silent, unsure of what he should say, and not wanting to risk offending the man.

Willy's smile faded. "I've been keeping tabs on the war. You didn't come here for a simple visit. You're here on serious business."

Magath nodded grimly. "Yes. Originally I was going to request the assistance of the Warhammer Titan in the war. Since the loss of three of our Titan powers four years ago, it seems wasteful to let one of our remaining Titans go unused. But after looking over the full extent of the defeat at Fort Slava, I've come to realize that even the Warhammer Titan won't be enough anymore."

Willy sighed. "Yes. I'm sure you've seen the papers by now, haven't you?"

Willy reached into his jacket and pulled out a copy of the international newspaper. He held it before him and examined the front page.

He grimaced. "In one stroke, they've reframed the narrative. For the past century, Marley has used Paradis Island as a key bargaining chip when it comes to their dealings with other nations. While other nations resented Marley's imperialistic colonial policies, many were content to turn a blind eye, since Marley was the only thing keeping the devils on that island in check. But now, all of that has gone up in smoke."

Magath nodded. "Indeed. We continued our colonial policies while becoming overly reliant on the power of the Titans, and we invaded Paradis island without having any idea about what had really been going on behind the walls for the past century. Consequently, the other nations, who could never hope to have the power of the Titans, devoted all of their resources to developing weapons to counter the Titans. Meanwhile, the people of Paradis fought tooth and nail for their survival, and ended up capturing three of our Titans."

He lightly swatted the picture of the Beast Titan on the wall of the fort. "Now, these two enemies of Marley have joined hands, and this is the result. We've suffered several major blows to our military strength, and worse, the international community no longer has any reason to trust or rely on Marley."

Willy's eyes lingered on the Beast Titan. "Perhaps. But surely not all of them will necessarily trust the devils on that island, will they?"

Magath grimaced. "No, not all of them will. But some will."

Magath turned toward his subordinate. "Reiner, the reason I brought you here is because I think you have the most important insight to offer to this discussion. You spent five years on that island. I'm going to ask you to do the hardest thing you've ever had to do as a soldier for Marley. I'm going to ask you to be completely honest with me."

Reiner blinked uncertainly. "Sir?"

Magath folded his arms. "Eldians are supposed to demonstrate complete loyalty to Marley, and this has typically meant towing the line and saying what we want to hear. But in the real world, ideologies have this annoying habit of not always fitting the facts. I have no need for yes men who only say what I want to hear, I need soldiers who can deliver me accurate information about the world, and about our enemies."

Magath looked at him seriously. "So, Reiner, be honest. On balance, do you think this article is telling the truth?"

After a long pause, Reiner let out a long sigh.

"...yes. Some details might have been exaggerated or left out, but overall, the paper does present a mostly accurate account of what happened on that island."

Willy looked slightly surprised.

Magath nodded grimly. "As I thought. Sooner or later, the truth always comes out. And right now, given that Paradis hasn't actually done anything to the other nations for the past century, the world has far more reason to give Paradis the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps in time Paradis and the other nations in the Mid East Alliance will come to distrust each other and fight. But so long as Marley remains, they have a common enemy, and their alliance will likely remain intact for the immediate future. While Marley still has a lot of resources and manpower, our technology is behind the rest of the world, and our leadership is old and rigid, unable to adapt to the changing circumstances of our world."

Magath looked at Willy carefully. "If there's someone controlling Marley from behind the scenes, I'd like to tell them that it's already too late."

Willy was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Quite bold of you, Magath. But given the direness of the situation, your bluntness is understandable. As you suspected, Marley is under our control."

Reiner's eyes widened, and Magath eyed Willy warily.

Willy looked down. "However, the path of militarism is one that Marley has always chosen. We simply allowed them to follow this path in order to atone for our sins. Letting Marleyans lock up Eldians, and do as they pleased."

He bowed his head. "The result, Marley and Eldia falling into darkness. That responsibility lies with us."

He smiled bitterly. "It's ironic. Once, Marley was the heroic nation that destroyed the power hungry Eldian empire. But Marley has become the very thing it fought against."

He glanced down at the newspaper. "And now, the Eldians on that island have positioned themselves as the heroes who will defeat the imperialistic Marley, and free Eldia and the other nations that have suffered at the hands of this cruel empire."

Magath nodded. "Yes. Marley has already lost. Even if we win this war, the damage to our reputation and our military infrastructure has already been done. The only possible way to truly guarantee victory is if we managed to capture the Founding Titan, and take away their trump card. But with the threat of the rumbling now back on the table, and worse yet specifically targeted at Marley, attacking the island is a risk we can no longer afford to take. As a result the Founding Titan is out of our reach for now."

His gaze settled on the picture of the Beast Titan. "And of course there's the matter of Erwin Smith, who is the commander of the enemy forces. Looking over Reiner and Pieck's reports, this man will do anything in order to achieve victory, even send countless men to their inevitable deaths. If he's this ruthless when it comes to the lives of his own soldiers, I can't even imagine how much more ruthless he would be with the lives of enemy soldiers."

Reiner looked at Magath uncertainly. "What do you think we should do?"

Magath sighed. "At this point, victory is essentially impossible. As I said, even if we win militarily, the damage to our reputation has already been done. Our only chance for Marley's future is to negotiate a surrender and end the war before we incur even more casualties and alienate more countries. But of course, our current military leaders would never accept such a course of action. So our only hope is to get rid of the old military leaders, and replace them with new ones."

Reiner's eyes widened in shock.

Willy eyed Magath carefully. "What you're suggesting almost sounds like treason."

Magath looked at him seriously. "Perhaps. But if we continue along the path we're on, Marley will quickly fall into ruin. If trying to avert this fall is treason, then so be it."

Willy tilted his head thoughtfully. "Very well. I will help you. We'll need to plan things carefully…"

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter's a bit boring, but it's important to establish context for when shit hits the fan later on.

The volunteer soldiers won't be as important as they were in the canon, but they do have a role to play.

When it comes to Sebastian, his country is the one that was destroyed in the flashback in Chapter 95, for those of you who were wondering.

Kiyomi finds out about Mikasa, and since Kiyomi holds a lot of sway in Hizuru, her interest in Mikasa could play a key role in the war. Or it might not. Haven't quite decided yet.

Had the bit with Reiner's mother, as I think it's important to show that decades of intense propaganda and brainwashing don't magically go away once an inconvenient truth comes along. The guards are the same two guards from the Marley arc, the friendly ones who end up getting shot by Sasha.

And finally, the bit with Willy Tybur. In the canon Willy Tybur tries to rally the world together by using Paradis as a scapegoat, and thanks to Eren's attack it works fantastically. However, in this AU, things have turned out quite different. The war with the Mid East Allies has not ended, and Paradis has capitalized on the worlds' sympathy for the Mid East Allies and disdain for Marley, and taken the opportunity to let everyone know exactly what happened during Marley's operation on Paradis. So it's too late for Willy Tybur to try to unite the world against Paradis.

Just to clarify, the paper stated that Paradis would only use the rumbling if the island itself is attacked. It's a clever ruse, as ordinarily Marley's best course of action would be to take down Paradis, since they're providing shelter and resources to the other Allied nations. But with the threat of the rumbling, that's not an option.

Next chapter is more quiet, and then after that shit hits the fan big time.

Chapter Text

In the barracks hall of Radgend city, countless Eldian soldiers were gathered, boosting their morale with the refreshments that had been provided.

Pieck let out a small smile. It had been a bit of an expense on her part, but it was worth it to see her fellow soldiers looking happy, and she had nothing else to really spend the money on anyway.

Two dark haired twins, Saul and Paul, stood near Gabi, and were already drunk, much to the young cadet's dismay.

Saul held up his glass. "Here's to Gabi! The hero of Eldia!"

Paul shouted. "Did you hear what she did? She risked her life for us by going up against the armored train!"

Saul shook his head, swaying slightly on the spot. "That was so reckless! So stupid! So brave!"

Paul grinned and thrust his fist in the air. "That fucking Beast Titan ended up killing most of our unit off anyway, but we won't forget what she did for us!"

Saul raised his glass again. "Here's to Gabi! The future holder of the Cart Titan!"

Saul and Paul then picked Gabi up and carried her through the crowd of soldiers, who had begun chanting her name.

"Gabi! Gabi! Gabi!"

Off to one side of the room, Colt and Falco watched the soldiers antics.

Colt smirked. "Heh, they're carrying her again."

Falco looked less amused. "Hmm."

He glanced up at his brother. "Aren't you going to have a drink?"

Colt shook his head. "Nah, you remember what happened last time, right? Besides, as the inheritor of the Armored Titan, I should set a better example."

Falco looked out the dark window behind them. "Speaking of which, do you know when Reiner is returning?"

Colt scratched his head. "I think Magath said that they would be gone for about a week, so four more days, give or take."

Several weeks had passed since the defeat at Fort Slava, and Marley's military had mobilized to counter the new threat presented by Paradis island and the Mid East Allied nations. After recapturing several of their ports and causing a lull in the war, the Mid East Allies appeared to have been engaging in trade with Paradis island to revitalize their economies and militaries. As attacking the island itself was not an option, Marley's only other recourse was to stop trade between the enemy nations as soon as possible. To that end, while their naval forces were being rebuilt, Marley had amassed its superior numbers and had gathered over 100,000 soldiers in the city of Radgend, which was fairly close to the border between Marley and the enemy nations. Once they had gathered enough supplies and weapons, they would mobilize their troops, and use their superior numbers to seize the enemy ports by force, starting with the closest one, Yilmaz.

It was a bold and risky move, and there would doubtless be many casualties. But it was the simplest and most straightforward strategy the military higher ups had come up with to end the war as quickly as possible. While Pieck was skeptical about their methods, she knew that they were right about the need to end the war as soon as possible.

Porco stood next to her, and was watching the twins with a scowl.

"Tch. Those two idiots. Reminds me why I stay away from alcohol."

Pieck raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You don't drink?"

Porco shook his head. "No. I've seen what it can do to people. Besides, I make enough dumb decisions when I'm sober."

"As I'm well aware." Pieck teased. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"

Porco smirked. "Oh, I have a few ideas. Why don't we discuss them in private?"

Pieck let out a sly grin, and the two of them left the barracks.

Falco watched them go. "Huh, looks like Ms. Pieck and Mr. Galliard are turning in early again."

Colt frowned. "Hmm."

Falco looked back at Gabi, who had finally been set down. "Brother, do you really think Gabi should inherit the Cart Titan?"

Colt patted Falco's shoulder. "Yes. Don't get me wrong, you're a hard worker, and a good warrior. But you're not quite on Gabi's level yet."

Colt smiled. "You'll get there though. Besides, this way you'll get to live longer."

Falco ducked his head. "I know. But she won't."

Pieck sat on the edge of Porco's bed, slowly stretching her arms into the air.

Porco sat back on the bed, a small smile on his face as he admired her nude form.

Shortly after the war had begun, the two of them had started a discreet relationship together. It wasn't romantic in nature, as neither of them would live long enough for such a thing to work out. It was more of a deep friendship, where they shared everything with each other, both on and off the battlefield.

Porco leaned back with a contented sigh. "That was nice."

Pieck smiled softly. "It certainly was."

She slowly stood up. "But we need to be up bright and early tomorrow."

She walked away and began to get dressed.

Porco shook his head. "You always take your duties so seriously."

Pieck smirked. "Somebody has to."

Porco shrugged. "Well, Reiner does."

Porco frowned, as if something was troubling him.

Pieck looked back at him. "Something wrong?"

Porco grimaced. "I've just been thinking...I always thought the Army had made a mistake when they made Reiner a Warrior, and I used to be convinced that if it had been me, the operation on the island would have succeeded. And...secretly I blamed him for...my brother's death."

Pieck remained silent, though she continued to get dressed.

Porco shook his head. "But...I can tell now that I was wrong. Reiner...he's done a good job. Hell, given what those...devils are capable of, I'm not sure I would have done much better if I had been in his place. And it was good to see his resolve, after we showed him that paper."

Pieck looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

Porco winced. "Well, if I'm being completely honest, some of the things the devils said in that paper...some of it seemed almost...genuine. So it was nice to see that Reiner was still able to stand up to their lies. After all, if anyone knows what's been going on behind the walls, it's him."

Pieck frowned as she finished dressing. "So you didn't see it."

Porco looked at her uncertainly. "See what?"

Pieck sat down on the edge of his bed. "Reiner...he was lying."

Porco's eyes widened. "What? What makes you think he was lying?"

Pieck grimaced. "His words didn't quite reach his eyes. It was pretty obvious that he was putting on a strong face for Gabi and Falco."

Porco tilted his head. "So...what are you saying? Are you questioning Reiner's loyalty?"

Pieck shook her head. "No. But I think the five years he spent on that island may have caused him to see through Marley's propaganda and see the islanders as people rather than devils."

Porco raised an eyebrow. "You think they aren't devils?"

Pieck sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. But you do realize that many Marleyans consider us to be devils, and we know that isn't true."

Porco silently nodded.

Pieck frowned grimly. "And the dear leaders who have told us that the people on that island are devils are the same ones who thought it was a great idea to leave the whole mission up to four children. So blindly trusting them isn't a good idea."

Porco looked at her carefully. "That almost sounds treasonous. I know you don't mean it that way, but you'd better be careful about who you tell these things to."

Pieck smiled softly. "I know, that's why I'm telling you."

Porco blushed slightly, though he kept his expression calm.

Pieck's smile faded. "It's just...I have a feeling that the war is going to get a lot messier. Marley has made too many enemies over the years, and now Paradis island and their allies have taken advantage of the situation."

Porco nodded. "Yeah. But they still can't match our numbers."

"True." Pieck shook her head. "Well, it's too late for this kind of discussion."

She stood up and walked to the door. "Good night Porco."

Porco scowled. "I've told you not to call me that."

Pieck smiled at him teasingly. "Sorry."

A few days later, Porco and Gabi were walking through the barracks. Most of the Eldian soldiers were off doing work or training exercises, but a few had the day off.

And as Porco and Gabi passed one of the rooms, they saw that two of the soldiers with the day off were Saul and Paul.

Saul raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, if it isn't our little hero."

Gabi smiled shyly. "Hi."

Saul pulled out a bottle he had stashed away. "Here, I've got a little extra beer from the other night. Want to give it a try?"

Paul shook his head disapprovingly. "You know you're not supposed to do that."

Saul waved his hand dismissively. "Oh lighten up, it's not a big deal."

Giving in to her curiosity, Gabi tried some, only to immediately grimace.

"Ugh! It's bitter!"

Saul laughed at her reaction, while Paul stepped away from his brother.

He looked at Porco apologetically. "Sorry about him. My brother can be a bit of an idiot."

Porco shrugged. "Yeah. My brother always had to keep an eye on me when we were kids. That was before…"

He trailed off.

Paul winced. "I'm...sorry for reminding you about that."

Porco forced a smile. "Oh, it's fine. He died in service to Marley."

Paul nodded. "Yeah. And now you're a Warrior just like he was. It must be pretty cool, being able to turn into a Titan."

Porco looked down at his hand. "Yeah, it is pretty cool."

"And becoming one of the nine is a great honor, but the 13 year limit is a bit of a drawback. I don't think I'd be able to do it."

Porco shrugged. "That's okay. Not everyone can, and you're still protecting our homeland in your own way."

"Yeah." Paul grinned. "Oh, by the way, Saul and me, we were recently recognized as honorary Marleyans for our bravery on the battlefield."

Porco clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations."

Paul nodded. "Yeah, our family is naturally thrilled."

He glanced back at Saul and Gabi. "I just hope this war lets us live long enough to see them again."

Porco frowned. "Well, once Commander Magath and Warchief Reiner return, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Among the soldiers who had the day off were Colt and Falco, and they had taken the opportunity to explore the city of Radgend. Much of it had been repurposed for use by the military, but there were still some civilian sections, with shops and houses and other normal buildings.

Pieck, however, was busy, investigating something that had been bothering her for the past few days.

She'd noticed that there had been a suspicious Marleyan soldier hanging around the Eldian barracks. They never directly interacted with the soldiers, and just simply observed them. This would make sense if they were one of the officers whose jobs was to keep an eye on the Eldian soldiers, but Pieck knew all of the officers, and this soldier was not one of them.

It was one of the things Pieck lamented about the unequal treatment of Eldian and Marleyan soldiers. The Eldian soldiers were closely scrutinized, and often subject to brutal punishments for fairly minor transgressions. But the Marleyan soldiers were usually overlooked, and treated much more leniently.

And it seemed that this particular soldier was taking advantage of this fact.

The soldier's odd behavior by itself wouldn't have made Pieck suspicious. But after noticing them multiple times, she realized that she had seen them somewhere before. And unless she was mistaken, the soldier was Yelena, a female soldier who had gone missing three years ago.

Unfortunately, she had no proof, and despite her high standing as a Warrior, she still wasn't treated with much respect by her superiors due to her Eldian blood, Magath being just about the only exception. If she wanted them to take her suspicions seriously, she needed evidence.

So when she noticed the soldier once again hanging around near the Eldian barracks, she decided to take a gamble.

As the soldier began to walk away, Pieck ducked into a nearby alley, took off her armband and tucked her hair underneath a hat. Without the armband, no one would look twice at her, and most likely assume she was a Marleyan soldier.

Her hasty disguise finished, she began tailing the suspicious soldier, and this led her away from the militarized section of the city and into one of the nearby civilian sectors.

Eventually the suspicious soldier entered the back door of a nightclub. During evenings and nights, Pieck knew that this building would be full of horny soldiers watching strippers put on a show for them. Most of the soldiers and strippers were Eldians, as it was one of the few opportunities they had to leave the internment zones and earn a decent living.

During the day, though, the establishment looked empty. After pausing for a moment, Pieck entered through the same door as the soldier, being careful to make as little noise as possible.

She made her way through the quiet building, and before long found the soldier, who was standing next to a radio.

The soldier spoke. "This is V1 speaking. Tell the war chief everything is in place. The horse is ready to be opened. Squads 1 through 4, stand by for the signal."

Pieck pulled out her gun and pointed it at the soldier, who immediately froze.

Pieck looked at them sternly. "May I ask what you're talking about?"

Author's Note: Be sure to review and let me know what you think. Or don't. Your choice. Though I would appreciate it.

Chapter Text

Pieck stared at the soldier, her hand steady as she pointed the gun. The soldier remained still, one of their hands resting on the radio, the other a few inches away on the table.

"Go on. What was that about?"

As Pieck eyed the soldier, she became convinced that the soldier was in fact Yelena.

Yelena stared back, being careful to stay as still as she could. "Nothing important. Just relaying a message to my friends."

"I see. And who are your friends?"

"What makes you think I'm going to answer that question?"

Pieck closed one eye as she continued to aim the gun. "If you don't, your brains will be painted on the floor."

Yelena smiled coldly. "A chilling threat, one without empathy or remorse. Typical Marleyan, always trying to push others down, with no regard for any people other than their own."

Pieck frowned. "Quite bold for someone who's about to die. Tell me what that message was about, or I will shoot. And for the record, I'm not a Marleyan."

Yelena's eyes widened in shock. "What? You're Eldian?"

Pieck nodded. "Yes."

Yelena tilted her head. "Tell me, why do you serve Marley? Why do you aid a nation that would just as soon see you and your people wiped out?"

"Not all Marleyans are like that."

Yelena smirked. "But many of them are, yes? You know you don't have to obey them."

Pieck scowled. "I'm not here to discuss my loyalties with you. Just tell me what that message was about."

Yelena looked away. "Such a shame. Still, while the message was in code, it shouldn't take much thought to realize what it means."

Pieck thought back to the message, and as she thought about the allusions to classical mythology the message had contained, she quickly came to an unsettling conclusion.

She grimaced. "You have traitors seeded throughout the army. They're waiting for a signal to act."

Yelena tilted her head, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Maybe."

Pieck frowned angrily, and took a step forward. "Enough riddles. Who are they?"

Yelena looked down. "It doesn't matter. It's too late to stop it now."

Yelena tightened her grip on the radio, and without warning threw it at Pieck. It hit the gun, and while Pieck managed to maintain her grip on the weapon, the sudden attack caused her to stumble back a few steps.

During that moment when Pieck was distracted, Yelena rushed forward. With one hand she pushed the gun down, and with the other she stabbed Pieck in the neck with a knife.

Pieck gasped in pain, but glared at Yelena defiantly. The two women struggled for a moment, but then Yelena noticed the steam coming out of Pieck's neck. Surprise quickly turned to fear, and after shoving Pieck back she quickly fled. Pieck brought the gun up and fired two shots at Yelena's retreating form, but both missed, and then she was gone.

Pieck slowly pulled the knife out of her neck, wincing in pain. Some blood had stained her uniform, but she had no time to worry about it.

She panted. "Damn it...I have to warn them…"

After putting her armband back on, she ran as fast as she could back to the military headquarters.

As soon as she arrived, she quickly made her way up to one of the higher floors and burst into the conference room where the Army commander and several other officers were gathered.

Pieck gasped. "Commander!"

The Army Commander looked at her in surprise. "What is it Eldian? Who told you..."

He stopped speaking when he noticed that the side of her uniform was covered in blood.

Pieck looked at him urgently. "We have spies within our ranks."

"What?"

Pieck quickly relayed what had happened, noting how Yelena had used her cover as a Marleyan soldier to remain undetected until now, and how other spies could be doing the same.

"She said it was too late to stop it, but if we move quickly we still might be able to prevent the worst of whatever they have planned."

The Army Commander frowned. "Fine."

He turned toward his subordinates. "Inspect the Marleyan and Non-Eldian soldiers! And look for potential signs of sabotage!"

The Marleyan officers saluted. "Sir!"

A search was conducted, and the Marleyan officers became busy inspecting all the soldiers who were suspicious, investigating the barracks for any incriminating items, and checking all the buildings for potential signs of sabotage. But as the search wore on, the officers became increasingly tense and annoyed at the lack of progress.

Several hours later, the searches had found essentially nothing, and the Marleyan higher ups had run out of patience.

The Army Commander glared at Pieck. "Our searches yielded nothing. How do you explain this, Pieck?"

Pieck winced. "Well…"

He looked at her suspiciously. "You got us all stirred up, and made us suspect the Marleyans. How do we know that you aren't the spy? Perhaps it's you and your fellow Eldians that are really planning something."

"No!" She protested. "We would never!"

He scowled. "Then don't waste our time again unless you have something of substance. We have a lot of work to do as it is, and-"

He was cut off as an officer burst into the room, his face panicked.

"Sirs! Urgent news! The Beast Titan has appeared!"

Everyone in the room looked at him in alarm.

"What?!"

They rushed out to a nearby balcony, and after obtaining several sets of binoculars, they were able to see what the officer was talking about.

Several miles away from the city, near the entrance of an old road that was flanked on both sides by two small mountains, stood the Beast Titan. He was surrounded by several armored vehicles, all of which we were facing the direction of the city.

One of the officers slowly put the binoculars down, looking utterly bewildered. "What are they doing?"

The Commander smiled grimly. "I don't know. But this is an opportunity we can't ignore."

He raised his voice. "Mobilize all troops! Get the tanks and the anti-Titan artillery ready! If we rush him now, we can finally kill that bastard. And if the Colossal Titan tries to make an appearance, he won't be able to destroy all of our soldiers and guns, and the ones that survive will be able to bring him down."

Pieck looked at him sharply. "Sir! With all due respect, we need to be cautious. They wouldn't just appear outside the city like that unless they have a plan. And with what we just learned about there being traitors waiting to strike somewhere within our ranks, we-"

"A theory that you brought forth and have failed to substantiate." He looked at her dismissively. "You had your chance, now it's our turn. Now do as you're told, Eldian. Or do you want us to send your family to Heaven?"

She froze, before slowly shaking her head. "...no."

He smiled coldly. "Good. Now get out of my sight."

As she left the building, Pieck tried to ignore the anger she felt at the Commander's words, and instead attempted to remain focused on the situation at hand.

Damn it...what is going on?

Throughout the city, the soldiers of Marley's army began to mobilize, getting ready for battle.

While the city became busy, things were fairly quiet near the old mountains. The Beast Titan was now sitting down, his right arm draped over his right knee, while the vehicles were parked and circled around the Beast Titan protectively. Several Scouts had used their ODM gear to scale up the nearby sides of the mountains in order to get a better view of the city, and to study the enemy movements.

The Beast Titan looked down at the nearest vehicle. "Levi, you really shouldn't be here. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet."

After being caught in the explosion caused by the Jaws Titan's second transformation at Fort Slava, Levi had sustained several minor injuries to his arms and chest, and indeed should have still been resting.

But Levi shook his head. "It's fine. If everything goes according to plan, the enemy won't be anywhere near here."

Erwin sighed, both touched and annoyed that Levi was pushing himself for his sake.

Levi looked up as he heard the sound of ODM gear moving through the air. "Barris! Status report!"

Barris called down to him. "The enemy is mobilizing. As expected, they're putting Eldians on the frontlines."

Levi glanced at the city. "I see…"

Back at the city, one soldier was having a small problem.

Porco pointed at a nearby building. "You better stay here Gabi."

She protested. "But I want to help!"

He sighed. "Look, just stay here until we know the situation. I don't want you to get hurt."

Leaving a dejected looking Gabi behind, Porco quickly caught up to the soldiers who were assembling near the edge of the city, and happened to spot two familiar faces.

He frowned. "What's going on?"

Paul grimaced. "The Beast Titan just appeared several miles away from the city."

Porco gasped in shock. "What?"

Saul grinned. "Yeah, can you believe it? Now we finally get the chance to teach that bastard a lesson."

Paul shook his head. "Don't get so cocky."

Before long Paul and Saul had taken up their positions along the outer wall, manning one of the artillery units meant to protect the city.

As Porco looked around, he had to admit it was an impressive sight. While it wasn't perfect, Marley's Army was a force to be reckoned with, and the skill and efficiency of its soldiers was on full display. Already thousands upon thousands of soldiers were gathered, and in addition to the infantry units there were also many tanks and anti-Titan units as well.

He smirked. I almost feel sorry for the enemies. Almost.

Noticing another familiar looking face, Porco asked. "Hey, do you mind if I borrow your binoculars?"

Koslow grumbled. "Oh fine."

Porco peered through the binoculars, and was surprised at what he saw. He knew that the Beast Titan had been spotted near the mountains just outside the city, and so was expecting that. But he hadn't been expecting to see this.

What the hell? There's a few vehicles near him, but...as far as I can tell, that's it. There can't be more than twenty vehicles in total. And there aren't any other soldiers or troops nearby. There could be some hiding further back, but that road is really narrow.

He looked at the Beast Titan with a frown. What is he thinking? They can't seriously believe that they can take this city with such small numbers, can they?

Koslow smirked. "Looks like we're about ready. Those stupid devils...his throws may have been devastating against ordinary soldiers, but lets see him try it against a battalion of tanks."

Saul nodded in agreement. "This day is going our way, I just know it!"

Paul sighed. "For once, I hope you're right."

While Marley's army got ready to advance, the Scouts made their move.

Barris called down to the others once more. "It looks like all of their troops are lined up. They should begin moving toward us any minute now."

Erwin nodded. "Very well."

Erwin slowly pushed himself to his feet, drew a deep breath, and screamed.

The next second, the entire outer wall of the city was aglow with light as hundreds and hundreds of explosions appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Porco and Koslow were hurled to the ground as two nearby explosions caught them off guard.

Koslow winced in pain. "Oh, shit, that hurts…"

Porco coughed. "What the hell?"

He looked up, and realized that the area around them was suddenly full of steam. For a moment, the steam blocked their view. But after just a few seconds, it cleared.

Porco breathed. "No…"

For as long as he had known them, Paul and Saul had always looked identical. And this was still the case, but the people he had known for years were gone.

In their place were two identical ten meter Titans.

The one closest to him leaped forward and tried to grab him. Thinking quickly, Porco hastily rolled out of the way and bit his hand, transforming into the Jaws Titan.

The Titan on the right recoiled from the explosion his transformation had caused, while the Titan on the left was about to eat Koslow.

Koslow shrieked. "OH GOD NO, THE FUCK IS THIS, AAAH!"

But before he was devoured, Porco swooped over, scratched the Titan's face, and forced it to drop Koslow. He then picked up Koslow, and hastily began to flee.

As he looked back, he happened to get a good look at the outer wall, and the situation was completely different to how it had been only moments ago. All along the perimeter stood hundreds upon hundreds of Titans, the wall, cannons, and tanks lying in ruins. And now, the Titans were turning on their former comrades who had the misfortune of being right behind them.

He looked at the scene in horror.

How is this happening?

Further back in the city, Pieck had seen the sudden light all along the edge of the city, and had quickly realized what had happened.

That bastard...he must have seen Zeke's memories and figured out how to use his spinal fluid to turn others into Titans. I doubt he can control them like Zeke, but in this case he doesn't need to. There's an entire city full of soldiers and civilians to draw the attention of the newly created Titans. Using our own soldiers as weapons against us. It's a damn clever strategy, I'll give him that, but…how did he…

She froze as she remembered the food and alcohol she had bought for her fellow soldiers only days ago. She also remembered that over the past few weeks there had been several shipments of food that had seemed unusually inexpensive, but she hadn't really given it much thought at the time. Now she deeply regretted not looking into it.

Oh no...were they spiked with his spinal fluid?

Pieck knew that many merchants and businesses weren't happy with the war between Marley and the Mid East Allies, as it was disrupting their trade, and so it wouldn't be too difficult for Paradis to bribe them and sabotage several shipments, especially since only trace amounts of the spinal fluid were necessary to contaminate the food or drink.

As she considered all this, Pieck also remembered her conversation with Yelena, and gripped her head in frustration.

Shit...we played right into their hands. They know most of our soldiers are Eldians, they know we put them on the front lines, and they capitalized on these facts. They must have been planning this for a while. And to throw us off, they used language to suggest they had traitors in our ranks, when really the "traitors" were the poisoned Eldian soldiers.

She took off running, hoping that the Marleyan officers would be more inclined to listen to her now.

On the edge of the city, the Titans continued to lumber forward, devouring or crushing countless soldiers that lay in their path, and also unknowingly causing damage to the nearby buildings and supplies. Most that were able had turned tail and fled. Some were frozen in shock and fear. And a few with more bravery than sense were trying to kill the Titans with the remaining anti-Titan rifles. But most of them missed the nape, and even the ones that got a lucky shot were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of Titans.

Further back in the city, near the border between the military and civilian sections, where the Titans had not yet arrived, many soldiers were gathering for a counterattack.

Two of them were Colt and Falco, who had returned after learning that some sort of attack was going on.

Colt looked at the other soldiers uncertainly. "What's happening?"

A nearby Eldian soldier looked at him anxiously. "All of the Eldian soldiers on the front line were turned into Titans by the Beast Titan!"

Falco's eyes widened. "What?!"

Colt grimaced, trying to hide his fear. "What should we do?"

The soldier gestured toward the military headquarters several blocks away. "Our latest orders are to rally our forces at HQ to protect the armory and our leaders."

Colt frowned. "What about the civilians?"

The soldier glanced away. "Well, they didn't say anything about that, but-"

"Incoming!"

The next second, an explosion a few yards away killed four soldiers. Colt got in front of Falco, and began looking around, trying to see what had caused the explosion.

The soldier he'd been talking to looked around in disbelief. "What the hell-"

Without warning, a gunshot ripped through the air, and his left shoulder was suddenly missing. Before he had time to react the next shot took off his head.

Colt looked up, and screamed. "NO!"

Falco followed his gaze, and realized that there were several dozen people soaring through the air above them, using the nearby buildings as anchors for their gear.

Colt shielded Falco with his body just before he was shot in the chest.

The flying people let off one more explosion, which killed the last few soldiers that had been standing in the street. Then they were gone, and Falco was left standing as the only person still alive.

He was frozen for a few seconds, and stared at the bodies all around him, secretly hoping that this was all a bad dream, and that any moment now the sight before him would disappear.

But it didn't, and as he took in the sight of his brother's fallen body, he broke down.

"BROTHER!"

Falco shook him, as if shaking him would wake him up. But Colt didn't respond, and Falco knew that it was too late.

He wept for a moment, before noticing Colt's gun still strapped to his back. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Falco slowly pulled the gun off of Colt's body, and picked it up.

He tightened his grip on the gun, and suddenly began running in the same direction he had seen the flying people go.

He gritted his teeth as he ran, his eyes full of tears and hate.

"I will kill you for this…"

At the military headquarters, the commanding officers were in an uproar.

One of the officers was trying desperately to not panic. "What are we supposed to do?"

The Army Commander looked out the window toward the edge of the city that had suddenly been transformed into a battlefield, a scowl on his face. "Those damned devils! Turning our soldiers into Titans...how did they even...well, it doesn't matter. We must hold this position. If we gather in a tight circle with the anti-Titan artillery, they'll come to us and we can mow them down at our leisure."

The officer blinked. "But sir, what about the civilians? Shouldn't we-"

"Forget them!" He snapped. "Our first job is to keep military casualties as low as possible. The civilians are expendable."

The officer swallowed nervously. "But if we gather all of our soldiers into one space, even with the anti-Titan artillery the sheer number of Titans could overwhelm our defenses, and if that happens-"

The Commander cut him off. "It's extremely unlikely to happen. This is a defensible position, and the Titans don't have the necessary intelligence to-"

He trailed off as he noticed four people flying by the window. His eyes widened in shock, and he realized that they were firing some kind of explosive device right at them.

"Fuck."

The next second, the thunder spears crashed through the window, and the resulting explosion killed everyone in the room.

But the Scouts didn't stop there. They continued to fire thunder spears and grenades through the windows of the Military headquarters, and when they were done they attached several modified explosives all around the ground level of the building before quickly getting away. A few seconds later, the chain of explosions leveled the entire building, killing anyone who was still inside.

Pieck witnessed the explosions from a few blocks away, and was secretly glad she hadn't run as fast as she could, as even with her regenerative abilities the explosions could have killed her.

Clever bastards...with all of our leaders killed, our soldiers will have no orders to follow, and the chaotic situation will become even worse. In theory, anyway...I won't let it come to that.

While she considered her next move, Pieck remembered that many of the commanding officers that had just been killed were the same ones that had planned the operation on Paradis, and it was ultimately their fault for all of the deaths that had happened when Wall Maria fell. Perhaps this was some kind of cosmic judgement, to have them die at the hands of those they had wronged.

She shook her head, and ran off to the armory, which was still intact for the moment.

Mikasa watched the smoldering ruins of the military headquarters for a moment with grim satisfaction.

She then turned toward the rest of the soldiers there. "Our main objective is complete. Their military headquarters are destroyed, and all of their leaders seem to have been killed. Split up into smaller groups, and we'll meet back up on the eastern end of the city. Do not engage the enemy forces unless you absolutely have to. And be wary of the Titans. The buildings in the city are tall enough for us to stay well away from them, and they'll most likely be focused on the Marleyan soldiers, but remain vigilant. See you soon."

"Sir!"

They then separated into smaller squads, and split off, taking different routes through quieter parts of the city.

Near the armory, Pieck bit her hand and transformed into her Titan. But she did it so that there was no light or explosion from her transformation in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

The Marleyan soldiers looked up at her apprehensively, while Pieck looked down at them carefully.

"All Marleyan soldiers, rally to me! Obey my orders!"

One of the soldiers sneered. "Why should we obey you?"

She looked at him impatiently. "Because the enemy just killed all of our leaders, and if you don't follow someone's orders, we're all going to die!"

The soldier fell silent, as he was unable to think of a response to that.

Another soldier stepped forward. "What are your orders?"

"Form two fronts, one along thirty second street, another along thirty third street. The Titans will be heading this way, lured by the civilians and soldiers that are fleeing from the eastern end of the city. We must stop them. In order to do that, we must place the anti-Titan artillery in such a way…"

Before long the Marleyan soldiers began hesitantly following Pieck's orders, and the situation slowly began to improve. On the front line the Titans were still running amok, and countless soldiers were still panicking, running, and dying. But further back, under Pieck's leadership, the Marleyan army started to form a line to face the Titans, armed with strategically placed artillery and anti-Titan rifles.

As Mikasa and her squad, which consisted of herself, Jean, Sasha, and Connie, fled through the city, she took note of the Marleyan soldiers movements.

Hmmm. The soldiers are more organized then I would have expected. The Titans might not do quite as much damage as we had expected. Still, we stick to the plan. Our numbers are too few to directly confront Marley's army just yet.

Closer to the front line, Porco had finally stopped running, and dropped Koslow off near an abandoned building.

He partially emerged from the nape, and spoke. "Koslow, go hide in the basement until the fighting's over."

Koslow nodded shakily. "Yes. Thank you...for saving me...you really aren't too bad...for an Eldian…"

He then slowly retreated into the building, wincing in pain from his injuries.

Porco then reentered his Titan, and began speeding off toward the military headquarters.

Those dirty devils. Paul and Saul...all of the others...they did nothing wrong...and these bastards turned them into monsters. How dare they…

And as he was heading toward headquarters, he had the misfortune of running into Mikasa's squad.

Jean called out. "It's the Jaws!"

Porco's eyes went wide with fury. YOU DEVILS!

He roared and rushed at them, hoping to swipe at least one of them, but they all managed to move out of the way in time.

They tried to continue to retreat, but Porco wasn't about to let them get away, and they were forced to dodge again.

Mikasa scowled as she took out her blades.

"Fine. If that's how you want it…"

And during one pass where Sasha and Connie were keeping Porco distracted, Mikasa made her move.

She swooped in, and sliced off his hands.

As she flew by, Porco watched her, his eyes wide with fear.

Another one of those Ackerman…

She then looped back, carved up his body, and severed his legs from his body.

His Titan fell to the ground with a resounding crash, dirt and debris flying up from the point of impact.

Before he could recover, Connie flew by and fired two thunder spears into the Jaws Titan's face.

Porco looked at the spears in alarm. This is...NO!

The resulting explosion severely damaged both his Titan and his real body, and his consciousness left him.

Mikasa and the others relished their victory for a moment.

Connie cheered. "WHOO! We took down the Jaws Titan!"

Jean nodded. "That was too close."

Mikasa frowned. "Still, we should probably-"

Without warning, a gunshot ripped through the air, and Connie's body went limp, though he was still suspended by his wires.

"CONNIE!" Sasha screamed.

Jean looked around, and noticed a sniper in a nearby window. The sniper looked oddly young, but at the moment Jean didn't care. Without hesitation he fired one of his thunder spears at the window.

Falco hastily dropped Colt's gun and tried to get away from the window, and to his good fortune the spear hit the wall next to the window rather than going through the window, and the resulting explosion was enough to knock him out and give him some minor injuries, but he managed to get far enough back that he wasn't killed or seriously wounded.

Sasha zipped over to Connie. "We need to get him to a hospital right now!"

Connie muttered deliriously. "We did it guys..."

After securing Connie, she, Mikasa, and Jean continued to retreat, but their hearts were much heavier now.

Meanwhile, further back in the city Pieck was running back and forth in her Titan form, giving orders, rallying the troops, and helping the soldiers move the heavier guns. With her help, the Marleyan army had formed a front that was keeping the Titans at bay, and provided a safe haven for the surviving soldiers from the front line to flee behind.

But as she was working, Floch's squad happened to spot her as they were fleeing through the city.

Louise gasped. "It's the Cart Titan."

Floch turned sharply. "Let's get her."

Louise frowned. "We were told not to engage the enemy unless we had to."

Floch grinned. "Come on, when are we going to get another chance to take down the Cart? Besides, that bitch should have died four years ago. And she evaded death again last month. It's about time she got what was coming to her."

Floch's squad altered course, and swooped over the soldiers nearest to Pieck.

Pieck looked up sharply as she heard the ODM gear. "Shoot them down!"

But before the Marleyan soldiers could react to the airborne enemies, Floch pulled out a dart gun and fired it at one of the Eldian soldiers.

The soldier looked at the dart in his arm in shock, and the next second his body began to glow and an explosion erupted, killing all of the soldiers standing next to him and throwing the rest off their feet.

Pieck stepped back, and realized what the enemy had done. They had turned one of the soldiers into a Titan, and were using that to distract the Marleyan and Eldian soldiers, leaving the Scouts free to kill the Cart Titan.

She bellowed. "KILL THE TITAN NOW! I'LL DEAL WITH THEM!"

Floch and the others swooped down, he aimed for her nape…

And she grasped his wire, throwing him off course. She then tossed him, he flew through the air, and landed a good distance away.

Bruised and dazed, Floch looked around to see where he had landed, and saw that he had landed right in front of the Titan he had just created. But this irony did not occur to him as it reached down to grab him.

"NO! NO! GET AWAY!"

But it was no use, and with his gear damaged he had no means of escape. And while the Titan was occupied eating him, the Marleyan soldiers had enough time to aim carefully and shoot out the nape.

Meanwhile, Pieck had killed the remaining Scouts that had been foolish enough to attack her. The only survivor was Louise, who after seeing things go wrong, decided to follow her original orders and hastily fled.

Seeing that the Titan was indeed dead, the Marleyan soldiers ran back to Pieck.

"Pieck! Are you alright?"

She breathed heavily. "I'm fine. The Titan?"

"It's taken care of."

"Very good."

The soldier gestured in the direction Louise had fled. "Should we go after them?"

Pieck shook her head. "No. Their numbers are too small to be worth wasting time on. Our main focus must be to kill the Titans."

"Here they come!"

Seeing that the bulk of the Titans had reached the front, Pieck quickly returned to her post and began directing the soldiers once more.

"All troops prepare for battle!"

While the vast majority of the Titans had gone further into the heart of the city where the soldiers and civilians lay, a tiny handful of abnormals had gone the opposite way, perhaps sensing the Beast Titan and his small group of subordinates. But their deviation from their fellows would be their undoing.

Levi watched as the three abnormals came close. "Here they come."

Erwin nodded. "Right."

He picked up a nearby boulder, crushed it into a mass of smaller rocks, and hurled it at the three abnormals. In an instant the three Titans were full of holes and collapsed to the ground. It would be some time before they would be able to get up again, and if the nape had been severed, they wouldn't be getting up again at all.

Erwin noticed Levi's expression as he looked at the dissolving Titans.

"Something troubling you Levi?"

Levi grimaced. "Yes. This plan...it seems to be working so far...but it still makes me…"

"Uneasy?"

"...yes."

Erwin sighed. "I understand. This isn't really a battle, it's a slaughter. But that's exactly what Marley's Attack on Wall Maria was nine years ago. They are the ones who dealt the first blow. They are the ones who forced this conflict upon us. And they have made it clear that they will continue in their efforts to annihilate us as long as they are capable of war. And so we have no choice but to take away that capability, by any means necessary."

Levi shook his head. "You've said this before, and I understand why this is necessary. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Fair enough."

They both looked up and saw that Barris had scaled down the side of the mountain once more.

He called down. "Captain! The Titans appear to have moved into the heart of the city. The edge of the city is pretty much deserted."

Levi nodded. "I see. Let's move out then."

A few minutes later two of the armored vehicles began to move toward the city.

As the noise of the vehicles faded, Erwin looked out at the city, which had tons of smoke coming from countless sources. He couldn't see the battle, but he could imagine the Marleyan and Eldian soldiers struggling against the Titans he had created. Struggling and dying for their motherland. Or so they believed.

"How sad. To fight on behalf of a nation that openly despises you. They fight in the hopes of being recognized as good Eldians, but Marley will never see them as anything other than descendants of devils."

Erwin frowned. "And in the end, when they are no longer useful, Marley will exterminate them all the first chance they get. Better for them to die here then to live to see that terrible day."

Erwin's face darkened. "And as for you, Zeke, I pity you, perhaps even more than the poor souls out there. Because as smart as you were, as much as you recognized Marley's manipulations and plotted against them, you were still brainwashed like the rest. You were trying to arrange for the extinction of all Eldians, and you could only have done that if on some level you bought into Marley's rhetoric about Eldians being monsters in human skin."

He smiled grimly. "Your fatal mistake was not even trying to understand why other people might not think the way you do, and that mistake cost you your life."

He looked down at his hands. "I know I'm hardly deserving of this kind of power, but at least it's no longer in the hands of someone like you."

He paused as he noticed movement nearby. He looked up, and realized that one of the Titans he had mowed down earlier was still alive. The nape was still intact, and it was struggling to get back to its feet, even though it was still badly injured.

But it was a futile effort, because a moment later Erwin hurled another clump of rocks at it, and this time it's body was torn to pieces, including the nape. There was no coming back from that.

"You poor things…"

While Pieck and the Marleyan army went head to head with the Titans, the Scouts managed to make their way through the city relatively unnoticed. And as they reached the edge of the city, they found two vehicles waiting to pick them up.

The two vehicles were armed with guns to deal with both Titans and people, just in case there happened to be any stragglers, but fortunately there were not.

As Mikasa's squad arrived, she spotted Levi on top of one of the vehicles.

He nodded at her. "Looks like almost everyone is here. It's just Floch's squad that is missing."

He then noticed their downcast expressions, and the fact that Sasha was carrying Connie.

He frowned. "What happened?"

Sasha's eyes were red. "He...he was shot."

Jean clenched his fist. "I tried to stop the bleeding, but…"

Mikasa bowed her head. "He's gone."

Levi glanced away. "...I see."

A few minutes later, Louise showed up.

Mikasa looked at her in surprise. "Where's everyone else?"

Louise grimaced. "They're dead. We saw the Cart Titan, and Floch told us to attack her, and…"

She trailed off, leaving them to fill in the blanks.

Levi scowled. "Idiots. Let's go."

With all the survivors accounted for, the two vehicles retreated back to the mountains, and before long the entire convoy departed, heading back to Mid East Alliance territory.

As the day went by, the cannons fired almost continuously throughout the city. While the Titans did a lot of damage, killed countless people, and the surviving soldiers were exhausted, eventually the Titans' numbers began to dwindle, and after a while the city was quiet once more. Pieck and a few other soldiers then went through the city to take care of any straggling Titans, while the remaining soldiers were either tasked with calming the civilians down, or being allowed to finally turn in for the day.

As the sun began to set, Porco slowly returned to consciousness, his body and Titan still slightly mangled, but in better shape than when Mikasa and the others had left him.

He looked up at the smoke filled sky. The guns...have stopped firing. Does...does that mean we won? It must be...I wonder if there are any Titans left…

Just then, he heard some heavy footfalls, and after a moment he saw a Titan round the corner in front of him.

His eyes went wide, as he could tell that the Titan had once been Gabi.

It was eight meters tall, its head was tilted at an awkward angle, and it was walking very slowly toward him.

No...not her too. Was it the alcohol? I remember...Saul shared some with her...so that must be why…do I...have to kill her? No...I couldn't do that...but what else could I…wait...I could...let her eat me...and she'd become human again. Yes, that's it. I...I don't want to die...but...at least this way I could do some good...I was too weak to stop the island devils. I really am no better than Reiner. I guess this is it. I'll see you soon Marcel…

He then emerged from the nape, and watched as Gabi slowly walked toward him, hoping that his death would be quick.

But as he braced himself for the end, he heard more heavy footfalls behind him.

Another Titan? Damn it, this is a really…

He paused, because the Titan had stepped over him, and he could tell that it was Pieck.

Pieck. Well, at least she's okay. Is she...going to kill Gabi?

Pieck stared at Gabi's Titan for a moment, before emerging from the nape and stepping out.

Porco's eyes widened. "No…"

Pieck smiled back at him sadly. "Goodbye."

She then began walking toward Gabi, closing her eyes as she did so.

Porco held up his arm. "NO! PIECK!"

But he was still too weak to stop her, and so could only watch as Pieck was devoured.

A moment later, Gabi's Titan collapsed and began to dissolve, while Porco openly sobbed, his head in his hands. The nearby Marleyan soldiers were silent, their expressions solemn.

Author's Note: This chapter has a number of parallels to the canon, but I hope I managed to make it it's own thing.

Just to clear something up, when it comes to Erwin turning the Eldian soldiers into Titans, the reason only the ones on the front line were transformed was because he was far away from the city. Based on what was revealed in chapter 119, the scream to transform Eldians into Titans has a limited range, limited enough that one would presumably be able to get out of the range in a few minutes on horseback. So Erwin positioned himself at just the right distance so that only the Eldians on the front lines would transform. So it wasn't just the Eldians on the frontlines that were dosed with Erwin's spinal fluid, most of the Eldian soldiers were dosed, it's just that Erwin made it so that only the ones on the front lines would transform. He did this so that it would be the most strategically useful to them, and also keep the civilian casualties to a minimum, as Marley's army would take the brunt of the Titan assault.

Based on what has been revealed so far about the Titan powers, any Titan shifter's spinal fluid can be used to turn Eldians into Titans, they just can't control them. Zeke's ability to control them is what makes him unique. Erwin doesn't have this ability to control them, but in this case he doesn't need to, as Titans will naturally gravitate toward large groups of people.

Chapter Text

Porco ran across the darkened landscape, his breathing frantic. He wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten there, but that didn't matter.

Several yards away he saw Pieck lying down on the ground, and given how exhausted she appeared Porco was certain that she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

For standing over Pieck, brandishing a long blade, was the female Ackerman he'd seen at Fort Slava and in Radgend.

He raised his hands and his voice. "No! Leave her alone!"

The female Ackerman looked at him coldly, and despite his concern for Pieck he froze as he met her eyes. There was no warmth or sympathy in that gaze, only a dull anger and ruthless indifference.

She spoke, her voice even colder than her eyes. "There's only so many lives I can give a damn about. Cruel, but that's the world our enemies gave us six years ago. Sorry, but I don't have any heartstrings left for you to tug on. You want compassion, move on. You want fair, tough shit."

The next second she slashed the sword down, and Pieck's head was severed from her body.

Porco screamed. "STOP IT!"

Then, his surroundings changed. While it had been fairly dark before, now the place was fairly well lit by the afternoon sun. And he was no longer on the ground. Instead, he was sitting on an enormous tree branch, which was connected to an even more massive tree, in a forest full of similarly colossal trees all around them.

But Porco barely noticed these details, as his attention was entirely focused on the person sitting right next to him.

What the...that's...that's Eren Yeager! I recognize him from the paper! He's the Founder! If I can grab him, our mission will be completed!

But he found himself unable to move, no matter how hard he tried. While he was trying to move, he suddenly noticed two people sitting on another tree branch across from where he and Eren were sitting.

Wait, there's Reiner. But...what's wrong with him? Does he have a headache? And he looks younger for some reason. And that's...Bertolt?! But I thought he was dead? What the hell is going on here?!

"You're wallowing in self pity?"

Porco glanced back to see that Eren was glaring furiously at Reiner and Bertolt.

"How dare you! What was going through your head the day I told you my story, huh?! Remember that Bertolt?! I'm talking to you, lackey!"

Porco would have flinched if he'd been able to move.

Shit...even with his arms missing, he's kind of terrifying…

Eren's eyes were wide. "I told you everything...you sat there and looked at me straight in the eye...watched me relive seeing my mother eaten alive! Don't you remember? Well it just so happens the chunk of wall you kicked down fell on our house. It's what kept her from being able to run away. Ring any bells? Take you back?"

Porco frowned inwardly. Wait a minute...I remember...the paper said something about Eren's mother being one of those that died after Reiner and the others broke through the wall. I'd thought it was just a lie to make him seem sympathetic, but…

"Let me ask you again. What was going through your head when I told you that story?"

Bertolt glanced at Eren briefly before averting his gaze again.

"Want me to be honest? In the moment, I felt...sorry for you."

There was a tense silence for several seconds before Eren spoke again.

"Sorry for me? So then...you're not...you're not warriors or soldiers. You're just murderers...psychotic mass murderers who snuffed out the lives of countless people who never did you any wrong!"

Reiner turned sharply. "DON'T YOU THINK I'M AWARE OF THAT FACT!? I DON'T NEED YOU SHOVING IT DOWN MY GODDAMN THROAT!"

Eren shot back. "THEN STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'VE GOT ANY RIGHT TO FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF! WE'RE LIVING IN A HELL YOU TWO CREATED! ARE YOU PROUD OF YOURSELVES?! YOU'RE NOT ONE OF US, YOU'VE NEVER BEEN! YOU'RE NOT EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE!"

"WANT AN APOLOGY?! IS THAT WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF CALLING US MURDERERS?! WANT US TO FEEL BAD?! WANT US TO TAKE THE BLAME?! WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?! THE PEOPLE YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW DON'T EXIST, THEY'RE DEAD! BUT HEY, IF SCREAMING DOES IT FOR YOU, GO AHEAD AND SCREAM YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!"

There was another moment of tense silence, during which Porco was unsure of what to think, as he was still stunned by the exchange.

Eren whispered. "You're right. Who am I...what do I know...still...I will do everything I can to make sure you two suffer and die in the worst way possible."

And suddenly, without warning, Eren, Reiner, Bertolt, and the forest were gone, and Porco found himself lying on his side in bed.

A dream?

After glancing around he saw that he was back in his room. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position.

No. It was too vivid. That...those must have been...Ymir's memories. But that means...everything that damn paper said about the islanders...it's all probably true...shit…

He gripped the side of his head, shuddering slightly as he remembered the looks on Eren and the female Ackerman's faces.

After seeing that he was awake, one of the Marleyan soldiers left to alert the others. A few minutes later, Reiner walked in, as he and Magath had returned the morning after the attack on Radgend.

Reiner looked at Porco in concern. "How are you doing?"

Porco let out a long sigh. "Terrible."

Reiner frowned. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

Porco shook his head. "You couldn't have known."

Reiner noted his troubled expression. "Bad dream?"

Porco gripped the side of his head again. "No. I...I saw one of Ymir's memories."

Reiner stiffened. "I see. Which one?"

"...it was in a forest, full of giant trees. You and...Eren...were having an argument. And he...he swore that he was going to kill you and Bertolt."

Reiner glanced away uncomfortably.

Porco looked at him seriously. "So...you remember that?"

"...yeah."

"And...Eren said something about his mother being killed...because of you. Is...is that true?"

"...yes."

"So...does that mean...everything the paper said about the islanders...it's all true?"

"...more or less."

Porco looked at Reiner in shock, and for a moment was unsure of what to say.

"...before, you'd said that the five years you'd spent on that island with those devils were hell. Was that a lie?"

Reiner closed his eyes. "It was a half truth. It was hell, because I eventually realized who the real devils were."

Porco glanced out the window, a strange feeling in his stomach.

"…so...in a sense...Marcel was lucky...because...he died…"

"...before he could become a mass murderer." Reiner concluded. "And you were lucky, since you were spared from all that."

Porco grimaced. "I suppose."

Reiner glanced away. "Well, it wasn't really luck."

Porco looked at him sharply. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Reiner hesitated for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"The truth is, I wasn't supposed to be chosen as a Warrior. But Marcel manipulated the higher ups by praising me, and speaking poorly of you. He did it to protect you."

Porco's eyes widened.

Reiner smiled bitterly. "So if you thought you were better than me, you were right."

Porco frowned. I'm not sure I agree Reiner.

Reiner cleared his throat. "Anyways, do you know where Pieck is?"

Pieck watched the nearby village as the Eldian soldiers set up the gas canisters. It was early in the morning, and most of the people were still asleep. By the time they realized what was happening, it would be too late.

She sat in her Titan form with a large amount of cargo on her back, while Zeke stood a few feet away.

They'd surveyed near the edge of Wall Rose, and settled on this village as the best candidate for the recon mission, as it was fairly isolated and far away from any other communities within the wall. They would turn the villagers into Titans using Zeke's spinal fluid, and then he and the Titans would survey the nearby territory, testing the enemy's defenses and response times, and gauge how much of a threat they posed.

As Pieck watched the proceedings, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Part of it was Zeke. Even though he was the war chief, and had proven himself countless times in battle, she still sensed that there was something he was hiding from everyone, some secret only he was privy to.

But the other reason was the mission itself. This was not the first time they had used Zeke's spinal fluid to turn Eldians into Titans, far from it. But before they had always used Eldian criminals, individuals who had broken the law and betrayed Marley, and were being duly punished for their transgressions.

This, though, this was a village full of civilians who had done nothing wrong. True, they were a part of an enemy nation, the island of devils. But on their way to Wall Rose, Pieck and the others had seen that the other warriors mission to infiltrate the walls had been a success, and the territory of Wall Maria had been completely overrun by Titans. As they made their way through the abandoned territory, they had come across countless houses, farms, and villages that were now empty and lifeless. From what they had seen countless people must have lost their lives, and countless more lost their homes.

Pieck knew to tow the line, and never questioned Marley's doctrine out loud. But inside her head, she did have doubts that the people of the walls were really devils, when all the evidence suggested that they were no different from any other people of the world.

And as she watched Zeke scream and the village flash with the light of hundreds of Titans transforming, she couldn't help but feel pity for the people of the walls. These villagers had done nothing wrong, and given how isolated the walls were, they were probably very ignorant of the outside world.

From what she had seen, she doubted that the people of the walls would ever pose a real threat to Marley, and she certainly hoped they never would. Because given what Marley had done to them, the Eldians on Paradis had every reason to want to see Marley burn.

Pieck glanced at Zeke, but something had changed. He was growing fainter and fainter. As she looked around, she realized that everything was growing dark. Her head felt much heavier, and suddenly she could hear voices somewhere above her.

She couldn't understand what they were saying at first, but eventually their words became more distinct.

"Looks like she's waking up."

Gabi stirred, before slowly opening her eyes.

She was lying on a hospital bed, and standing around her was Reiner, Porco, Magath, Koslow, and Falco. They all looked fine except for Falco, who had a bandage over the right side of his face and his left arm was in a cast.

Reiner smiled sadly. "Hey."

Gabi returned the smile. "Reiner."

It disappeared when she saw her fellow cadet. "Falco! What happened?"

She gasped. "The battle! Is it…"

Reiner raised a hand. "Relax, it's over."

Gabi looked at them anxiously. "What happened?"

Magath folded his arms. "It seems that some of our food supplies were poisoned with the Beast Titan's spinal fluid. When the army mobilized to attack, the Beast Titan transformed all the Eldians on the front line into Titans. We managed to repel the attack and kill all the Titans, but we took heavy casualties."

Gabi's eyes widened. "I see. Where's miss Pieck?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, and at first Gabi didn't understand it.

She froze. "Wait…"

She slowly looked down at her hand, her mind racing.

Before I woke up...I just saw...that looked like one of Pieck's memories...it couldn't be...

She dragged her thumb across her index finger, making a small cut. A second later, the wound was surrounded by steam, and before long the wound was gone.

She whispered. "No way…"

Magath spoke. "You were among those who were turned into Titans. After the crisis was under control, Pieck passed her Titan on to you. She did only have two years of tenure left."

Gabi sat back, feeling stunned. She'd wanted to inherit the Cart Titan, it was true, but not like this. Being turned into a Titan without warning, and having Pieck sacrifice herself so that she could regain her human form...the whole thing made Gabi feel a bit sick.

But she tried to hide her feelings, and looked back at Magath.

"Okay...I'll...I'll do my best to fill her shoes."

Magath nodded. "Very good."

Gabi glanced back at Falco, partly to distract herself from Pieck, partly because she was concerned about him.

"But what happened to you?"

Falco shook his head. "I got caught up in an explosion, but I'll be fine."

His one visible eye narrowed. "I managed to kill one of those devils. Some bastard called Connie."

Reiner looked at him sharply. "What?"

Falco looked at him uncertainly. "I...I heard the other devils call him by name."

Porco looked at Reiner knowingly. "You knew him, didn't you?"

Reiner looked away. "I...I met him...once or twice...while I was on the island."

Gabi watched him carefully.

He's lying. He knew him well. And his death is troubling him, even though he was an enemy…

Gabi shook herself. Stop it, Reiner wouldn't lie about this. Think of all the times he's rallied us against those island devils, like when…

She frowned. Wait...he was lying then too...but how do I know that?

She froze, as she suddenly realized she was indirectly seeing more of Pieck's memories.

During the war there had been numerous times where Reiner had given big speeches to them before they went into battle, reminding them of their duty and the threat posed by the devils on the island. He said it was their responsibility to redeem Eldia, and to save the world. Gabi had adored Reiner, and eagerly soaked up his words.

But now, she could see what Pieck had seen, and it cast a rather different light on things. While Gabi had believed Reiner's words, Pieck had seen through Reiner's act. She could tell that he didn't really believe what he was saying, and was simply trying to inspire them with empty rhetoric.

But why? Why would Reiner lie?

Falco interjected, his eyes watering. "But who cares? These bastards killed countless soldiers, including...including Colt!"

Gabi looked up. "What?! Colt's dead?"

Falco nodded. "Yes...those bastards killed him...just like they killed all of our soldiers."

Gabi clenched her fists. That's right. Remember what they are. These devils are killers, and they…

But then she remembered what she had seen in Pieck's memories.

Abandoned homes trampled upon by invaders. An innocent village turned into monsters. A battlefield full of slain soldiers, the blood of the men and horses staining the grass and soaking into the ground…

Devils? You break down our wall, kill thousands upon thousands of our people, and when we try to reclaim what is rightfully ours you slaughter us mercilessly, and you dare to call us devils?!

Gabi gripped the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed by the memories she was seeing.

Seeing that she need some time alone, Magath motioned at the others to leave.

He cleared his throat. "We have a lot to do in the next few days. Reiner, Galliard, and Gabi, meet me in building B in four hours."

But just before they left, Gabi held up her arm.

"Wait. Before you go...I've seen some of Pieck's memories...including what she was thinking right before she was...eaten...by me. It was important information that she wanted me to convey to you, commander Magath."

Magath smiled wryly. "It's general Magath now, actually. But what was this information?"

A few hours later, Magath, Reiner, Porco, Gabi, Koslow, and a few other trusted officers convened in the conference room of building B, and gathered at a large round table. With the recent death of so many high ranking officers, Magath had been promoted, and at the moment was only outranked by Admiral Calvi. As a result, he had much more power and authority. After making sure the army and the city were on the right track to recovery after the attack the previous day, Magath had turned his attention to larger matters.

Gabi felt a bit nervous about being at such an important meeting, and knew she was only there because she was the possessor of the Cart Titan, as otherwise her youth would likely have prevented her from being there. With that in mind, she tried to stay focused and remain on her best behavior.

Magath looked at them all gravely. "As you all know, we suffered a terrible blow yesterday. We're still unsure of the exact numbers, but it's estimated that between one and three thousand Eldians were turned into Titans. As for casualties, we believe that the approximate number of soldiers killed were somewhere between 20 and 22 thousand, and the number of soldiers injured was at least 29 thousand. Not to mention the damage done to the city and our supplies by the Titans. If not for Pieck's quick thinking, these numbers could have been even higher."

He frowned grimly. "As for the enemy casualties, it appears that there were less than ten that were killed or injured. Clearly their objective was not to seize the city, but rather inflict as much damage upon our army as possible, while keeping their own casualties to a bare minimum. And their plan was extremely successful in that regard."

He moved his hand over the map on the table. "Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. Last night the enemy also attacked three of our ports simultaneously. The first one was destroyed by the Colossal Titan, the second was heavily bombarded by the Mid East Alliance navy, and the third was attacked by a small group of the Survey Corp. They were armed with dart guns containing Titan spinal fluid, much like the one we recovered from the enemy squad that tried and failed to kill Pieck. They used their ODM gear to sweep through the area, shooting darts into any Eldian soldiers they saw, and then retreated once the resulting Titans began to rampage. With our soldiers distracted by the Titans, several ships under Paradis's control attacked the harbor, severely damaging or destroying any ships that were there."

Reiner's expression was grim, but Porco, Gabi, and the other officers looked aghast, as this was the first time they had heard of these other attacks.

Magath continued. "With each of these attacks, once they were over the enemy retreated. Once again, their objective was not to capture Marleyan territory, but simple destruction. And unfortunately, they were once again extremely successful. Before this week the situation with our navy was bad, but salvageable. But after these attacks, our navy forces are little more than a skeleton. When it comes to the sea, we are at the mercy of our enemies."

Magath gestured at several papers he had gathered in front of him. "As for our army, the situation isn't much better. We've managed to identify the company that delivered the poisoned shipments and we have severed all ties with them. Unfortunately, a very large number of the Eldian soldiers in Radgend were poisoned by the spinal fluid. Most of them were outside of the range of the Beast Titan's scream, and so fortunately did not transform into Titans, but their bodies froze up when the Beast Titan screamed, which is a telltale sign of having been given Titan spinal fluid. Naturally we cannot risk having them out on the battlefield as long as the Beast Titan is at large, so those who reported these symptoms have been taken off of active duty. Not counting those who were injured in the battle, the number of poisoned soldiers adds up to almost twenty thousand."

Gabi frowned grimly, as she realized that the effects of these attacks would be felt for a long time afterwards. She could only imagine what the Eldian soldiers were going through, having to worry about being turned into a monster.

Magath coughed. "In an effort to prevent the enemy from pulling this kind of trick again, I have authorized the army to get rid of the armband requirement for Eldian soldiers, and I have also abolished the segregation between Eldian and non-Eldian soldiers. This may cause some unrest in the short term, but we need to make it harder for the enemy to tell which of our soldiers can be Titanized, and which ones can't."

Gabi looked at him in surprise, and found herself feeling a bit dismayed. While she had longed for the day that Eldians would no longer need to wear those armbands, she'd hoped it would be after the world had recognized them as being good people, not as a tactical way to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of their Titan abilities. Besides, it only applied to Eldian soldiers, and there was no guarantee that it would last.

Magath went over more details about their numbers and resources, and the damage that had been done to them.

He looked at them all gravely. "The long and short of it is that we no longer have the resources or manpower to launch an invasion or counteroffensive, unless we leave some of our territories defenseless. At this point we have no choice but to go on the defensive and wait for the enemy to make their next move."

Porco spoke up. "But surely they can't possibly have the capability to attack Marley itself, can they?"

Magath sighed. "Not yet. But that could soon change."

Magath pulled out several copies of the international newspaper, and passed them around.

He then looked over the front page article. "They've launched another propaganda piece. They admit to turning our soldiers into Titans, but then they provide a list of places where Marley employed the same tactic during the last twenty years."

Gabi looked over the article, and as she looked over the list of places that Marley had destroyed using Titans, she felt her heart lurch when she reached one of the names near the bottom.

Ragako...that must have been that village...

Magath quoted an excerpt that had interviewed Erwin Smith.

"'We did our best to ensure that the number of civilian casualties would be minimal, a courtesy that Marley did not extend to us during its attack on Wall Maria nine years ago.'"

Gabi shifted uncomfortably, and she could see that Reiner and Porco also looked uncomfortable.

Magath continued. "It then goes on to state that Marley is an imperialistic and cruel empire that must be brought down just as the Eldian empire of old has been, and calls on other nations to join them in their fight against Marley."

A moment of silence followed, as the realization that other nations could enter the war against them pressed heavily on them.

Magath cleared his throat. "While I did not foresee these attacks, I have made preparations for the next stage of the war. With the aid of the Tybur family, Reiner and I have come up with a plan."

Reiner nodded, and then began passing out papers to each person at the table.

As Gabi received hers, she looked it over, her eyes growing wider and wider the further she read.

The others also looked incredibly shocked as they read through the plans.

After seeing that they had finished reading, Magath resumed speaking.

"I know this plan is bold, and risky, but it is the only way forward. If it succeeds, we will take away the enemy's trump card. If it fails, we will be forced to surrender. But either way, the war must end. The worst possible outcome for Marley would be to draw this conflict out, and rack up even more casualties. Are there any questions?"

Author's Note: And so our Marleyan heroes are being forced to face the uncomfortable reality that they might not be the good guys anymore.

I had fun writing Porco and Gabi seeing the memories of their predecessors and how it challenged their preconceived notions. For Gabi it's a particularly big blow, since she trusts and admires Reiner and Pieck, and now doesn't know what to think anymore. Incidentally, in the memories Porco saw I did use the dialogue from the english dub, because I think it was pretty good and I think the dub gets too much hate. Though I did alter Eren's last line to fit more with the original.

While I appreciate the muddy, morally grey conflict the manga is going for, there is something nice about writing a story where Paradis maintains the high moral ground against Marley. It's also interesting to see how people who are on what is essentially the bad side react and deal with that. On some level they know that they're in the wrong, but they can't just stop fighting, since this is war.

Chapter Text

Eren and Historia sat on opposite sides of the table, which apart from the chairs they were sitting on was the only piece of furniture in the small room. The door behind them was slightly ajar, revealing the main hallway of the military HQ located near the harbor.

The two old friends were playing chess, but neither of them were really paying attention to the game.

Historia set down one of her pawns. "The ship should be arriving soon."

Eren nodded slowly. "Yeah. I hope everyone's okay."

Historia tried to look reassuring. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They're strong."

Eren shrugged before half heartedly moving one of his knights.

After a few more moves had gone by in silence, Historia spoke up again.

"So, how are you and Mikasa doing?"

Eren looked up sharply. "What? What do you mean?"

Historia smiled. "You know what I mean. She loves you. I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at you."

Eren looked away uncomfortably.

Historia's smile faded. "Why are you hesitating? Do you not love her?"

Eren let out a heavy sigh. "I do. But... I don't know if it's the right thing to do. I mean...I only have about four years left. It seems...cruel, to initiate a romantic relationship when it can only end one way."

Historia looked at him sadly. "Eren...do you really think she'll be less sad when you die, just because you two aren't together?"

Eren shook his head. "I don't know. But it could make it harder for her."

Historia shrugged. "Maybe. But it could also give her a few years of happiness. Just think about it, okay?"

Eren nodded silently before pretending to be very interested in his remaining bishop.

Historia watched him uncertainly for a while, wondering what else could be bothering him.

After a few more minutes of silence, Eren decided to speak.

"So, how are you and Armin doing?"

Historia blushed. "Oh...we're doing well. Very well, actually. I just hope he's alright."

Eren nodded. "I'm sure he's fine. After all, he's probably in the safest place, since he-"

The door behind them was pushed the rest of the way open, and they both looked up to see Hange looking at them excitedly.

"Guys, the ship has been sighted."

A medium sized warship had arrived carrying a fair number of Paradisian soldiers home after the series of attacks on Marley they had been a part of. While they would only be able to stay for a few days, it would still give them a chance to rest and catch their breath before they headed back to the frontlines.

A fairly sizeable crowd of civilians and military personnel had gathered at the docks to greet the returning heroes, and before long many reunions were taking place.

Hange grinned. "Erwin! Levi! Glad to see you're still in one piece."

Erwin smiled. "Likewise."

Hange glanced at Levi before returning her gaze to Erwin. "How did it go?"

Erwin glanced back at the sea. "Pretty much exactly as planned. We lost a few soldiers unfortunately, but compared to the damage we inflicted upon the enemy it was worth it."

Levi eyed Erwin uneasily, but said nothing.

A few yards away, Mikasa's squad was greeted by some familiar faces.

Eren stepped forward. "Mikasa!"

Mikasa smiled warmly. "Eren!"

She stepped forward and hugged him. Eren reciprocated the hug, but Jean noticed that he had stiffened slightly at the unexpected contact.

After pulling back, Eren looked at Jean. "Glad to see you're okay. Is everyone…"

Jean frowned. "Almost. Connie didn't make it."

Eren's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Jean shook his head. "Also, Floch got himself killed."

Eren's eyes dimmed. "I see…"

Jean looked at Eren uncertainly. While Eren had reacted the way he had expected to upon hearing about Connie's death, for some reason he didn't seem as surprised or upset by Floch's untimely demise.

Jean frowned. I know that he and Floch weren't exactly close, but still...

Historia was anxiously scanning the crowd of people, then abruptly ran forward when she spotted the person she had been looking for.

"Armin!"

She threw her arms around him, and while he was slightly surprised, he quickly pulled her in close.

He smiled. "Hey, good to see you."

Historia looked at him anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Armin glanced away. "I'm...fine. I'll just be glad when this war is over."

In truth, he was rather disturbed by the role he was playing in the ongoing conflict. Erwin had essentially been using him as a very big and reusable bomb. It made sense, as it maximized the full destructive power of his Titan while keeping him out of harms way. But continuously seeing the destruction he had wrought afterwards, and knowing the countless lives that he had taken, it bothered him. He knew it was necessary, he knew that most of those killed were soldiers who would try to kill them if given the chance. But it still haunted him, knowing how much blood was now on his hands. And he wondered just how much bloodier they would get before the war was over.

But he didn't want to burden Historia with these troubled thoughts, so he tried to keep a brave face up for her.

After noticing that she had been quiet for a little while, Armin looked at her uncertainly.

"What is it?"

Historia looked up at him.

"Well...I'm pregnant."

Armin's eyes widened. "Oh. That's...that's wonderful."

They looked at each other, both of them feeling a mixture of happiness and anxiety at their new situation.

A short distance away, Niccolo brightened up upon seeing Mikasa's squad.

"Sasha!" He cried.

She grinned happily. "Nic!"

She ran forward and without hesitation kissed him, not caring who saw.

After a few seconds they broke apart.

Niccolo looked her up and down. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Sasha's smile faded. "No, I'm fine. But...Connie's dead."

Niccolo lowered his eyes. "Damn."

Jean turned toward him. "Hey Niccolo. How's it going?"

Niccolo shrugged. "Oh, fairly well. I...Sasha told me about Connie."

Jean grimaced. "Yeah. He died with a smile on his face, though, so hopefully his last moments were…"

Niccolo, Sasha, Jean, Mikasa, and Eren were quiet for a moment, remembering their lost friend.

Mikasa spoke up. "We managed to defeat the Jaws Titan before he was shot."

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, so that's good."

Jean frowned. "I wonder...how much more killing will we have to do before this ends? And how many more people will we lose?"

No one answered him, and before long the crowd of people had begun to disperse.

As the Scouts made their way toward the harbor, Armin walked in silence beside Historia.

Intellectually he knew they were doing the right thing. Marley had spent the last 100 years committing atrocities against the Eldian people and the surrounding nations, and they were the ones who had struck first with their attack on Wall Maria. The people of Paradis had only acted in self defense up until the battle at Fort Slava, and even after that they had only ever gone after military targets. They had the moral high ground, there was no question.

But in the end, war was messy and ugly, and death was not always reserved for those who deserved it. While he knew it was necessary, Armin also knew that many of the Marleyan soldiers he had killed were really no different than Connie.

Historia gave his hand a comforting squeeze, as if she sensed his troubled thoughts, and for a few minutes Armin felt slightly better. It was good to be home.

The following day an important meeting was held at the military HQ, where all the most important officers and government officials had convened to discuss the state of the war.

One of those attending was ambassador Mazhar Cenk, who was on Paradis Island overseeing the partnership between the Eldians and the people of Merkezl who were working on the economic development of the island. At the moment they were focused on utilizing the island's natural resources to improve the infrastructure of the island and to rebuild the war machine of the Mid East Alliance.

The ambassador informed them that things were going very well.

"And with the time you have bought us with these attacks, our military should be up and running again very soon." Mazhar concluded.

Erwin nodded. "Very good. Have you had any word from the other nations?"

Mazhar shook his head. "No, not yet. But I have a feeling that will soon change. For years Marley has been perceived as an unstoppable foe that only a fool would try to fight. But that belief was shaken after we spent four years giving them trouble, despite our many losses. Since your forces have entered the war, Marley has been humiliated even further, and I'm sure there are some nations who can tell which way the wind is blowing."

Erwin shrugged. "Perhaps. I certainly hope that is the case, as we will need help if we are going to defeat Marley for good."

Mazhar tilted his head, a calculating look in his eye. "What about the rumbling? That would simplify things and bring the war to an end much sooner."

Erwin frowned. "No. As I said, the rumbling is something we will only use as a last resort if the island itself is attacked. It's a dangerous and unstable power that should not be used lightly. Besides, using thousands of Colossal Titans to crush Marley could destroy the goodwill we've worked hard to establish, and remind the world why they fear and hate Eldians."

The tension in the room had raised slightly, and Erwin hoped that the man would drop the subject.

Fortunately he did.

"I see. Well, is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Erwin shook his head. "No, I believe that's everything for today."

Mazhar stood up. "Very well. I'll see myself out."

A moment later he was flanked on both sides by his personal guards, and strode out of the room.

As soon as he left, the room felt slightly calmer.

Zackley crossed his arms. "Hmm. He's a sharp one, isn't he?"

Pixis nodded grimly. "Indeed. He at least suspects that we may be bluffing about the rumbling. As useful as he's been, I would be worried if he ever learns the truth."

Erwin leaned forward. "That doesn't seem too likely. And it's not exactly a bluff, since we will eventually have the power of the Founder available to us. On that note, I would like to congratulate Queen Historia on the recent good news."

He nodded at Historia. Armin blushed, while she just smiled shyly as the other officials gave their own congratulations.

The two of them had gotten married just six months ago, much to the shock of their friends. Most of the public adored the queen, and were naturally very happy and curious about her new husband. While the newspapers hadn't disclosed many details, the people of Paradis had believed the marriage to be one purely done out of love. After all, Armin and Historia had been fellow cadets and soldiers, so they must have been very close.

Only those who knew them personally were stunned, as they hadn't been aware that Armin and Historia had been in that kind of relationship. Of their close friends, the only one who knew the truth was Eren, as he was aware of Erwin's plan to protect Paradis.

Eren watched them with a frown. Despite them getting married more out of necessity than love, they still seemed happy, much to his relief.

After a moment he returned his gaze to Erwin.

Zackley cleared his throat. "So, Erwin, what do you think our next move should be?"

Erwin leaned forward. "At the moment the war is going in our favor, and Marley has been forced on the defensive. For now we have complete control of the sea, and the Mid East Alliance navy is currently blockading Marley's last major port in Liberio. As things stand now, Marley is no longer capable of launching any major attack or invasion against us."

Pixis frowned. "That certainly is good news. But that raises the question, do we have the capability of invading and defeating Marley?"

Erwin shook his head. "Presently, no. Thanks to the Mid East Alliance navy and our Titans, we have taken control of the sea and successfully driven Marley back from contested areas on their borders. But once we are within Marley proper, their superior numbers and resources will swiftly take a toll on our forces. And if we rely too heavily on the power of the Titans, we will increase the chances of civilian casualties, which the world likely won't look too kindly upon. Plus it could make other nations suspicious about why we aren't just using the Founding Titan to end the war right away."

He glanced at Hange. "On that note, has there been any progress in recovering the Female Titan?"

Hange looked down at some papers she'd brought with her. "A little. We've continued with the hardening experiments, and Eren has carefully tested his abilities on the crystal. Last week we managed to finally make a small scratch on it. If we continue like this, being very slow and careful, we may be able to extract Annie Leonhart at last."

This caused a stir, with most in the room seeming pleased by the news. Only Armin and Eren looked slightly uneasy.

Erwin spoke. "That certainly is good news. But I'm guessing there are some caveats."

Hange ducked her head. "Yes. It's going to be slow going, since we don't want to risk killing her and losing her power. Based on last weeks results, I'm guessing it will take at least a month to open the crystal, probably more."

Niles frowned. "Hmm. It would be nice to have another Titan power at our disposal, but it looks like we'll have to do without for the immediate future."

Erwin sighed. "At this point we will have to wait and see how the other nations react before we make our next move. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Hange pulled out another slip of paper. "We received a coded message from Yelena. Despite all the chaos in Radgend, she managed to get away safely. She's gone into hiding for now, and her resistance group has been keeping an eye on Marley's movements from within their military."

Niles looked at her curiously. "Do they have any important information for us?"

Hange shook her head. "At the moment it's mostly basic intel. With the death of many Marleyan leaders at Radgend, the hierarchy of their military has shifted around a bit, and several individuals received promotions. One of these was a man called Magath, formerly the commander of the Warriors, and is now one of Marley's top generals. Based on his record, he could be more of a threat than his predecessors. He and the Armored Titan, Reiner Braun, arrived in Radgend shortly after the battle was over, and helped bring the crisis under control."

Erwin looked at her carefully. "How many civilian casualties were there?"

"We don't have the exact numbers, but estimates indicate that the vast majority of injuries and deaths were Marleyan or Eldian soldiers."

Erwin nodded, satisfied. "Good."

Hange continued. "There was also some information about the other Marleyan Titans. It seems Mikasa's squad was mistaken. While he was badly injured, the Jaws Titan, Porco Galliard, is still alive. However, it seems that the Cart Titan, Pieck, died during the battle, and her power was passed on to one of the Warrior cadets, Gabi Braun."

Armin looked up sharply. "Braun? Is she related to Reiner?"

Hange looked down at her papers. "Um, yes, they're cousins."

Armin frowned. "How old is she?"

"Twelve."

Armin's eyes widened, and despite not knowing her felt a small amount of pity for the young girl. As a Warrior cadet, she had been trained from a young age by Marley to think less of herself and the Eldian race, and to fight on behalf of Marley in order to atone for things she hadn't done. And now, she had been given the "honor" of being used as a living weapon, and a shortened life span that wouldn't let her live past her 25th birthday.

He shook his head and tried to focus in on the meeting.

The conversation soon turned to the subject of their own Titans.

Zackley looked at Eren carefully. "And since Floch died during the battle in Radgend, he obviously is no longer eligible to inherit the Founding and Attack Titans. I believe the next person in line is Jean Kirstein. Is that correct?"

Eren silently nodded.

Before long they came to the conclusion that they would wait and see how the other nations responded to the latest developments in the war before making their next move. A few minutes later the meeting wrapped up, and everyone began to disperse.

In the hall, Eren walked beside Armin and Historia.

Eren glanced at them and forced a smile. "So, congratulations."

Historia nodded. "Oh, thank you."

Eren's eyes seemed empty, and both Armin and Historia noticed.

Armin hesitated. "So...the memorial for…Connie...and the others who died...is this afternoon. Afterwards, Niccolo invited several of us to his restaurant this evening. Would you be able to join us?"

Eren was silent for a moment before responding.

"Oh...yes, of course."

Armin smiled uncertainly. "Well...see you in a few hours."

Eren nodded before walking away.

As soon as he was gone, Armin looked at Historia, concern on his face.

"Is he okay?"

Historia shrugged, also looking concerned. "I don't know. He has seemed more subdued lately."

Armin frowned. "Hmm…"

Armin pounded on Eren's door, with Mikasa hovering right behind him, her normally stoic face full of worry.

The memorial in the afternoon had been a sad but quiet affair, and everyone was there to mourn the loss of their friends and comrades. When it came time for them all to meet up at the restaurant, however, they soon noticed that something was wrong. While he had shown up for the memorial service, Eren had failed to show up at the restaurant.

At first everyone assumed that he was just running late. But as time wore on, it became clear that he wasn't coming. Once dinner was over, everyone began to worry, and Armin and Mikasa promised that they would check up on him.

Armin tried to stay calm. Maybe Eren just wasn't feeling well, or maybe he just forgot about the dinner at the restaurant for some reason.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong, and when there was no response to his knocking, that feeling increased.

He raised his voice. "Eren? Eren, are you in there?"

He tried the door, and to his surprise it was unlocked. He let himself in and walked through the foyer and into the living room, where Armin abruptly froze in shock.

Eren was sitting on the sofa, and on the small table in front of him were several dozen bottles. On one side there was a small number of unopened bottles, while on the other side there was a much larger number of empty bottles.

Armin breathed. "Oh my god."

Eren looked up when he heard Armin's voice, and one look at his face was enough to confirm Armin's suspicion.

Eren spoke. "Oh, hey there Armin. How long have you been here?"

His voice was slurred and his eyes unfocused, and it was clear that he was completely drunk.

Armin took a step forward, his hands trembling slightly. "Eren, what are you doing?"

Eren waved a hand. "N-nothing...I'm...fine...just fine...I'll...I'll meet you guys at the restaurant...in a bit…"

Eren then picked up one of the bottles and began drinking from it.

Armin didn't bother telling Eren that dinner had ended hours ago, instead taking another step toward his friend.

"Eren, stop that! This isn't good for you!"

Eren shrugged, slumping forward slightly. "What does it matter? It's not like I'm going to live long enough for it to actually hurt me."

"That's not the point!" Armin cried. "What's wrong?"

Eren set the bottle down. "Nothing."

"Bullshit. You wouldn't be drinking like this unless something was wrong. Please tell me."

Eren shook his head slowly. "It doesn't matter. There's nothing you can do. Just leave me alone."

Eren picked up the bottle again and drank some more.

"Eren, please! Is this because of Ymir's curse? Look, I know it's scary, knowing that we don't have much time left to live. I understand that better than anyone. If you need to talk about it, you can just..."

Eren scoffed. "You don't know anything. You're going to live a lot longer than me."

Armin frowned. "What are you talking about? I only have five more years than you."

"Yeah, sure." Eren muttered before raising the bottle again.

But before he could take another drink, Armin snatched the bottle away from him.

"Eren, stop that! Why are you…"

Without warning, Eren's eyes closed and he passed out, knocking over the table and sending the bottles crashing to the floor.

Upon hearing the sound of breaking glass, Mikasa rushed in.

"What was that?"

She gasped in horror as she took in Eren's unconscious form, and the countless broken bottles scattered across the floor.

She held her hand over her mouth. "Eren...what…"

Armin swallowed, noticing that his mouth had become very dry. "He was drunk."

Not sure what else to do, they carefully put Eren in his bed before cleaning up the mess in the living room.

They worked in silence for a while, the only sound being the crinkling of glass being swept up.

Mikasa looked at Armin. "What...what should we do?"

Armin was silent for a moment. "We'll...we'll talk to Hange about this tomorrow morning. She's been working with him the most lately, maybe she'll know what's going on."

As Armin and Mikasa made their way to Hange's office, Armin felt his mind buzzing with worry about their friend.

He and Mikasa had been busy with the war for the past few months, and as such hadn't paid much attention to Eren. He knew that protecting their people against Marley was important, but he still felt bad about not seeing that something was wrong with Eren. Now, he only hoped they could find out what the problem was.

Perhaps it was the war itself. After all, he and Mikasa were going overseas to fight the enemy, while Eren was stuck on the island, as they couldn't risk losing the Founding Titan. Not only were his friends in danger out there, but there was nothing he could do to help. Armin knew that feeling of helplessness would've bothered him if he were in Eren's position.

Another possibility was with Eren's power. From what he had said, the Attack Titan had always sought after freedom, and fought for it when necessary. And it had done its job well when Eren and the rest of the Scouts were fighting the enemy and trying to reclaim Wall Maria.

Now, though, Erwin and the Beast Titan had taken center stage with the developments across the sea, and the Colossal Titan was also still playing an important role, while Eren's Attack Titan had been left with nothing more to do apart from some small experiments and research. And with Erwin's plan, the Founding Titan wouldn't be used until after Eren's term was over. Perhaps it was a sense of uselessness that had caused Eren to despair.

Whatever the case, Armin hoped that Hange would have some answers.

After finding her in her office, Armin and Mikasa relayed what had happened to the veteran Scout.

Hange frowned. "I see."

Armin leaned forward anxiously. "Do you know anything about this?"

Hange looked down at some of the papers on her desk. "Over the last few months Eren has seemed more somber, but I didn't know about the drinking. Although I can't say I'm surprised."

Mikasa's voice shook slightly. "What happened to him?"

Hange looked at them seriously. "Well, over the past few years Eren and I have conducted various experiments with his Titan powers in order to fill the gaps in our knowledge. While the information Yelena provided us from Marley has been a great help, there's still a lot that neither Marley nor Paradis knows about regarding the Titans. One thing we've discovered is that each of the nine Titans has their own distinct qualities. Specifically, we found out what the Attack Titans unique trait is."

Hange looked at Armin. "As you know, those who inherit the power of the Titans can sometimes get glimpses of the memories of the previous holder of that Titan."

Armin nodded. "Yes."

He had seen some of Bertolt's memories, though not all of them. Part of him was curious, part of him felt bad about peeking into someone's life like that.

Hange continued. "But with the Attack Titan it goes further. Not only can it see the memories of past holders, it can also see the memories of future holders. In other words, it has the power to foresee the future."

Armin and Mikasa looked at her in shock, their eyes wide.

Armin stuttered. "What?"

Hange flipped over a few pages before she spoke again. "We first began to suspect this after Eren had closely examined his father's memories. We think that the owl may have seen some of Grisha's memories, and that was the reason why he invited Grisha into the Eldian restorationists. We know that during his time on Paradis Grisha had seen some of Eren's memories, and that helped him stay motivated and focused on his mission."

Hange leaned back in her chair. "But what confirmed this theory was when Eren admitted that he had seen a few memories of his successor."

Mikasa's eyes widened. "What?"

Armin leaned forward eagerly. "What did he see?"

Hange grimaced. "Unfortunately, he refused to say. He just said that he saw nothing of strategic importance, and that he would let me know if that changed."

Armin frowned. "When did he see these memories?"

"Almost a year ago now."

Armin fell silent, new theories forming in his mind about what could be troubling their friend.

Mikasa fiddled with her scarf anxiously. "This is our fault. We've been so busy, and never noticed that something was wrong."

Hange looked at her sympathetically. "You shouldn't blame yourself. Clearly he's gone to great lengths to hide this from everyone."

She sighed. "I'd better report this. If the holder of the Founding Titan is having issues like this…"

"Wait!" Mikasa protested. "Let us try talking to him first. Please."

Hange was silent for a moment before nodding. "Alright. But I expect to hear what happened, okay?"

Armin rapped his hand against the door. This time Eren answered promptly.

He opened the door, and smiled apologetically. "Oh hey guys. I'm so sorry about not coming to the restaurant for dinner last night, I'm afraid I was…"

"Drunk?" Armin asked.

Eren froze, the smile disappearing. "Oh. You...you came by?"

Armin frowned. "Don't you remember last night?"

Eren shook his head. "No, I don't."

He slowly opened the door, and Armin and Mikasa came in. They walked over to the living room in silence, and the three of them sat down on the couch, with Eren in the middle.

Eren bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Mikasa gently placed her hand on top of his. "No, we're the ones who should be apologizing. We've been so busy with the war, and we haven't taken the time to be here for you."

Eren shook his head. "You don't need to apologize, protecting the island and stopping Marley should be your top priority. I'm not as important."

Armin looked at him anxiously. "But you are. You're our friend, and we want to help you. I know you don't want to burden others with your problems, but this isn't healthy. Talk to us."

Mikasa squeezed his hand. "Please."

Eren let out a shaky breath. "Okay. I'm sorry for worrying you."

He looked at Armin apprehensively "Last night...I didn't say anything...mean or unkind, did I?"

Armin looked puzzled. "Huh? No, of course not."

Armin was shocked, as he couldn't imagine Eren ever saying something mean or unkind to them. He knew that alcohol did strange things to people, but still.

Eren looked relieved. "Good."

Armin leaned forward. "We talked to Hange, and she told us about the Attack Titans unique power."

Eren looked away. "I see."

"So...is it these future memories that are bothering you?"

Eren shrugged halfheartedly. "...partly."

Mikasa tilted her head. "Who...whose memories did you see?"

Eren grimaced. "...Jean."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

Armin nodded. "I see. I remember you saying that you wanted Jean to live a good long life, and that's why you picked Floch. But when you heard about Floch's death, you didn't seem surprised, only disappointed."

Eren sighed. "...yeah. I...I saw Jean's memories, so I knew that he would be the one to inherit my Titan. But that would severely shorten his life span, so I thought...since it hasn't happened yet...maybe I could change the future that I saw. But…"

"But it didn't work." Armin finished.

Eren closed his eyes. "Yeah."

Mikasa gently squeezed his hand, and Eren let her intertwine her fingers with his.

Armin looked at Eren carefully. "There's something else, isn't there."

Eren nodded reluctantly. "Yes. What I saw...it wasn't all bad. The war was over. We won."

Mikasa smiled. "That's great."

Eren looked at the ground sadly. "And...a partial cure for Ymir's curse had been found."

Mikasa gasped, her eyes lighting up. "That's wonderful! That means you can live longer."

Her smile faded as she realized Eren still seemed down.

"Eren?"

"Please tell us." Armin asked.

Eren was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"...like I said, it's only a partial cure. It won't stop the effects of the curse, it will only slow it down. And the cure won't be discovered until after I'm…"

The atmosphere in the room got colder as they realized what he was saying.

The happiness that had briefly shone in Mikasa's eyes quickly faded again.

"Eren…"

Armin looked up sharply. "So that's what you meant."

Eren frowned. "Huh?"

"Last night, you said I would live a lot longer than you."

"Oh."

Mikasa looked at Armin anxiously. "But surely there has to be some way we could find the cure sooner."

Eren shook his head. "I doubt it."

Armin looked grim. "And after what happened with Floch...it seems the future can't be changed, especially since we don't know exactly what will lead to that future."

Eren nodded. "Yeah. I...I didn't want to really talk about this. It's not like talking about it will change anything."

His face scrunched up slightly, as if he was trying to prevent himself from crying.

"But...I just...I just wish I could have longer. Is that so wrong?"

Mikasa gently squeezed his hand, a solitary tear trailing down her cheek. "No, of course not."

The three friends talked for a while longer, trying to comfort Eren, and discussing the fun and exciting things they could do to make his remaining years as good as possible, and before long Eren seemed more like his usual self.

Armin was tempted to ask if Eren knew how long he was going to live, but decided that asking would be rather tactless given the circumstances. Knowing that he had more than nine years left was a bit of a relief, but it made him feel all the more bad for Eren, as he knew how terrifying it can be to think about one's own mortality.

Eventually the three of them headed for the front door, as they had promised Hange they would let her know what had happened.

Armin glanced at Eren. "I know we aren't always around, with everything going on, but when we are, don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."

Mikasa nodded. "Yes."

Eren smiled softly. "Alright."

Armin and Mikasa headed for the door, but Eren stopped them.

"Wait. Before we go...Armin, can I speak to you alone?"

Armin glanced at Mikasa, who gave a reluctant nod.

She stepped outside, but stayed just close enough for her to listen in on their conversation.

Armin turned back toward Eren. "So what is it?"

Eren shifted uncomfortably. "There was one other thing that's been weighing on my mind lately."

"Oh? What is it?"

Eren jerked his head towards the door. "Her. I...I know she loves me. It's...really obvious. And Historia has talked to me about it a few times, saying I shouldn't hold back. But...I have less than four years left. Would it really be right for me to enter...that kind of relationship with her...knowing how it will end?"

Armin frowned thoughtfully. "Well, like I said, we may not be able to control how much time we have left, but we can control what we do with the time we have."

Eren sighed. "Yeah. But...I just...I don't want to hurt her more when I'm gone. And there's other things...after all, you and Historia are expecting. If Mikasa and I got together, the same thing could happen. But you'll live long enough to be able to raise your children and get to know them, while I...I'll be gone before I can."

"It's not like you're intentionally leaving them. They may not know you, but they will know what a good man their father was."

Armin placed his hand on Eren's shoulder. "Eren, there's a saying I heard once. On your deathbed, you tend to regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did do. Life is short enough as it is. If you love her, go for it."

After a moment of silence, Eren nodded. "Okay."

Armin grinned. "Now then, we'd better go see Hange."

The two of them headed for the door, while Mikasa hastily wiped away the tears she'd been shedding.

Hange looked at the three of them with a relieved smile. "Well, I'm glad things worked out. Just be more careful Eren. We don't want to give the MPs an excuse to try to take your power from you prematurely."

Eren nodded. "I understand."

Hange leaned forward, a gleam in her eyes. "So, you say you saw Jean's memories? How fascinating. What exactly…"

She was cut off by the door behind them opening.

Levi poked his head into the room. "Ah, there you are. Mikasa. A ship just arrived. You're needed down at the harbor."

Mikasa looked puzzled. "Why? Who is it?"

The harbor was bustling with excitement at the unexpected arrival of a large ship, with an enormous flag that appeared to have a symbol on it closely resembling the letter A.

Erwin smiled. "This is a pleasant surprise. We didn't know you were coming.

The middle aged woman nodded. "Yes, I apologize for the lack of warning."

She held out her hand. "Greetings to you all. I am Kiyomi Azumabito. I have come on behalf of Hizuru to pledge our support for Paradis island."

Author's Note: So I hope you liked this chapter. It was more about little character moments then about advancing the plot, but I think the characters deserve a little breather. In an interview Isayama once said that post time skip Eren is a heavy drinker, so that's where I got the idea from, though the reasons he's drinking here are a lot different than the reasons he was drinking in the canon. I've almost never actually interacted with a drunk person in real life, and never gotten drunk myself (I make enough stupid decisions when I'm sober), so if anything seemed wrong or inaccurate, let me know.

With the butterfly effect caused by Erwin living and Zeke dying, things have played out quite differently, and this time there's significantly less pressure on Eren. I decided to use the power of the Attack Titan in the story, but it's not nearly as important as it was in the canon, since the future Eren sees is quite a bit more mundane than what he saw in the canon.

I focused on Eren's struggle with his own mortality as his 13 year term draws to an end, since that's actually a really relatable problem in the real world. Many good people have their lives cut short, and that's something that they and their loved ones are forced to deal with. There's just something nice about the characters having to deal with the more mundane joys and problems of life, instead of having to be worried about the end of the world.

Chapter Text

Karina stood near the main entrance of the internment zone in Liberio, feeling quite anxious.

The people of Liberio had heard about the battle at Radgend, but unfortunately they had been provided almost no details. They weren't even entirely sure who had made it through the battle alive, and who had died. From what they had gathered, there had been many casualties, and many families were both hoping for and dreading the day more information about the battle arrived.

As he was the Armored Titan, Karina was fairly certain that her son was okay, as they would have said something if their strongest Warrior had perished. But she knew that others would likely be less fortunate.

Standing next to her were other members of her family, all of them looking as nervous as she felt. To her left was her brother Charles and his wife Jennifer, along with their son David. To her right stood her sister Carolina and her husband Thomas, both of them clearly worried about their daughter Gabi.

A fairly sizable crowd of people had gathered at the gate, as they were waiting for the Warriors to return home that morning.

In addition to the battle at Radgend, there had also been a series of attacks on various coastal cities and ports all along the coast. Liberio was the only remaining major port in Marley that had not been attacked yet, and so much of Marley's army was being relocated there to bolster the defenses. As many of the Eldian soldiers hailed from Liberio, they were permitted to stop by the internment zone in order to visit their families.

As she scanned the crowd, Karina recognized many of the people there who had also come to greet the returning soldiers. There was mister and misses Grice, who were awaiting the return of their two sons, Colt and Falco; mister and misses Galliard, who were expecting their son, the keeper of the Jaws Titan; and an older man she recognized as the father of Pieck, keeper of the Cart Titan.

She noted several people who were absent, namely mister and misses Yeager, and mister Leonhart. She couldn't blame them for not coming, as it would likely reopen old wounds.

She felt particularly sorry for the Yeagers. They were good, honest, hard working people. But their daughter had been murdered, their son had turned out to be a traitor, and their grandson had been killed during the mission to reclaim the Founding Titan. Now they had no one left but each other.

As for mister Leonhart, he was in an arguably even worse situation. While the deaths of Marcel, Zeke and Bertolt had been confirmed, there was no clear indication of what had happened to Annie. She could be alive or dead, and not knowing which one was the truth was likely causing mister Leonhart a great deal of grief and anxiety.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the gates of the internment zone in Liberio finally swung open, revealing the returning Warriors.

Karina felt a mixture of relief and nervousness as she saw her son near the front of the group.

Before long many reunions were taking place, though some were happier than others. Off to one side Porco greeted his parents, reassuring them that he was fine. Further away, Falco approached his parents alone, his arm in a sling. After he spoke quietly to them and they both abruptly burst into tears and hugged him, Karina was able to guess that Colt had not survived the battle.

Carolina and Thomas rushed forward as they saw their daughter running towards them.

"Gabi!" Carolina cried.

Gabi's eyes teared up. "Mom! Dad!"

The two embraced their daughter, thankful that she was okay.

Thomas smiled warmly. "We got your letter yesterday. You have become one of Marley's Warriors. We're so proud of you."

Gabi smiled nervously. "Yeah…"

Carolina gently patted her head. "We knew you could do it. Be careful out there."

A moment later, Karina's son was in front of her.

"Reiner." She breathed.

He nodded, a small forced smile on his face. "Mother."

She smiled warmly. "It's good to see you."

Gabi turned toward them. "Hi Aunt Karina!"

"Oh, hello Gabi. We're having dinner tonight at our house."

Gabi nodded. "Sounds good."

Before long the crowd of people began to disperse, with the returning soldiers heading for their homes alongside their loved ones.

During the walk back to their house, Reiner was silent.

She spoke up. "So, how have you been? You haven't written any letters, so I've only heard about you second hand from the guards and the newspapers."

Reiner winced. "Yeah, sorry about that. With everything going on with the war, General Magath and I have been extremely busy."

She nodded. "Yes. I heard about Colt, and Pieck. Those wicked island devils have killed so many people and caused so much suffering."

Her face tightened with anger. "Yet they have the nerve to portray themselves as the victims. Utterly disgusting. What's worse, other nations seem to be buying their ludicrous lies. It's just appalling."

She looked at him seriously. "Reiner, you spent five years on that island. You of all people must know the truth about these devils. They claim that the 145th king took away their memories of the outside world and left them helpless and ignorant. Surely that ridiculous claim is a lie, yes?"

Her question was met with a stony silence, and Reiner kept his eyes forward, not looking at her.

"Reiner?"

He shook his head. "What I saw on that island is classified information. I'm not allowed to talk about it."

He pushed the front door open and stepped into their house without another word. Karina watched her son's retreating form, feeling worried and wondering what was bothering him.

That evening the entire Braun family gathered around the same table for the first time in over a year. The eight of them sat down at a long table weighed down with a modest feast that had been prepared by Karina and her sister in law Jennifer.

Charles looked at his nephew and niece fondly. "It's good to have you two home. It's been a while since the whole family has gathered together like this."

David beamed at his cousin. "Hey Gabi, congratulations on inheriting the Cart Titan!"

Gabi ducked her head shyly.

Karina smiled softly. "Yes. It's wonderful that our family has been able to offer up two Warriors to Marley."

Charles frowned. "Although I'm a little puzzled. I thought Pieck still had two years of tenure left."

Carolina spoke up. "She did, but the guards gave me the report about the battle. Apparently during the battle of Radgend Pieck rallied the troops after Marley's leaders were killed by the devils. Thanks to her leadership Marley was able to win the day. However, she sustained serious injuries during the battle, and they were severe enough that not even her Titan powers could revive her. So her power was passed on to Gabi."

Gabi glanced to the side uncomfortably, while Reiner kept his eyes on his plate.

Jennifer bowed her head. "It's a shame that she died prematurely, but at least she died with honor, giving her life for our homeland."

Thomas nodded. "Yes. And it looks like your hard work paid off. Well done Gabi."

Gabi forced a smile. "Yeah…"

David looked at her in awe. "Wow, it must be so cool to be able to turn into a Titan. Have you done it yet? What's it like?"

Gabi stammered. "N-no, I haven't done it yet. My training starts tomorrow, with Reiner supervising in case I lose control."

She then went back to her food, hoping the others wouldn't ask her too many questions.

Sensing she didn't really feel like talking, Charles interjected. "Well, I'm sure she must be nervous. It's a big responsibility to possess one of the nine Titans. But with Reiner to help guide you I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Karina frowned darkly. "Yes. If only this damned war would end. Victory was so close, but then those island devils had to enter the war and prolong this conflict. As long as those wicked monsters are on the loose, the world will continue to be in turmoil. Us virtuous Eldians won't be able to rest at night until every last one of those devils has been wiped out."

Charles nodded gravely. "True. Those islanders could end the world at any time. As it stands, the world has good reason to hate the Eldian race."

Thomas glanced at him uneasily. "Although, that article in the international newspaper said…"

Carolina looked at him sharply. "Dear, I told you not to talk about that."

He flinched. "Sorry."

David looked at them curiously. "What? What is it?"

Carolina shook her head. "Nothing."

Karina waved her hand dismissively. "I don't think there's any harm mentioning it."

She looked at David seriously. "After the battle at Fort Slava, those devils and their Mid East Allies published a propaganda piece. It painted themselves as the victims and Marley as the evil aggressor, all in a transparent attempt to engender sympathy from the international community."

Her eyes narrowed. "While many countries around the world remain against these devils, a regrettable number of nations appear to have fallen for this pack of lies. Or perhaps they think that currying favor with the island devils will protect them from the rumbling should the islanders unleash their Titans. Spineless cowards."

Charles sighed. "Indeed, it's a troubling state of affairs. But at least we have brave soldiers who are willing to fight the good fight against these devils."

He gestured at Reiner and Gabi, his gaze proud.

Jennifer concurred. "Well said."

David looked at Reiner curiously. "Say, didn't you fight against the devils on the island itself? That must have been dangerous."

Karina shook her head. "We shouldn't ask Reiner about it. Everything having to do with his time on that island is classified. Besides, I'm sure he doesn't want to relive such unpleasant memories."

David ducked his head. "Oh, I'm sorry."

From there, the meal and the conversation was fairly normal and happy, but it was slightly strained as the other members of the family quickly noticed that Reiner and Gabi were being unusually quiet. They only engaged in the conversation when necessary to be polite, and otherwise gave monosyllabic answers to questions before becoming silent once more.

In Reiner's case, he'd been that way ever since he returned from the island, and most of the family attributed it to the traumatic experiences he had during the five years he spent on the island, so hadn't pressed him on it.

Gabi, though, used to be extremely talkative and outgoing, enthusiastic about her role as a Warrior cadet and one of the final candidates for the Cart Titan. For her to suddenly mirror Reiner's more withdrawn and troubled demeanor after finally achieving her goal worried them.

Eventually the meal came to a close, and they began to disperse. Charles, Jennifer, and David left first, and before long Gabi's family also headed for the door.

Carolina looked at her sister regretfully. "Well, we'd better get going, it's almost curfew."

Karina gave her a quick hug. "Very well. It was lovely having you over."

Thomas held up his hand. "Have a good night."

Thomas pushed the door open for his wife and daughter.

Gabi paused. "Wait. Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"

Carolina looked at her in shock. "Huh?"

Gabi glanced at the ground. "It's just, Reiner and I have to get up early in the morning for training tomorrow, and Reiner's been really helpful with making sure I don't oversleep."

Carolina blinked. "Oh, okay. Is that a problem?"

Karina shook her head. "No, not at all."

After a moment of hesitation, Carolina stepped through the door her husband was holding open, looking at her daughter uncertainly.

"Well, see you tomorrow. Goodnight Gabi."

Gabi smiled softly. "Night mom, night dad."

A short while later, the three remaining people in the small house were getting ready for bed. Reiner finished first, and after pulling out a sleeping mat for Gabi he sat down on his bed, staring absently out the window.

After putting her sleeping clothes on, Gabi made her way up to Reiner's room. She slowly walked over to his bed and sat down next to him.

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, instead simply staring out the darkened window.

Gabi murmured. "...so that's why."

Reiner glanced at her. "Hmm?"

Gabi looked up at him. "Ever since you returned from the island, you always seemed uncomfortable at these family dinners. I could never understand why...but now…"

Reiner looked away, his expression unreadable.

Gabi looked down at the floor. "I...saw some of Pieck's memories from her time on that island. That hole in the wall...those abandoned houses...that field...full of...corpses…"

She shuddered. "Not only that...but I heard what Pieck was thinking...both on and off the island...she was smart, really smart...and…"

She looked out the window, observing the faint outline of neighboring houses. "They have no idea."

She looked back at Reiner. "There are no devils on that island, are there? There's only people. People who...who have every right to hate Marley...for what was done to them nine years ago."

Reiner remained silent, though his posture had stiffened.

Gabi watched him sadly. "Reiner, please say something."

After a few more minutes had passed in silence, Reiner leaned forward.

His voice was very quiet. "I...everyone thinks I'm a hero, the brave warrior who fought against those island devils. But the truth is...I'm a fraud. I'm nothing but a mass murderer who snuffed out the lives of thousands of innocent people who never did anything wrong."

Tears had started to slide down his cheeks. "And maybe that wouldn't be so bad if I'd completed our mission, but I didn't. I failed. And on top of that...Marcel...Bertolt...Annie...Zeke...they're all gone because of me."

He bowed his head. "I'm not a hero...I'm a murderer and a failure."

Gabi hugged him. "No you're not. Not to me. You've struggled and worked so hard, and no matter what happens you keep getting back up. You saved my life and the lives of others countless times over the past four years."

She lowered her eyes. "And...I'm no better than you. I also thought they were nothing but devils. If it wasn't for Pieck's memories, I still would."

She looked at him uncertainly. "What...what should we do? What should I do?"

Reiner wiped his eyes before looking at her seriously. "For now, we have to keep this to ourselves. We have to be the strong Warriors of Marley, committed to the motherland and our continued fight against the island devils. We can't let the others know the truth, not yet. We don't want to get them into trouble. Beyond that we have to trust in Magath's plan. If anyone can bring this war to an end, it's him."

Gabi nodded slowly. "Okay…"

Reiner smiled sadly. "I'm sorry this burden was forced on you. But...it is nice to know I'm not alone anymore."

Gabi's eyes began to water. "You're never alone."

Reiner pulled her in for a proper hug, and the two of them shed more silent tears.

Just outside of Reiner's room, Karina stood still as a statue, visibly disturbed by the conversation she had just overheard.

Gabi burst out of her Titan's nape with a gasp. It was unbelievably hot in there, and she could tell it was a sensation that would take some getting used to.

A moment later, the Armored Titan lay still, and Reiner emerged from its nape.

Gabi clumsily climbed down from her Titan as Reiner approached her.

Reiner nodded approvingly at her. "Not bad for your first time. A little rough around the edges, but still well done."

"Thanks." She panted, still feeling slightly overheated.

They were a few miles away from Liberio in a series of underground caverns that were used to train new Titan shifters. It had been an important place for most of Marley's Warriors, with only the Colossal Titan being too big to train there.

For her first day, they'd just had her transform and practice moving around in her Titan form, getting used to the feeling of using the power of the Titans. She managed to maintain control almost immediately, and they soon found out that she had the ability to speak while in Titan form, which made communication easier. After several hours of training, Reiner had decided it was time for a break.

Reiner clapped his hands. "Now, let's go have some lunch, since I know using the power of the Titans can be very tiring."

The two of them made their way up out of the caverns and into the military building that was just above them.

As the two of them got lunch in the building's cafeteria, Reiner sat down next to some of the older Marleyan and Eldian soldiers, while Gabi chose to sit down next to some familiar faces.

She grinned. "Hey guys!"

Her three fellow cadets perked up once they saw her.

"Gabi!" Udo exclaimed. "It's been a while."

Zofia let out a small smile. "Congrats on getting the Cart Titan."

Falco nodded at her. "We saved you a seat."

While she and Falco had been chosen as the final candidates for the Cart Titan, they hadn't been the only cadets up for consideration. And after the events at Radgend, Udo and Zofia had also been chosen as Warrior candidates. With Colt's premature death, Falco was next in line to inherit the Armored Titan. Their job was to serve as backups in case something happened to Falco. If nothing did, then they would be the final candidates for the Jaws Titan once Porco's term was up.

Gabi sat down and slowly began to eat her lunch.

Udo looked at her in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Gabi shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired from training."

Zofia glanced at Falco. "Plus, they've been in real battles, unlike us."

Udo winced. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

Falco looked down at his plate. "It's okay. I just hope we can win against those island devils."

His face darkened. "I'll never forgive them for killing Colt. Evil bastards."

Zofia picked at her food. "Still, this means that you're next in line for the Armored Titan, right?"

Falco grimaced. "Yeah, but... I'd rather have my brother back."

He straightened up. "Still, getting the Armored Titan will enable me to punish those devils for their sins."

As he and the others went on to discuss the evilness of the island devils, Gabi found herself feeling uncomfortable.

Back at the academy, she had often been the one to bring up the island devils, and how she would be the hero that would liberate the Eldian people. Things had been so simple back then. They were the good Eldians, the good people, and the islanders were evil. Her goals and her enemies were clear, the nature of the world black and white.

All of that was gone now. Her discussions with Reiner and the memories she'd inherited from Pieck had shattered her simple mentality and shown her the reality of the morally grey world they lived in. It made the boasts and proclamations her younger self had made seem silly, and now it was uncomfortable hearing her friends continue to spout the same ridiculous rhetoric.

After chatting for a while and trying to steer the conversation onto more cheerful topics, Gabi eventually had to leave for further training.

As she left, the three cadets watched her carefully.

Udo frowned. "She seems...different."

Zofia nodded. "Yeah, she used to be so lively and full of energy, not to mention loud. But now…"

Falco grimaced. "She's been like that ever since she inherited the Cart Titan."

Zofia blinked. "But why?"

Falco shrugged. "She hasn't really said. Well, I think she has told Reiner and General Magath, but she hasn't talked to me about it. She's seen at least some of Pieck's memories."

Zofia looked puzzled. "Really? I thought you could only see memories of the past holder if they were a blood relative."

Udo shook his head. "No. Being related certainly helps, but it isn't a requirement. Memories play a huge role in forming who we are. So in a sense, part of her has become Pieck, and that would affect her personality to a certain extent."

Falco frowned. "Maybe. Pieck was rather quiet. But she wasn't this serious. What could Gabi have seen in Pieck's memories that would affect her this much?"

Udo shook his head. "I don't know."

Zofia glanced at Falco. "Why not try asking her?"

Falco looked away. "Well…"

Udo smirked. "What, are you scared?"

Falco blushed. "What? No, I'm not scared!"

After that Udo and Zofia teased Falco for a while, much to his dismay. Ever since the academy, it had been painfully obvious that Falco had a crush on Gabi. Well, painfully obvious to everyone except for Gabi, of course. While she was smart when it came to combat and most of her studies, when it came to romance and certain other social situations, Gabi seemed completely clueless.

Or at least, the old Gabi had been. While he didn't completely understand her change, Falco hoped that perhaps now she would be more receptive to his feelings.

As the cadets headed back for their own training, all Falco could think about was what he should say to Gabi. While he was too late to save her from becoming a shifter at a young age, he could still try to make her happy.

Once I inherit the Armored Titan, I'll help Gabi wipe out those island devils. Then, I can work on building a future for us.

Several days later, an important meeting occurred in one of the office buildings just outside of the internment zone.

General Magath looked carefully at the only other person in the room. "So, everything has been arranged?"

Willy Tybur nodded. "Yes. Now we just have to wait for the enemy to make their next move. It shouldn't be too long. Liberio is the last major port Marley has, and we have a military base just outside of the city. If the enemy intends to invade, they will have to strike here first."

"Yes. But will they actually try to invade?"

Willy grimaced. "I'm afraid that possibility is looking more likely."

He pulled out a copy of the newspaper and handed it to Magath. As Magath looked it over, he frowned grimly at the bad news.

The paper revealed that Hizuru and several other nations had joined the coalition against Marley. Other nations had declared that they would remain neutral in the war, but it was clear that, for the time being, Marley was on its own.

Magath folded the paper. "I see. It will take them some time to organize their forces, but once they're ready…"

Willy inclined his head. "How are things proceeding on your end?"

Magath glanced out a nearby window. "Fairly well. Losing Pieck was unfortunate, but at least we still have the Cart Titan, and Reiner and Porco are working with Gabi to hone her Titan abilities. We may even be able to reuse some of the weapons we designed for Pieck with Gabi, though obviously we'll need to make some adjustments given the size difference."

Magath looked back at Willy. "As for the more discreet parts, well...one of my agents has been keeping tabs on an underground resistance group, hidden within Marley's military. He managed to get inside this group, and has uncovered some interesting information. Apparently this group was originally started by Zeke Yeager."

Willy looked up sharply. "The former Beast Titan?"

"Yes. It seems that he was gathering forces to undermine Marley. However, we aren't sure of his reasons for doing this, nor do we know what his goals were, and his death at the battle of Shiganshina prevented any of his plans from getting off the ground."

Willy frowned. "Hmm. To think one of our own Warriors was plotting to betray us."

"After his death, the group was briefly lead by a woman called Yelena, before she disappeared three years ago during one of the reconnaissance missions to Paradis. After that, the group was largely inactive until Yelena mysteriously returned about two months ago. Turns out during those missing three years she had been working with the islanders, and now the resistance group has been helping Paradis and the Mid East Alliance, primarily by providing information about Marley's military from the inside."

Willy frowned thoughtfully. "I see, this is a disturbing development. Are you going to shut down this group?"

Magath shook his head. "No, I am not."

Willy looked at him in shock. "Why?"

"For one, we still don't know who all of the members are. For another, given what we're trying to do we could use this to our advantage. If we 'accidentally' leak the military strategy Marley intends to use for the war, our enemies on Paradis will quickly see an opportunity to end the war immediately. And if the leak comes from this group, they will have every reason to believe that the intel is genuine."

"I see. The perfect bait for our cleverly hidden trap. But will they take it?"

Magath sighed. "I don't know. As I said before, we don't have all the information we need, and a lot of our planning has been resting on assumptions and guesses. Reasonable assumptions and educated guesses, but still, not on verified facts. But as you've said, we can't afford to wait any longer."

Willy folded his arms. "Yes. If this plan succeeds, we will be in a position to force Marley's enemies to halt the war. If this plan fails, we will have no choice but to surrender. But either way, the war must end, and it must end soon. The longer it lasts, the greater the damage to our country. And whether this plan succeeds or not, we will be getting rid of the dead wood in our military, leaving those of us with cooler heads to steer Marley towards a better future."

Magath was silent for a moment before slowly extending his hand.

"Eldians may be descendents of devils. But it is also certain...that we too are devils."

Willy shook his hand, a solemn expression on his face.

Author's Note: As far as I can tell, Reiner's extended family didn't have names, so I just made up names for them. I used chapter 94 as a reference for a lot of this chapter, as there are a number of parallels.

Someone noted that since Gabi's last name is Braun, then her father should have been Karina's sibling rather then her mother. Well, I'm just going to say that Thomas elected to take his wife's last name instead. Maybe he didn't like his original last name, I don't know. In the world of Attack on Titan there seems to be an anomalously large number of female soldiers given the time period, so it seems that this world got a head start on equal rights for women compared to our world. Maybe one of the Founding Titans of the past was a woman, and decided to promote gender equality, and since the Founding Titan basically gives you god like powers, everyone just went along with it.

Anyways, be sure to let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Chapter Text

A tense atmosphere had settled over Liberio. Most of the city had been evacuated, the Marleyan civilians fleeing to safer regions inland. The only place that had remained mostly inhabited was the Eldian internment zone, as it was deemed to be far enough away from the harbor to not be in danger during the looming invasion. Of course, the obvious unspoken reason for why the Eldians hadn't been evacuated like the rest of the city's residents was the lower value the Marleyan government placed on the Eldians compared to the Marleyans.

At the harbor, the ships had been arranged in a defensive pattern just off of the shore, their guns pointed out to sea, while the harbor itself was filled with large numbers of anti-Titan cannons and heavy artillery, most of them placed on or near the wharves but a few scattered throughout the harbor.

Most of the soldiers assembled at the harbor were Eldians, but a casual observer wouldn't be able to tell that from a glance. Not only had the Eldian and non-Eldian soldiers been blended together more in the various units and formations, but the Eldian soldiers were no longer required to wear the armbands designating them as subjects of Ymir.

Commander Harris looked over the harbor with a grim expression. General Magath had left him in charge while Magath and Calvi were stationed at a military base southwest of Liberio. They knew that several other nations had joined the coalition against Marley, and that one of the nations, Hizuru, had access to a large number of airships. From the intel they had gathered, they weren't entirely sure where the enemy would strike first. Liberio was their most likely target, but they hadn't wanted to put all their eggs into one basket, and so many of their reserve forces were at the military base further inland.

An aid ran up behind him. "Sir. Our scouts have sighted the enemy fleet. They're heading this way. Based on their current speed they'll be here in about two hours."

Harris nodded grimly. "Very good. Relay this information to Magath. Dismissed."

He turned and looked over the Warrior unit soldiers he'd been assigned.

"Well, you heard him. The enemy will be here in about two hours. Get ready and wait for further orders."

"Sir!"

Gabi, Porco, and the Marleyan soldiers that had been assigned to Gabi all saluted before heading for the warehouse where the Cart Titan armory was being stored.

After Pieck's untimely death Gabi had trained diligently, determined to fill her predecessor's shoes to the best of her abilities, and with Reiner's help she'd come a long way in the two months that had passed since the attack on Radgend.

While some adjustments had been required, most of the weapons that had been built for Pieck were able to be converted for Gabi's use, and this was where the Marleyan soldiers came in. She could carry and move various types of powerful artillery on her back, while the soldiers would aim and fire them for her.

Gabi had been worried about the soldiers looking down on her because of her Eldian blood, despite her status as a Warrior. Consequently she had been incredibly relieved when they turned out to be quite friendly and reasonable. She suspected that Magath had handpicked certain soldiers with temperaments he knew would make her more comfortable, given that she had inherited the Cart Titan two years earlier than she had expected. Normally she wouldn't have appreciated being coddled, but after everything that had happened she was grateful for a smooth and stress free transition into her new role.

Over the weeks they'd been together she'd taken the effort to make sure she knew all of their names, and after all their hard work she had a healthy respect for Carl, Ruth, Ben, and Gabe. She might be the one with the power of a Titan, but they were the ones who enabled her to use her ability to its full potential.

At present the four of them were getting the mobile anti-Titan cannon ready, as it was the weapon that would most likely be needed for the upcoming battle.

Porco, whose Titan was too small to have any real need of a crew, stood in the background, the bored look on his face not quite hiding the anxiety he clearly felt about the looming invasion.

He jerked his head at Gabi. "It's almost time. You should probably transform before too much longer."

Gabi gave a shaky nod before hastily averting her gaze from the older warrior. Porco frowned, wondering what was bothering her.

Gabi knew that Porco had probably noticed that she was no longer entirely comfortable around him. She felt bad, as he hadn't done anything wrong, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth about why she had become so skittish around him the last few weeks.

In addition to the disturbing and disheartening memories, Gabi had also seen a number of rather embarrassing memories that she didn't think Pieck would have wanted her to know about, and that she definitely hadn't wanted to see. She now knew where Pieck and Porco had disappeared to during many of their nights off and what they had been doing, and as a result had seen many vivid images of what Porco looked like naked, including his-

"Gabi?" Porco looked at her in concern. "You okay?"

An involuntary blush blazed across her cheeks, and she kept her back turned to him.

"I'm fine." She said, her voice a pitch higher than normal. "Just fine."

Desperate to diffuse the awkward moment, she slid a knife across her palm and transformed into the Cart Titan, though she did so without any noise or explosion.

Sensing her discomfort, Porco glanced out the window, his eyes settling on the sea, his brows furrowing as he contemplated the enemy fleet that would soon appear.

Erwin looked out of the window of the airship, the Mid East fleet stretching out before him along the ocean. It was quite a sight to behold, with dozens of state of the art ships all lined up, poised to attack the Marleyan forces waiting for them at Liberio.

"Sir." The Hizuru soldier spoke in a heavy accent. "Everything is in place."

Erwin stepped away from the window. "Very well. Begin phase one of the operation."

The naval ships below them remained where they were, maintaining a reasonable distance away from the Marleyan ships guarding the harbor, so that neither party was yet in range to fire upon the other. At the same time, the six airships that had been hovering above the fleet broke off and began to head over to the airspace directly above the harbor, making sure to stay high enough up in the air to be well out of the range of the guns and cannons below.

Harris watched grimly as the airships approached, knowing in just a few minutes they would begin raining something down upon them, though what it would be he wasn't entirely sure.

Gabi peered out of the windows of the warehouse, eyeing the airships nervously and waiting for orders. The anti-Titan cannon was strapped onto her back, while her crew and Porco were standing nearby, ready to mount up as soon as the enemy began their attack.

As the airships passed directly over the harbor, the Hizuru soldiers unloaded their cargo and began to rain them down to earth.

Harris peered at the cylindrical objects plummeting towards them through the binoculars, trying to discern what they were, assuming they were some kind of bomb.

"All soldiers! Brace yourselves!"

The first wave of canisters landed just behind the wharves, and upon hitting the ground they shattered. But rather than unleashing an explosion, they released what appeared to be pale smoke.

Harris's eyes widened.

"They're using gas weapons! Everyone put on your gas masks!"

All throughout the harbor the soldiers hastily began to put on the gas masks that had been prepared for this very moment.

When he had been alive, Zeke's spinal fluid had been used as a weapon to turn Eldians into Titans, and it had served Marley well during a number of disputes it had with other, weaker nations. It especially helped that Zeke was able to control the Titans to some extent.

Now the knowledge of this power belonged to Erwin, and he had used the same techniques that Marley had come up with against them. He couldn't control the Titans, but if used correctly he didn't need to, as he had demonstrated at Radgend. Any Eldian soldier infected with his spinal fluid could immediately become a weapon against their comrades, and Magath had worked diligently to counter this threat to Marley's army.

The first was to keep a very close eye on the Eldian soldiers' food and water supplies, to do everything in their power to prevent Erwin and the Scouts from pulling the same trick twice. It had ended up being an imposition on the soldiers' freedom of movement and choice, but none of them wanted to become a Titan and so had complied without complaint.

But there were other ways to infect Eldian soldiers with a Titan shifters' spinal fluid, including gas weapons tainted with said fluid. And so Magath had ordered the mass production of gas masks and small respirators as a countermeasure.

As the gas canisters fell down onto the harbor, shattering and releasing their toxic payload, most of the soldiers were quick to act and already had their masks on. Only a few were too slow, and ended up suffering the consequences.

Whether the gas was infected with spinal fluid or not, its effects on the soldiers it came into contact with were unpleasant, and many were overcome with coughing, difficulty breathing, and in some instances temporary blindness, much to their alarm.

Their comrades did their best to help, but at the same time most gave those who had been exposed to the gas a wide berth, worried that they could turn into a Titan at any moment.

The Marleyan soldiers standing near Gabi had hastily donned gas masks, while Gabi and Porco had not. The spinal fluid would not affect them, and the other effects of the gas would quickly be taken care of by their regenerative abilities. Plus they didn't have a gas mask big enough for Gabi's Titan form.

Harris looked up at the airships. It looks like they've dropped all of their gas weapons. Not a bad strategy, but they don't seem to have realized that we would develop countermeasures. Even if the Beast Titan turns the handful of Eldian soldiers who were exposed to the gas into Titans, we have plenty of anti-Titan cannons and rifles all throughout the harbor. The small number of Titans he could create won't be anything other than a minor nuisance. If he's hoping for massive destruction like at Radgend, or even a major distraction for their naval forces to capitalize on, he's going to be extremely disappointed.

Erwin surveyed the harbor below through a pair of binoculars.

"I see. So they anticipated our next move. Looks like our plan won't be quite as effective as we originally thought. Still, I doubt they're fully prepared for what's about to happen."

He lowered the binoculars and walked over to the nearby radio. He picked it up and spoke into it.

"The gas has been released. Wake up the giants."

Just outside of the harbor, a submarine lay below the surface, unseen by the Marleyan ships. Inside the hot and cramped radio room of the underwater vessel Armin heard Erwin's orders.

"Understood." He said quietly, his face paling.

Armin set down the radio, shakily inhaled, and screamed.

At once, 22 massive explosions erupted all throughout the harbor, far bigger and more destructive than the Marleyans had been expecting. The explosions killed soldiers, destroyed cannons, leveled buildings, and started fires, transforming large chunks of the harbor into a hellscape in the blink of an eye.

The light from the explosions forced Erwin to squint as he observed them from above. It would almost have been beautiful if he didn't know what was causing it and what the results would be.

The windows shattered in the building Harris was stationed in as a nearby explosion sent out a shockwave that rippled through the air. He ducked under a table in an attempt to avoid the flying glass.

The next second, it was over, though his ears were still ringing. As he crawled back out from under the table and looked out of the now bare windows, he saw what had caused so much destruction.

22 Titans, all between 40 and 50 meters tall, stood throughout the harbor. Most were motionless, as if still coming to terms with their sudden creation, while a handful were already moving, walking toward the heavily populated ships just off of the shore and crushing the people and buildings that were unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

Harris gritted his teeth. Shit! They didn't use the Beast Titans' spinal fluid, they used the Colossal Titan's spinal fluid. We should have seen this coming. Even so, our counterattack strategy is still largely the same. But…

He picked up the radio. "All soldiers, begin firing on the colossal Titans! They're big, but they still have the same weaknesses as a normal Titan. Aim for their feet, and then the nape. Gabi, get going! And to our fleet, half of the ships should re aim their guns and help us take out the Titans, while the other half should keep their guns pointed out to sea. Hurry!"

Even before he had finished speaking Gabi had exited the warehouse and ran toward the nearest colossal Titan.

After perching on top of a nearby building, Gabi glared at the Titan towering over her.

"Aim carefully! We need to make every shot count!"

"Yes sir!"

After a few seconds of adjustment and monitoring the Titans' movements, the anti-Titan cannon roared to life, firing a powerful round that traveled high into the air and tore through the Titans' nape.

The colossal Titan stumbled to a halt, standing still for a moment, before its massive body began to fall and hit the ground with a thunderous boom, leveling the building it landed on.

After being satisfied that the Titan wouldn't be getting back up, Gabi leaped off the building and quickly ran toward their next target while the crew reloaded the cannon.

Porco sat near the back of the gun, feeling rather useless. He wanted to help, but Harris had ordered him to not use his power until either the Beast Titan or the actual Colossal Titan made an appearance, as it would be foolish to play all of their cards at once.

Porco understood his reasoning, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

While the initial appearance of the colossal Titans had been terrifying and demoralizing, the discipline of the Marleyan army swiftly kicked in, and one by one the Titans were subdued and killed. Gabi and her mobile anti-Titan cannon killed the most, while the rest were taken care of by either the stationary anti-Titan cannons, or the naval ship guns.

But while they were being taken down, the colossal Titans continued to march toward the Marleyan ships, and a few of them leaned down and tried to grab some of the poor soldiers who happened to be too close. The death toll continued to rise, and the damage to the harbor was severe.

Harris looked over the harbor grimly as the last three Titans were being bombarded by their navy. The Titans would be taken care of, but they had taken many casualties, and were now in a weakened state for when the enemy navy began their attack.

As the last three Titans began to fall, suddenly the harbor was filled with a roaring sound that shook the air. It took Harris a moment to register that the roaring was actually the sound of multiple explosions.

The ships that had been guarding the harbor were suddenly giving off large amounts of smoke, and without warning they began to sink. Some collapsed in on themselves, some capsized, still others were violently ripped in two.

"What the hell?!" A nearby officer cried. "What's going on?! All of the enemy ships are still way out at sea, how is this possible?!"

As the Marleyan ships were destroyed one by one, Harris came to a horrifying realization.

They must have at least a small fleet of submarines. This is very, very bad. I knew that technology was beginning to outpace both the power of the Titans and old conventions, but this is far worse than what I could have ever imagined.

Within a short time all of the ships guarding the harbor were destroyed or disabled, taking away Liberio's first line of defense. The surviving sailors retreated back to the harbor on the lifeboats, while the line of cannon and artillery units placed near and on the wharves prepared themselves for the incoming enemy fleet.

Their job finished, most of the submarines retreated, while the rest of the allied fleet began to move toward the harbor.

Harris looked over the situation grimly, his mind racing.

Our ships have been destroyed, and we've already taken many casualties. But we still have many soldiers, and our line of guns will make the enemy's approach difficult.

He looked up at the airships hovering just behind the harbor. I would like to move more of our guns to the front, but with those airships still there I can't afford to do that, as they might still have a trick up their sleeve.

He returned his gaze to the sea. We're definitely at a disadvantage here, but we'll put up a hell of a fight before we let the enemy take Liberio.

In the waters below the harbor, only a short distance away from where the wharves began, a single submarine was stationed.

A Mid East Ally soldier emerged from the radio room, nodding at the captain.

"Onayımız var."

"Çok iyi."

The captain turned toward the only Eldian onboard. "Alright, you know the drill."

Armin nodded mutely, his face still pale. He walked down the length of the cramped sub, stepped through the back entrance and into a special capsule, tucking his arms and legs in slightly to make sure he fit. The Mid East Ally soldiers sealed the capsule shut, before sealing the entrance. They then opened one of the outer doors, flooding the chamber with water, and the capsule slowly rose up and away from the submarine.

As the capsule gradually drifted toward the surface, Armin tried to keep his mind relatively calm and blank, to limited success. He knew that as soon as he could see sunlight through the capsule that meant he had broken the surface of the sea, and the second that happened he would transform. He'd done this many times now, and so should be used to it.

But even so, he felt a strong sense of guilt as he contemplated the large number of people he was about to kill once more.

He let out a shaky breath. Remember what you're fighting for. Who you're fighting for.

He closed his eyes. Historia…

As the capsule broke the surface, Armin's eyes snapped open, and a bright light engulfed his body.

Author's Note: This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I'm still working out the kinks in the next section, and this seemed like a good stopping point.

I know I was rather mean to Gabi near the beginning, but I thought it was funny, and as soon as I thought of it I just had to put it in. It's also another interesting aspect of the Titan memories that isn't really explored in canon, namely how you might see private memories of the previous person you really wouldn't want to see. And while Gabi might be embarrassed from seeing Pieck's memories, it could be worse, at least neither Pieck nor Porco are related to her. This whole thing reminds me of a joke that was floating around the AoT community after chapter 120 came out, when Zeke was forcing Eren to see all of Grisha's memories, and people were speculating about what would happen if they walked into one of Grisha's memories where he was having sex with Carla.

Eren: ...

Zeke: ...

Eren: Next memory?

Zeke: Next memory.

And realistically that probably did happen, which makes it even funnier.

Chapter Text

While the city of Liberio was under attack, further inland the Marleyan military base of Fertig was already bustling with activity.

Magath set the radio down, his expression grim. "I see. So they are indeed going for Liberio first. Very well."

He turned toward his subordinates. "Send reinforcements to Liberio."

The officers saluted. "Sir!"

The Marleyan soldiers all filed out of the room, with Magath the last one to leave. Most of them dispersed to different locations within the base, but one remained by his side.

Magath spoke quietly. "Reiner. It's almost time."

Reiner nodded, his shoulders tense.

Fertig was quite old, having been built just before the Great Titan War a century ago, but thanks to extensive maintenance and periodic upgrades it remained an important location for the Marleyan military.

From the outside it looked quite impressive, appearing more like an elegant mansion or castle than a military base, with an enormous ornate clock on the top of the building in the very center, and a large statue of Helos just outside of the front entrance, symbolically stabbing a spear through a Titan's mouth.

Next to one of the sides of the fortress was a trainyard, with one of the trains already pulling away, carrying a large number of Eldian and Marleyan soldiers with it as it made its way towards Liberio.

With the war now officially on Marleyan soil, Magath knew that Admiral Calvi would want to address the soldiers who were still at the base, many of whom were honorary Marleyans. And sure enough, Admiral Calvi soon called the troops to assemble in one of the courtyards behind the military base.

This particular courtyard had a huge and elaborate ceramic mural picture of Helos depicted on the ground, this time holding a large sword in his left hand and a circular shield in his right.

Calvi stood right above Helos's head, while the rest of the military higher ups stood behind him in a row, facing the rows of soldiers before them.

Magath stood near the back of the courtyard with Reiner, both of them keeping a fair distance away from the rest of the soldiers.

Calvi raised his fist into the air. "All of you know by now what has happened. The Devils of Paradis have emerged from their century of isolation and are waging war against Marley once more. And now they have dared to attack us on our own soil! You who stand before me now, all of you have either achieved the glory of becoming an honorary Marleyan, or you hope to do so. You will always carry the blood of devils within your veins, but with dedication, hard work, and sacrifice, you can wash away the sins of the old Eldian empire, whose legacies still haunts the world to this day. Those vile Devils have managed to deceive other nations, playing the victim, feigning ignorance of the atrocities their ancestors committed, and claiming to want peace even as they butcher our soldiers and burn our cities. But never forget who you are, and where your loyalty lies! You are the only good Eldians in this world, and your loyalty is to the motherland, the nation of Marley!"

A cheer rose from the soldiers, and Calvi allowed them a moment to indulge their enthusiasm before continuing his speech.

As Calvi's speech unfolded, Magath was only half paying attention, his mind occupied with the plan he and Willy Tybur had come up with.

For the past few months Magath had had an agent of his keep tabs on an underground resistance group operating within the Marleyan military, while being careful to let them think that they hadn't been found out. The group was presently being led by a conscripted soldier named Onyankapon, and they appeared to have connections to Paradis island through Yelena, a former Marleyan soldier who was in hiding.

With this group at large, Paradis would be privy to the movements and plans of Marley's military. And one thing they would quickly notice was that all of the major military leaders were presently gathered at Fertig. It was an extremely convenient fact, because if all of these leaders were eliminated at once, it would almost certainly force Marley to surrender, as the body can't function properly if its head has been cut off. But Fertig was highly guarded and defended, with soldiers everywhere, and few escape options for any intruders. If Paradis wanted to take out the leaders, a lone assassin or even a group of assassins wouldn't cut it. They would need something bigger. They would need the power of a Titan.

Magath had calculated carefully based on the information available to him. One key piece of intel had been delivered to him by Gabi as she relayed one of Pieck's last memories before her demise. Pieck had realized that the holder of the Beast Titan, Erwin, had used his spinal fluid to turn the Eldian soldiers at Radgend into Titans. But this seemed strange. If Paradis had access to the Founding Titan, they could have just turned the Eldian soldiers into Titans anyway, without requiring the middle step of Erwin's spinal fluid.

And this raised another question: If Paradis had access to the Founding Titan, why weren't they using it to end the war immediately? The islanders and their Mid East Allies had provided some reasoned justifications for why they weren't unleashing the full power of the Founding Titan, and these did have some merit. But tactically speaking, it made very little sense.

Which meant that there was another possibility: They didn't actually have the full power of the Founding Titan, and were simply bluffing in order to discourage anyone from attacking them, just as the 145th king had done.

Another factor to consider was the Female Titan. They already suspected that Annie had encased herself in an impenetrable crystalline cocoon after being captured in order to protect herself from harm and interrogation. And the Female Titan had failed to make any appearances in the current war thus far, which lent further credibility to this theory. So it was likely that Paradis didn't actually have access to the power of the Female Titan, and that their claims to the contrary were another bluff.

With the upcoming invasion of Liberio, both the Beast and Colossal Titans would be needed on the front lines. Which meant that if Paradis wanted to kill the Marleyan leaders and try to end the war early, they would need to use the Attack Titan.

Magath had deliberately allowed the underground resistance to continue operating unhindered, and with their connections to Paradis it wouldn't be that difficult to smuggle Eren Yeager into Fertig right under the Marleyan military's nose. And if he made an appearance, he and Reiner would be ready for him.

Magath was well aware that his plan was one massive gamble, based on a series of unknown variables. It rested on the assumption that Paradis did not have access to the Female or Founding Titans. It also rested on the assumption that Paradis would be willing to gamble themselves, to risk losing the Founding Titan if it meant ending the war early. If either of these assumptions were wrong, his plan would fail.

But at this point the die had been cast. And with a large number of their troops now gone, having left for Liberio and leaving the base more vulnerable to attack, and all the leaders now gathered in the same location, Magath knew that if something was going to happen, it would happen soon.

"...these devils will bleed and die before us, and their depraved leaders shall fall! And once we have driven them out, we will raze Paradis island to the ground! We will suck the marrow from their bones and grind their skulls into powder! We will tear down their cities, blacken their skies, sow their ground with salt! We will completely and utterly erase them!"

Calvi's face had become maniacal, his hands gesticulating wildly, and the soldiers continued to cheer.

"After two thousand years, we will finally have-"

Without warning, the ground beneath them cracked and split open, destroying the mural of Helos.

And emerging through the ruins of the mural came a fifteen meter Titan, giving off a roar so loud it made everyone's ears throb.

Calvi was the first to die, his body crushed in the Titan's right fist, and a quick sweep of the Titan's leg eliminated the rest of the leaders that had been standing nearby.

The Attack Titan's entrance from below ground had sent debris flying in all directions, injuring and killing those unlucky enough to be too close.

As the Attack Titan rampaged in the courtyard and began slaughtering the soldiers indiscriminately, Magath and Reiner had retreated just inside of the base.

"Looks like they took the bait." Magath remarked grimly.

"Yes." Reiner said, his eyes wide as he watched Eren's Titan form.

Magath patted him on the shoulder. "Remember, wait for my signal."

With that, Magath ran down the hallway, issuing orders to the soldiers and officers that had fled inside.

After the initial slaughter, the surviving soldiers had regained their heads and were trying to take down the raging Titan using the anti-Titan rifles they had been issued for use in combat. Unfortunately for them, the rifles were most effective when used against pure Titans, which were typically slow, easily distracted, and unintelligent, three things that the Attack Titan was not. Consequently their efforts to kill the Attack Titan did not end well for them, with most of them being crushed or obliterated.

But they did serve one useful purpose; they had bought Magath the time he needed to make the necessary preparations.

Looking out at the courtyard from one of the second floor windows, Magath aimed a specially modified rifle at the Attack Titan, and fired.

The shot did nothing, as he expected, but the unique sound the gun made when it was fired was the signal Reiner had been waiting for.

An explosion of light erupted near the edge of the courtyard, quickly getting the attention of the Attack Titan. It turned around, hardening its fists as the Armored Titan appeared before it.

But before either Titan could move, a second explosion of light erupted next to the base. The Attack Titan glanced sharply over its shoulder, its eyes widening in disbelief.

Next to the base stood a Titan unlike anything anyone had seen in living memory, and Magath had to admit that he was surprised as he took in the form of the Warhammer Titan.

Its skin was pure white, and it had what appeared to be an executioner's robe covering its face. Despite its imposing appearance it looked much more human when compared with the rather monstrous Attack and Armored Titans.

Judging by the stunned look on the Attack Titan's face, Magath was certain that the enemy hadn't been expecting this.

Willy Tybur had revealed that his sister was the true possessor of the Warhammer Titan, and they had discreetly smuggled her into Fertig several weeks ago. They had told almost no one about her, not even the other military leaders. The only ones who had known that the Warhammer Titan would soon be an active player in the war was the Tybur family, Reiner, Magath, and two of his officers. It had been a closely guarded secret, and hopefully the element of surprise would be enough to allow them to capture Eren Yeager.

The Warhammer Titan pressed its hand to the ground, and the ground outside of the base began to shift and quake, shaking the building and almost causing the Attack and Armored Titans to lose their footing.

Out of the ground a few yards away from the Armored Titan an enormous crystalline helmet emerged, which was soon followed by a massive circular shield and a gigantic longsword, all three of which had been made several weeks ago and then hidden underground, ready to be used for this very moment.

Realizing that he was in trouble, the Attack Titan rushed at the Warhammer Titan, desperate to finish off or at least incapacitate one of his foes before both of them could gang up on him. Not expecting the sudden assault, the Warhammer Titan was knocked off of its feet by a powerful blow to the chest.

The Armored Titan quickly donned the helmet, its primary function being to provide greater protection for the nape, and picked up the sword and shield, looking slightly awkward, as this was the first time it had ever used such weapons.

As strong as its power was, it was painfully clear that the user of the Warhammer Titan had little, if any, combat experience, and before it could recover the Attack Titan hardened its foot and stamped down hard on the Warhammer Titan's neck, puncturing through the skin and crushing the nape.

But before the Attack Titan could check to make sure that it had successfully killed the Warhammer Titan, it was forced to retreat as the Armored Titan swung the enormous sword down. The sword was heavy enough to cause some serious damage, but light enough to be easy to use.

Now that the Armored Titan had a bladed weapon, the Attack Titan was forced on the defensive, dodging and blocking blows but unable to get too close to his opponent.

Suddenly, the Attack Titan found its feet impaled by several long spikes, immobilizing it in place. It looked down in shock, trying and failing to pull its feet out.

The Armored Titan was quick to take advantage of this, and swiftly lopped off both of the Attack Titan's arms. The severed limbs fell to the ground with a reverberating crash.

At the same time, the Warhammer Titan stood back up, the hole in its neck slowly healing. And all around the battlefield a tentative perimeter had been formed by the surviving honorary Marleyans. Most were armed with guns or rifles, but there were a few on the roof of the base with some anti-Titan cannons. None were firing yet, but they were ready to go if they were needed.

The Warhammer Titan conjured up its eponymous warhammer, swung back its arm, and decapitated the Attack Titan.

The soldiers cheered, but Magath remained silent, not willing to celebrate when victory wasn't certain yet.

The Armored Titan had retreated a short distance away, its shield held up defensively, while the Warhammer Titan slowly walked toward the Attack Titan's mangled body. It cautiously reached out for the nape…

The next second, a dozen Survey Corp members appeared on the roof behind the anti-Titan cannons and fired their thunder spears, destroying the cannons and killing the soldiers manning them.

As the perimeter was being dismantled, a lone Scout swooped behind the Warhammer Titan and fired six thunder spears into its nape. The Scout soared up and over the Titan's head just as the spears exploded, sending it crashing to the ground, its hammer falling and coming to rest at the impaled feet of the Attack Titan.

The Scout landed gracefully on the Attack Titan's neck just as a cloud of steam erupted from the nape, revealing the real body of Eren Yeager.

He smiled softly at his fellow Scout. "Thank you Mikasa."

Mikasa pulled him into a bone crushing hug, trying to hold back the tears of relief that were threatening to spill out. "Always."

Author's Note: I was really tempted to end this chapter on an uncertain cliffhanger, but I decided that would be too mean, so I didn't.

We didn't really know much about Calvi in canon, and from what we do know about him he's mostly pretty calm, but here I had him channeling his inner Hitler as a way of showing how the old guard of Marley think, and making it that much more satisfying when Eren kills them all. Also, there's a very obscure reference hidden in Calvi's speech. If you know what it is, I freaking love you, but if you don't that's perfectly understandable.

As for why Paradis was willing to let Eren enter the war and risk losing the Founding Titan, well in this timeline thanks to the future memories Eren saw from his successor, Jean, they knew that they would win the war, so it didn't seem like too big of a gamble.

When it comes to the giant weapons, I've heard of a few fan theories speculating that in times past the Warhammer Titan could have made Titan sized weapons for other Titan shifters who were allies, and I thought that sounded pretty cool, so I decided to have it happen here. I mean, the idea of the Armored Titan with weapons is kind of awesome, isn't it? Or is it just silly? I don't know, you be the judge.

Chapter Text

As the light faded, Erwin lowered his hand and looked over the destruction the Colossal Titan's transformation had caused, the aerial view from the airship giving him just about the perfect vantage point.

The harbor was almost completely destroyed. Every wharf had been utterly obliterated, as had every building, cannon, and soldier that had been too close. The parts of the harbor that had been far enough away to avoid being totally annihilated had been pounded with a deluge of debris and sea water that had been sent flying by the explosion, causing further death and destruction.

All of the anti-Titan cannons that would have been in a perfect position to take down the Colossal Titan had been destroyed, and the only ones left were too far away to get a clear shot.

While the surviving Marleyan and Eldian soldiers were still reeling from the effects of the explosion, the Colossal Titan remained standing in the water, its skeletal face gazing down upon the ruined harbor. Its arms were slightly spread out, and it had begun to emit a large cloud of steam that was acting as a smokescreen for the approaching navy, letting them get close to the harbor while preventing the Marleyan forces from being able to see or fire upon them.

Erwin nodded in satisfaction. We're almost there. As soon as our ships close the gap, they can begin firing on the survivors and dispatching our own forces onto the shore. Liberio will be ours within the hour.

But Harris had one last card up his sleeve. He picked up the nearby radio as he stared at the 60 meter monster that towered over what was left of his army.

"The Colossal Titan is here. Warrior unit A, initiate plan David!"

After receiving their orders, Gabi retreated to the warehouse that contained the Cart Titan's armory, which had mercifully remained intact thus far through the battle. Her crew dismounted and began to disassemble the cannon on her back, and with her help they removed it and placed it on the ground. They then began to assemble a specially modified cannon, and Gabi carefully placed this one on her back, once more ready for battle.

After seeing that the cannon was ready, Porco climbed into a barrel, which was then sealed shut and lifted up by Carl and Ruth. They then slotted the barrel into the modified cannon.

Gabi peered over her shoulder. "Is everything ready?"

Ruth saluted. "Yes sir!"

"Then let's go. Our time is short."

Gabi then bounded out of the warehouse, and began to run toward the Colossal Titan.

Through his Titan's eyes, Armin noticed her almost right away.

So that must be the Cart Titan. Our intel indicates that Reiner is at Fertig, which means that the only other Titan that might be lurking around here is the Jaws Titan. But given how small both of them are, I don't really see how either would be able to pose a threat to me.

The Cart Titan stopped in the middle of the ruined harbor, and began to aim the cannon on her back at the Colossal Titan's head.

What, is she actually trying to shoot at me? She's too far away for the shots to be at all accurate. There's no way-

The cannon roared to life, and fired the barrel containing Porco. It flew straight at the Colossal Titan's head for a few seconds before becoming engulfed in a burst of steam and light. The momentum from the cannon shot kept Porco's real body moving forward while the meat and bones of his Titan rapidly formed around him.

Armin barely had time to register his shock before the Jaws Titan that had suddenly materialized right in front of him had collided with his lower jaw and latched onto his face with its powerful claws.

Realizing he was in danger, Armin immediately began to emit a strong burst of steam from every part of his body in an attempt to blow away his foe. But while this would have worked on a human or a less experienced shifter, Porco was extremely skilled with his Jaws Titan, and was able to stay on despite the scorching heat.

The Jaws Titan quickly scurried across the Colossal Titan's cheek and moved over to the back of the head, its powerful claws sinking into the red skin and keeping it in place, and less than a minute later it had made its way to the nape.

The steam became even more powerful, but Porco was still able to hold on, and quickly used his powerful jaws to rip the nape open, exposing Armin's real body.

Armin fumbled with his ODM gear, trying to get away, but he was too slow, and the Jaw Titan snatched him out of his Titan, held him up, and bit off both of his legs.

Armin screamed in pain, blood and steam gushing from his newly created stumps. The Jaw Titan spit out both legs before dropping Armin into his mouth, snapping his jaws shut and slicing off both of Armin's arms just below the wrists, trapping the poor Scout within his maw.

With its shifter gone, the Colossal Titan body fell to its knees and began to descend down onto the harbor. Porco timed his jump carefully so that he leaped off of the Colossal Titan's limp body just before it hit the ground. He then scampered back to the interior of the harbor with his prize.

Erwin's eyes widened in alarm as he saw what had occurred, and his mind raced as he tried to think of what they should do next in light of this unfortunate development.

One of the Hizuru soldiers gestured at him urgently. "Sir, we have the Marleyan commander on the line."

Erwin nodded grimly. "Very good."

He took the radio. "This is Commander Erwin of Paradis Island, what do you want?"

"As you may have noticed, we've captured the Colossal Titan. He's a very valuable asset and comrade to you, correct? If you don't want us to kill him or feed him to one of our warriors, tell your forces to stand down."

Erwin weighed his options in his head before nodding.

"Very well. I'll tell the others to order a ceasefire. We'll even offer humanitarian aid to those of you who have survived. But don't push us. If you try to take him outside of the harbor we'll resume the attack at once, and we will offer no quarter to any of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

A few minutes later, Erwin had relayed the situation to the rest of the fleet, and the first few ships had arrived at the harbor.

While the other leaders in the fleet weren't happy, they reluctantly complied with Erwin's orders, and when they deployed their soldiers they did so not to attack but to fulfill Erwin's promise of humanitarian aid to the Marleyan forces, maintaining the uneasy truce that Erwin and Harris had established.

Erwin kept his gaze fixed upon the warehouse that the Jaws and Cart Titans had disappeared into, his expression grim.

Hang in there Armin, we'll get you out of there.

The battle at Liberio had halted, but many miles away the battle at Fertig was still raging.

Eren reluctantly pulled away from Mikasa, gesturing behind her.

"I'm afraid it's not quite over yet."

She turned around sharply, and saw the Warhammer Titan stirring, slowly pushing itself off the ground.

"Impossible." She breathed. "I fired six thunder spears straight into the nape."

"I also crushed its nape earlier, but it's still alive."

The Warhammer Titan glared up at them, its head being clumsily propped up by one of its hands, while the other hand was held up with its palm facing the sky, and the air around it began to glow.

The next second, a massive silvery net had appeared, which was then flung at them.

Mikasa hastily grabbed Eren and used her ODM gear to pull him out of harm's way. Less than a second after their retreat the net had completely entangled what was left of the Attack Titan's body.

Mikasa glanced at it in surprise. "Huh? Are they trying to capture you alive?"

Eren looked at the Warhammer Titan thoughtfully. "It looks like it. I suppose killing me and having the Founding Titan be lost would cause a major headache for them in the long term. But anyways, based on what we saw, I'm guessing that the Warhammer Titan's real body isn't in the nape, but somewhere else. I have an idea…"

Around them the battlefield had become rather chaotic. The perimeter that the Marleyan army had tried to form had all but collapsed, and the Scouts were in control for the moment.

But Magath had retreated to a more defensible position just inside the building, and the nest he and his remaining soldiers had set up was so far successfully repelling any Scouts that dared to get too close.

In addition, while the Scouts had been prepared to fight the Armored Titan, they had not been expecting it to be wearing a helmet that protected its nape, nor had they been expecting it to be wielding a massive sword and shield that greatly increased its offensive and defensive capabilities. As a result, almost all of the thunder spears that had been fired upon it had been deflected or repelled, and several Scouts had already been struck down by the Titan's blade.

But while they were unable to harm the Armored Titan, the Scouts did have its attention, which gave Mikasa the chance she needed to get Eren into position.

A ball of light erupted behind the Armored Titan, and it quickly turned around to see the Attack Titan materialize once more.

The Armored Titan immediately thrust its blade forward, skewering the Attack Titan's right shoulder, but rather than retreating or trying to pull the blade out, the Attack Titan rushed forward, driving the sword deeper into its body. It then hardened its left fist and gave the Armored Titan a swift uppercut, knocking the helmet off its head.

As the Armored Titan flinched and reflexively stepped back, the Attack Titan hardened the skin around the areas where the sword had impaled it, locking it in place and causing it to slip from the Armored Titan's grasp.

Realizing his sword and helmet were now gone, the Armored Titan was forced on the defensive as the Scouts came around for another attack.

Seeing that the Scouts were focused on the Armored Titan, the Warhammer Titan stood still, impatiently waiting for its neck to heal enough so that it could make another attempt to capture the Attack Titan.

But while most of the Scouts were occupied by the Armored Titan and the Marleyan army, there was one that was not, much to the Warhammer Titan's misfortune.

The second it had healed enough, the Warhammer Titan used its power to summon an enormous cat o' nine tails, intending to use it against the Scouts surrounding the Armored Titan as soon as it got a little closer.

But before it could use its newly created weapon, a pair of blades sliced a deep cut through its right arm just below the shoulder, causing it to go limp and drop the weapon with a heavy thud.

The scout that had made the deep cut sailed through the air almost casually.

"So, you can use your hardening ability to summon weapons in a matter of seconds, huh?"

Recognizing him from the newspapers, the Warhammer Titan's eyes widened in alarm as it observed Levi flying right in front of it.

In desperation, it summoned a massive mace in its left hand, and tried to smash the veteran Scout.

Unfortunately for the Titan, Levi moved too fast for it to keep up, and not only dodged the attack but then followed it up by severing the arm at the elbow, forcing the Titan to drop that weapon too.

"And your weakness isn't in the nape. Interesting."

He then swooped in front of the Warhammer Titan's face, sliced open the eye slits and jabbed his blades into the Titan's eyes.

Levi dove out of the way before it could even try to grab him, replacing his blades as he did so.

"Still, it doesn't matter. Whatever your weak point is, I will find it."

He then looped around and sliced through the back of the Titan's left knee, causing it to stumble. As he did so he noticed a flesh colored cable attached to the right foot of the Titan. He immediately swooped down and cut through the cable.

The instant the cable was cut the Warhammer Titan collapsed to the ground, its body going limp.

Levi quickly saw that the cable led underground, and after switching from his blades over to the thunder spears he fired four of them down into the hole.

The resulting explosion caused no damage to the crystal that Ms. Tybur was hiding in, but after seeing her Titan so thoroughly defeated by the legendary Ackerman she knew it was over.

As Levi prepared to attack again, a voice echoed up out of the hole.

"Wait!"

Levi paused, and was surprised to see a woman dressed in upper class civilian clothing emerging from the hole, her hands held up over her head.

She looked frightened, but her voice was steady.

"I surrender."

Levi hesitated, his first instinct telling him to cut her head off before she could transform again.

But something about her expression told him she was telling the truth, and he decided to take her offer seriously.

"Okay."

He shoved a thunder spear into her arms. "But if you try to transform into a Titan again, that thing will detonate and kill you. Got it?"

She nodded, her face paling.

After learning of the Warhammer Titan's capture, Magath ordered the rest of his soldiers to surrender as well, securing the Scout's victory.

He let out a sigh. It's finally over. Not in the way I'd hoped, but over nonetheless.

With the battle over, the Armored and Attack Titans collapsed to the ground, and their respective shifters emerged from the battered Titan bodies.

Eren leaped lightly to the ground, and began to walk toward the Armored Titan's dissolving carcass.

Reiner remained where he was, his hands held up in the air as several scouts pointed their blades or thunder spears at him, daring him to make a sudden move, their faces filled with anger.

Reiner's breath hitched in his throat as he saw who was approaching him.

"Eren."

Ignoring Mikasa's pointed frown, Eren continued moving forward, only stopping when he was about a yard away from Reiner.

For a moment, neither one spoke, and the tension in the air remained palpable.

Eren looked at Reiner coolly. "So...it looks like we won."

Reiner blinked, unsure of what Eren was going for.

"Yeah..."

Eren jerked his head toward the ruined courtyard. "That trick with the Warhammer Titan was quite clever."

Reiner smiled weakly. "Evidently not clever enough."

His smile faded, and he found his gaze slipping to the ground, unable to maintain eye contact with his former comrade.

His hands started shaking slightly. "Did...have you come...to get revenge against me?"

Eren gave him a strange look before shaking his head.

"No. I just came to end the war. That's all."

Reiner looked up in shock. "Really? But...back then...I was the one who…"

Mikasa's face tightened, and her eyes narrowed. But Eren's expression didn't change.

"Yes, you were the one who broke down the wall." Eren said quietly. "But ultimately that wasn't your decision, was it? It was an inevitability that Marley would send someone to break down the wall. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else."

He glanced off to the side uneasily. "And, if I'm being completely honest...had I been raised in the same environment as you, and been given the same opportunities as you...I probably would have done the same thing."

Reiner's eyes widened. "Eren…"

Eren shook his head before returning his gaze to the Marleyan Warrior.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I will ever forget or forgive what you did. But, in the interest of long term peace, I am willing to overlook it."

His expression softened. "Besides, you and I are going to die in just a few years, and life is too short to be holding grudges. So…"

Eren slowly extended his hand, much to the surprise of Mikasa and the other Scouts.

Reiner stared at the hand before him, his heart beating slightly faster than normal.

He knew there were still many problems left to overcome, other battles to fight, more systemic issues to settle, and that the majority of these wouldn't be fully resolved until many years after his tenure had ended.

But he also knew that what had happened today was the first big step towards peace for the Eldian people and the world as a whole, and he took some small comfort in the knowledge that the old Marley and the old Eldia were truly dead and gone now.

He reached forward and clasped Eren's hand.

Author's Note: And so the war ends with Paradis and their allies as the winners. Magath and Willy also come out in pretty good shape, as they'll have free rein to reshape Marley however they want now that all those in power who would object are dead.

Sorry about what I did to Armin, but I felt that Marley needed at least a little victory, and I thought it was a clever way for the Colossal Titan to be taken down. Besides, with what happened at Fertig it ultimately doesn't really matter, and they'll be able to negotiate for Armin's release without too much difficulty.

Looking back, I probably should have just had the whole battle at Liberio and Fertig be one big chapter instead of three smaller ones, but oh well, too late now.

Chapter Text

Karina Braun was no stranger to fear. For any Eldian living in the internment zones fear was just a part of life, as even the smallest violation of the most minor rule could have serious, even deadly consequences. It was true that if you kept your head down, toed the line, and did everything in your power to avoid drawing attention to yourself, you would probably be okay, but the anxiety and uncertainty was still ever present.

Life became marginally better after her son was accepted into the Warrior program and their family was made into honorary Marleyans, but this improved status came with new fears. The biggest one was worrying about whether her son would survive the mission to that cursed island, a fear that was well founded, as of the four original Warriors sent to the island, Reiner was the only one who made it back alive.

But while he had made it back alive, he was clearly not the same person anymore. Before going to the island he had been upbeat and determined, and very enthusiastic about his mission. Now, though, he was quiet and reserved, and only seemed to do his duty out of a weary sense of obligation, any real passion he may have once had as a Warrior long since snuffed out.

Worse yet, after eavesdropping on several conversations between Reiner and his younger cousin Gabi, she'd learned that the disturbing reason for his changed demeanor was because he'd come to feel sorry for the island devils, and rather than feeling any sense of pride or accomplishment about his mission on the island, he now only seemed to feel deep guilt and shame. The only explanation she could think of for this attitude was that he had been so traumatized by what he had seen on the island that his mind had become confused and fragmented, and he'd extended the grief he felt over losing his fellow Warriors to the devils that had killed them, unable to see the distinction between the good Eldians of the continent and the bad Eldians of the island any longer.

The only thing that complicated this theory was that Gabi, despite never having been to the island, seemed to not only accept what Reiner was saying but back it up with what she had seen in the memories she'd inherited from Pieck, also claiming to feel sympathy for the island devils. And both Reiner and Gabi had made statements indicating that their superior officer Magath also believed that the Eldians on the island were not truly devils, and that they only needed to keep saying that they were until some unspecified point in the near future when they could dispense with that line of propaganda.

And this raised an even more disturbing possibility: that Reiner and Gabi were telling the truth when they said that the islanders were not devils, which by extension meant that Marley had been lying to them for over a century now.

And that concept terrified Karina even more than the possibility of Reiner dying in battle, as even entertaining such an idea could be considered treasonous, and treason carried with it the worst sentence possible. So rather than confronting Reiner and Gabi over what they had said, or really considering what they had said on her own, she had done her best to push it out of her mind completely, reassuring herself that they were the good Eldians, the islanders were the bad Eldians, and once the war was over Reiner and Gabi would come to their senses.

It almost worked, but she couldn't quite push away the tiny doubts that niggled around in the back of her mind.

At least, on most days she couldn't. But today she didn't need to worry about that, as her attention was thoroughly occupied by what was going on at the harbor not too far from the internment zone.

She'd known the invasion was coming, but while most of her fellow Eldians had retreated to the basements of the buildings in the internment zone, morbid curiosity had compelled her to remain on the top floor of her home so that she could look out the window and see the invasion for herself.

A few other Eldians also peered out through their windows, waiting for the oncoming storm.

Reiner...Gabi...please be safe...

The first thing they saw right away was the six airships that appeared directly above the harbor, and though they were still very far away they had just been able to see that the airships were dropping something onto the harbor, though they couldn't tell what.

A few minutes later, a series of bright flashes enveloped the harbor, forcing Karina to cover her eyes. The next second, a roar of sound and a blast of wind swept through the internment zone, rattling the windows, hammering the walls, and blowing any loose objects on or in between the buildings into the air.

As the light, noise, and wind faded, Karina was able to see what had caused the explosions, which to her horror turned out to be almost two dozen colossal Titans, just visible over the line of buildings between her and the harbor. Her eyes widened in terror, and she briefly wondered if she should bolt for the basement before the 50 meter high monsters made their way over to the internment zone.

Fortunately for her, most of the Titans headed toward the sea, and all of them were killed before they could leave the harbor. But just as she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing all of the Titans fall, she once again heard a roaring sound. This time, though, there was no accompanying light or wind, and she couldn't see what had caused it. However, after a few seconds she was able to see a line of smoke coming from the harbor, masked slightly by the steam from the dissolving Titans. She realized that the sound must have been cannon fire, and the smoke was coming from the Marleyan ships that had been hit by the enemy cannons. And judging from the amount of smoke rising into the air, a lot of their ships had been hit by the enemy.

Then, a few minutes later, another flash of light, one that eclipsed the others in both size and brightness, appeared in the center of the harbor, and was followed by another roar of sound and blast of wind. As Karina shielded her eyes, she could feel the sound and wind shaking the house, and she knew that if it had been closer to the source of the explosion her home would have collapsed like a house of cards.

After the noise died down, she slowly lowered her hand, and immediately felt her breath catch in her throat. For standing right in front of the harbor was the Colossal Titan. Even at a distance it was the stuff of nightmares, its massive red body and its skeletal face towering above everything in sight, with only the enemy airships above it.

She couldn't tell exactly what was happening, but it was clear that things were going very badly for the Marleyan army, and Karina felt that at this point it would be wisest to retreat to the basement.

But before she could, a smaller flash of light appeared directly in front of the Colossal Titan's face, and less than a minute later the Colossal Titan collapsed. After that, things suddenly became eerily quiet.

That second flash...that must have been either Gabi or Galliard...

Karina waited for a minute, then two, then five, and still, nothing more seemed to happen. There were no new sounds or flashes of light, and whatever may have been happening at the harbor was no longer in her line of sight.

She swallowed nervously as she eyed the enemy airships still hovering above the harbor, the only thing she could still see clearly.

What's going on out there?

Most of the day had gone by before she got an answer to her question.

Several hours after the harbor went silent, a large number of soldiers arrived from Fertig. A few of them surrounded the internment zone, while most of them headed straight for the harbor.

As she observed most of them, she could see that the soldiers looked very disheartened and subdued. This concerned her, but she also noted that none of the soldiers looked frightened or alarmed. This, combined with the fact that the harbor was still silent, led her to the conclusion that the battle was over, and whatever the soldiers were here for, it wasn't combat.

Her curiosity eventually getting the better of her, she exited her home and began to walk toward the front gate.

As she made her way down the front street, she was surprised to see someone else had also left the confines of their home.

"Falco." She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

He kept his gaze fixed on the gate, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Same as you. I'm here to see what's going on."

Karina opened her mouth to say he was too young and that he should go back home before she remembered that he was also a Warrior cadet, he was the same age as Gabi, who was participating in the war, and he was older than Reiner had been when he had been sent to Paradis.

Since when was it decided that sending children off to war was okay?

Karina froze, and hastily tried to push the seditious thought away.

As she and Falco reached the gate, it was opened from the outside, and a single person stepped through before it was closed again.

Karina gasped. "Reiner!"

The holder of the Armored Titan looked exhausted, and his uniform was slightly disheveled.

He glanced back and forth between them. "Is everyone alright?"

Karina nodded. "Yes, everyone's fine. Most of them are still waiting underground for the all clear."

Falco looked at Reiner seriously. "What's going on?"

Reiner let out a heavy sigh. "The war is over. Marley surrendered."

Karina gaped at him in shock, unable to say anything.

"What?!" Falco sputtered out. "We surrendered?! To those damned devils and their cronies? Why?!"

Reiner shook his head slowly. "At Fertig, there was a surprise attack. They killed off most of our military leaders with the Attack Titan. We anticipated something like this happening, and we tried to capture the Attack Titan using the Warhammer Titan. But unfortunately our plan failed, and the Warhammer Titan was captured. Between the death of our leaders, the capture of the Warhammer Titan, and the damage that would be inflicted on Marley if the war kept going, Magath made the decision to surrender."

Reiner gestured vaguely in the direction of the harbor. "At the moment Magath and Willy Tybur are negotiating the terms of Marley's surrender with Erwin Smith and the other representatives of the Alliance. Apparently during the battle at the harbor Gabi and Porco managed to capture the Colossal Titan, so the first thing Willy Tybur did was exchange the Colossal Titan for the Warhammer Titan, which makes sense, given that the user of the Warhammer Titan is his sister. Now they're working out the other details."

Falco looked outraged. "So that's it?! They're rolling over just like that?! I can understand trading the Warhammer Titan for the Colossal Titan, but why completely surrender? Have they forgotten what those evil devils have done, and the threat they pose? How can they just let them have their way after a minor setback?!"

Reiner looked down at the young cadet sadly. "Falco, you're letting your anger about your brother's death cloud your judgment."

Falco's eyes widened in fury. "What?! What the hell are you saying?! You're the one who constantly reminded us of our duty to defeat these devils, to protect our motherland and atone for Eldia's sin-"

"It was all bullshit!" Reiner shouted.

An ominous silence fell over the three of them.

Karina's face had gone chalk white.

Reiner…

"What?" Falco whispered, gazing up at Reiner with fear and uncertainty in his eyes.

Reiner hung his head in shame, unable to maintain eye contact with either of them.

"It was all bullshit." He repeated more quietly.

"The truth is...that paper was telling the truth. The people of Paradis did have their memories wiped. They were left defenseless and helpless. Marley was the one who started the cycle of violence all over again."

His voice broke. "And...and I'm the one...who carried out Marley's terrible plan, and caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people."

He looked back at Falco. "It's my fault Colt died. If I hadn't broken down the wall, the people of Paradis wouldn't have suffered so greatly, they wouldn't have had a reason to go to war against Marley, and they wouldn't have killed your brother. If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at me. Not the people of Paradis."

Falco took a step back. "But...but you were just following orders."

Reiner let out a bitter laugh. "You could say the same thing about any soldier. Does that automatically excuse what they did?"

Reiner knelt down and placed both of his hands on Falco's shoulders. "I know it's hard. But sometimes, for the sake of others, you have to let go of grudges. You're a smart kid Falco. Think back to before Colt died, before your grief and anger took hold. After reading that paper, you must have noticed some of the holes in Marley's narrative, right?"

Falco frowned, but reluctantly cast his mind back to the aftermath of the battle at Fort Slava, when the Mid East Alliance had released their first piece defending Paradis and denouncing Marley's propaganda.

It was true that, viewed impartially, the paper had made a compelling case. And when Reiner had dismissed the paper, Falco had noticed that his words, confident as they were, didn't quite reach his eyes.

Karina slowly stepped forward, her face still unnaturally pale.

"Reiner... I... I wasn't going to say anything originally. But... I heard you and Gabi talking...several times these past few weeks."

Reiner looked up at her sharply, while Falco glanced at her, his expression uncertain but mildly curious.

"Tell me...do you really see yourself as a mass murderer and a failure?"

Reiner flinched and averted his gaze before quietly muttering a single word.

"Yes."

Falco looked at him in shock, while Karina suddenly found it difficult to breathe. It felt like a hole was opening up in her stomach, and it was taking all of her willpower to maintain her composure.

"Reiner...I…" she stammered. "Did...you said the islanders were willing to trade the Warhammer Titan for the Colossal Titan. Do you think they will keep their word?"

Reiner let out a weary sigh. "They did keep their word. The trade already took place. Right now, while the negotiations are happening, the Alliance soldiers are working with our soldiers to repair the damage that was done to the harbor, including moving and treating the injured, gathering the dead, putting out fires, repairing damaged lines, and so on."

Karina's eyes widened, and the hole in her stomach seemed to grow even larger. All the doubts niggling around in the back of her mind that she had desperately tried to push away came flooding back in full force.

There had been numerous times when she'd overheard Reiner and Gabi making comments criticizing or outright dismissing what Marley had said about the war and Paradis. And as much as she tried to ignore it, she still remembered the broad details of what she had read in the now infamous paper, and the claims it had made. Among them was the claim that Paradis had suffered many civilian casualties at the hands of Marley, while when it came time for them to go to war with Marley the Paradisian forces had done their best to minimize civilian casualties.

And now, the islanders were offering humanitarian aid to the people they had just been killing, while the Tybur family, the heroes of the Great Titan War, were willing to negotiate with them. All of this was impossible, unless…

Unless they weren't devils.

Unless Marley was in the wrong.

Unless everything had been a lie.

This sobering realization became too much for her, and Karina collapsed to her hands and knees on the ground.

"Miss Braun?"

"Mother!"

Tears began to pour out of her eyes, and she found herself unable to look at her son.

"I...used...you. I... I felt so hopeless and lost, and I blamed those de...islanders for my suffering, despite the fact that they'd never done anything to me."

She still remembered that day, how Reiner's father, after toying with her heart, had immediately abandoned her after getting her pregnant. She'd felt so angry and scared and alone, and so lost.

She knew that the reason he had left her was because she was Eldian. And rather than being angry at him for his behavior, rather than being angry at the unjust system that had led to this behavior, she had meekly accepted the lies she had been fed since birth, that Eldians were devils, and that if they defeated the 'bad' Eldians they would one day be free. And she had forced all of this onto her own son as well, pushing him down a path full of bloodshed and pain.

She sobbed. "And I... I used you as a tool of revenge against them. I never treated you how a mother is supposed to. I'm sorry."

"Mom!"

Reiner knelt down in front of her and hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. We all got taken in by Marley's insidious propaganda. But things are different now. We can do better."

He pulled her into a hug, and she promptly began to sob her heart out into his shoulder. Despite his assurance, she wasn't willing to forgive herself just yet.

Falco averted his gaze, knowing that wasn't for him to see, and he was occupied with his own troubled thoughts.

As he held onto his sobbing mother, Reiner felt a fresh wave of guilt as he recalled someone who would never again be able to do what he was doing now.

I'm sorry Eren.

ONE MONTH LATER

The abrupt end to the war had taken the whole world by surprise, and the full ramifications of the war were still being figured out.

With the death of Marley's military leaders Magath had become the new head of the military, while Willy Tybur had officially stepped in as the new leader of Marley, supplanting the old regime and guiding the nation along the path toward peace.

Despite the losses they had taken, Marley was still a very large and powerful nation, but Magath knew that they had overextended themselves, and would not be able to sustain their massive empire unless they began conscripting Marleyan citizens into the military, something he knew would not go over well. With that in mind, new changes and compromises would have to be made to restore their standing in the international community.

Over the past century Marley had annexed a number of neighboring countries against their will, and stolen territory belonging to other nations, including several members of the Mid East Alliance. Now, though, the stolen territories were returned to their lawful owners, while the countries that had been annexed were given the option to leave Marley. Some had grown accustomed to and even benefited from the close ties to Marley, and so willingly chose to remain a part of Marley. But for the ones that wished to regain their independence they were allowed to do so.

Magath had expected the negotiations and deals to be stressful and time consuming, and they were, but thanks to the Tybur family's influence and Willy's charisma, things went much more smoothly then he had anticipated.

And now, only a month after the war had ended, the fruits of their labours were beginning to pay off.

The harbor of Liberio, which had been almost completely destroyed during the invasion, had been completely rebuilt, and it was here that the first large meeting between all the nations that had been involved in the war would take place.

Several large stands had been erected in one part of the harbor in order to accommodate the large number of VIPs that were attending, which included ambassadors, leaders, and reporters from all over the world. Among them included Willy Tybur, the leader of Marley, Kiyomi, the ambassador of Hizuru and the main representative of the other oriental nations, and Mazhar, the ambassador of Merkezl and the main representative of the nations that had made up the Mid East Allies.

The Warriors of Marley were also present, including Reiner, Galliard, Gabi, Falco, Udo, and Zofia. There were also several prominent figures from Paradis, including Erwin, Levi, Armin, and Historia. The representatives and reporters from the rest of the world were curious, as this was the first time many of them would be seeing the islanders in person.

For her part, Historia felt incredibly nervous. Not only was this her first time visiting the world outside of the island, but she would soon have to give a speech in front of hundreds of people, all while knowing that how she presented herself would reflect back on Paradis for good or ill.

Armin gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "You'll do fine. You've practiced and prepared for this."

She smiled at him nervously. "I know."

She rested her other hand against her slightly protruding belly, trying to remain calm.

Erwin glanced at the young couple before returning his gaze to the podium in front of the stands.

The harbor was full of ships that had brought the representatives of the world to Liberio, and off to one side of the harbor, stationed at the wharf nearest where the representatives were all gathered, was a medium sized ship whose purpose was unclear.

Of the people gathered there, the only ones who appeared to be on edge were Magath and Levi, as both were concerned about the possibility of either the other side trying something devious, or else some extremist taking advantage of the large gathering of VIPs and doing something crazy.

Erwin and Willy, on the other hand, weren't too concerned about either possibility, as the harbor was quite secure, and both were reasonably sure that the other side was acting in good faith.

Still, Erwin had made sure to leave Eren back on Paradis when it came time for this gathering. While he did trust the new Marleyan government, he wasn't naive.

After seeing that everyone had gathered and taken their seats, Willy Tybur stepped up to the podium, spreading his arms out wide in front of the large crowd.

"Welcome!" He cried. "Welcome to you all! Thank you all for coming here on this most historic day."

The crowd began to clap and cheer, and were very vocal in their support of the charismatic young head of the Tybur family.

After a moment the crowd fell silent, and Willy began his speech, his face becoming more grave.

"For the past 100 years the Tybur family has held a great deal of influence and power, both here in Marley and abroad, thanks to the role we played in the Great Titan War. However, for the most part we did not exercise this authority, instead leaving Marley free to do as it pleased, as atonement for the crimes of the Eldian empire and the sins of our race. But in hindsight, this was a dreadful mistake. While the Marleyan people were justifiably angry about the oppression they had been subjected to for so long, this anger was not tempered by reason or compassion in any way. After the fall of the Eldian empire Marley was reborn as a heroic nation that had defeated an imperialistic power with a history soaked in the blood of other nations, and was poised to lead the world into a new era of peace and prosperity. But what did Marley ultimately become? Another imperialistic power that oppressed a race of people it deemed to be inferior, and used the power of the Titans to trample on the sovereign rights of smaller and weaker nations. In other words, Marley became the very thing it had tried to destroy, plunging both Eldia and Marley down into darkness."

He gestured toward the representatives of Paradis. "And the light that pierced this darkness came from the most unlikely of sources, the island of supposed devils. They had been isolated from the world and robbed of the knowledge of their heritage by the 145th King, but in a strange way this ignorance allowed them to see the bigger picture much more clearly once they learned the truth about the outside world. While Marley saw the attack on Wall Maria as a righteous act of retribution, the people of the walls saw it for what it truly was: an unprovoked and unjustifiable atrocity, inflicted upon people who had not only done nothing wrong themselves, but didn't even know about the crimes their ancestors had committed."

The crowd began to murmur at this. It had been one thing to hear this claim about Paradis's innocence from the Mid East Allies, but to hear it repeated and reaffirmed by the head of the Tybur family was a shocking development, as it lent further credibility to the idea.

"During the height of the Eldian empire there was pervasive propaganda pushing the idea that the subjects of Ymir were a superior race, and those who belonged to other races ought to submit to their betters. After Marley rose to power, the script was flipped, and now the subjects of Ymir were descendants of devils, and needed to be locked up to protect the people of the world. But both strains of propaganda boiled down to the same thing: generalize the moral character of an entire race in order to boost the ego of those in charge and to keep an oppressed group in line. And both were entirely wrong. It is true that Eldians carry within them the power of the Titans, but this in and of itself is neither good nor bad. What matters is not what one is born as, but what one grows up to be. It is our choices that determine our moral character, not our racial or ethnic background. For centuries the world has bought into some version of the sins of the father concept, the idea that we should judge people based on what their ancestors have done. But the time has come for us to lay this idea to rest for good, to look at people on an individual basis, and to see them for who they truly are, and not to jump to conclusions based on our preconceived notions."

Willy's gaze softened. "This war has been hard on all of us, and there were many losses on both sides. But now that it is over, I solemnly swear that as the leader of Marley I will do what should have been done a century ago. I will lead the world into a new era of peace and cooperation, and strive to build ties between the various nations and peoples represented here that will ensure that our children will inherit a better world, one free from the hatreds and burdens of the past."

He bowed, and the crowd began to clap and cheer.

He smiled widely. "And now, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the queen of Paradis, Historia Reiss!"

He stepped away from the podium at the same time that Historia stood up. They passed each other and shook hands.

"Nice speech." Historia murmured.

"Thanks." Willy replied quietly. "Though I'm glad that's over. I always feel slightly queasy whenever I have to address a large crowd."

Historia blinked in surprise. "Really? But you looked so calm and collected."

Willy chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it, but I think speaking in front of this many people is at least a little nerve wracking for everyone. Good luck."

With that Willy walked away while Historia marched up to the podium, his confession making her feel a little better.

As she stepped up to the podium the crowd clapped again, though it was more muted this time, as they weren't sure what to expect from her.

"I want to thank Willy for that wonderful speech. The only criticism I can think of is that it will be a very tough act to follow, but I will try my best."

The crowd let out a series of chuckles, while Historia spotted Armin giving her an encouraging look, which further helped to ease her nerves.

"The 145th king claimed to want peace, but as we have seen his actions did not bring about peace. He did not end the cycle of hatred that began two thousand years ago, he only prolonged it, and created more victims and more suffering. He did not solve any problems, he only ran away from them. The only way to solve any problem is to face it head on. In this case, when it comes to the cycle of hatred, the only way to end it and move past it is for both parties involved to set aside their grudges and try to make amends. Willy has done this, and I believe he sincerely wants to move us into a better world of peace and harmony."

She gestured behind her, toward the wharf where the medium sized ship was stationed. "In that spirit, I would like to make an offering to facilitate this new era. For the past three years we have captured every survey ship that Marley sent to the island, and we have taken every soldier on board those ships prisoner. But now that the war is over, there is no longer any need to keep prisoners of war, and so today we will return them all home safe and unharmed."

This created a stir, and the crowd began to look at the ship curiously.

Historia soon sat back down next to Armin, and accepted his offered hand.

A short time later, the prisoners began to be escorted off of the ship one by one, and were reunited with their friends and family, while the reporters from all over the world took pictures and interviewed the former prisoners.

Erwin watched the event unfold with a shrewd expression, as he knew the good this would do to help further improve Paradis's image to the world. Not only would the gesture of releasing prisoners of war be well received, but he had gone out of his way to make sure that the prisoners had been treated well during their stay on the island. Now that they were being sent back home they would carry with them the knowledge that the inhabitants of the island were not devils but human beings, and further improve the world's perception of the island nation.

Among the prisoners released was Niccolo, though Erwin knew that Niccolo planned to return to the island, as he had a restaurant and a girlfriend waiting for him there, something which would undoubtedly shock his parents a great deal.

Eventually most of the prisoners had left the ship, and only one was left.

Among the crowd of people near the wharf, one of them was mister Leonhart, who stood off to one side with a slightly hopeful expression on his face.

And as the final prisoner stepped off of the ship, the entire harbor seemed to freeze in shock.

For standing there, alive and well, was Annie Leonhart.

Annie and her father stared at each other for a long moment before abruptly running toward each other and tearfully embracing.

Erwin couldn't help but relish the stunned expression on Willy and Magath's faces, because while they had known about the prisoners Paradis was going to release, they hadn't known about this.

After numerous experiments they'd finally managed to get Annie out of the crystal. However, by the time they had succeeded the war was already over. Initially Erwin had been planning on passing the Female Titan on to one of their soldiers. But after negotiating with Willy and Magath about the terms of Marley's surrender, a new idea had occurred to him.

For one, Willy seemed to be making a genuine effort toward reconciliation, and for another, Erwin had the distinct impression that Magath suspected that they were bluffing about the Founding Titan. While that was partly true, as they didn't have access to the Founding Titan yet, they would before long.

And so Erwin had convinced the Paradis government to let Annie be returned to Marley. It would help the reconciliation process while also subtly letting Magath and the others know that they weren't bluffing about the Founding Titan, because if they were they would never have given up the Female Titan.

As the crowd gathered around the happily reunited father and daughter, Armin let out a soft smile, while Historia felt the same calm washing over her that she had felt the first time she had gotten to see the ocean. There would still be more battles to fight, more issues to resolve. But they had taken another big step toward making a better world for all of them.

Author's Note: The first part with Reiner, Karina, and Falco went through several rewrites, and while I'm fairly satisfied with it I'm still not sure I got the emotion of the scene quite right. Oh well, let me know what you think.

As for the second part, some might object and say that Willy Tybur being completely on board with reconciling with Paradis conflicts with his behavior in canon. But I think there are a few key things to note, as the circumstances in the canon and this story are very different.

Firstly, while Willy and Magath both seem like smart and reasonable people, at the end of the day they are still human, and it's clear that at a certain level they bought into their own propaganda, in particular the idea that Eldians are inherently bad people, both because of their Titan powers and the history of the Eldian empire. And for them this idea was never really challenged in canon until much later, while here they were forced to confront counterarguments much sooner.

More importantly, though, is that Willy and Magath were primarily concerned with maintaining Marley's power and relevance in the world, and in the canon the best way to get the world to overlook Marley's flaws and unite behind them was to present them with a common threat, which is why they used Paradis and Eren as a scapegoat. But in this timeline it's too late for that, as the world still has a lot of disdain and and resentment toward Marley, and thanks to Erwin's proactive strategy the ploy of using Paradis as a scapegoat won't work anymore.

So their best option at this point is to accept defeat and adapt to the new circumstances of the world, and in doing so redeem themselves in the eyes of the world. And while they do now have to give concessions and reparations to other nations, they're still a large and powerful nation, and can easily bounce back from this. Besides, Willy Tybur does seem like a reasonable person, and if presented with new information would probably be willing to change his views. And if you factor in the crazy amount of influence the Tybur family has in the AoT world, if the Tybur family decides to facilitate peace, peace will probably come.

As for the thing with Annie, I've been planning that from the beginning. Hopefully it was a nice little surprise.

Chapter Text

ONE YEAR AFTER WAR

The ocean waters were calm and serene, and the sky above was a clear blue, without a single cloud in sight. Gulls cried joyfully to each other as they circled above in the air, their wings beating casually to stay aloft.

A single ship was moving across the waters, its destination just barely in sight on the horizon. Its passengers were leaning on the edge of the railing, some peering through binoculars or telescopes to get a better look at the island, while others were forced to resort to squinting with their naked eyes, unable to see anything other than the faint outline of a large land mass in the distance.

Zofia breathed in the salty air with a satisfied smile. "I wonder what kind of food they'll have there."

"I heard they're importing a lot nowadays, so there'll probably be a wide variety of things." Udo remarked.

Gabi looked at her friends with mock sternness. "Just remember to be on your best behavior. How you act will reflect back on Marley, and we wouldn't want to embarrass our home, would we?"

Udo shook his head with a sigh. "Lighten up, will you? It's a festival, not a diplomatic mission."

Falco glanced at Gabi with a sly grin. "Besides, weren't you the one who got drunk during the winter holiday?"

"That was one time!" Gabi all but shrieked, her face red with embarrassment. "I didn't think one drink would hurt!"

The others laughed good naturedly at her expense, while Magath briefly gazed at the young Warriors with a melancholy expression before returning his eyes to the horizon and the approaching island.

Much had changed over the past year, and despite some lingering tensions at home and abroad, Marley was in a much better position than it had been for years. Now that it wasn't overextending itself with constant colonialism and territory disputes, and actively engendering resentment from other nations, it could focus on rebuilding and improving its infrastructure, and catching up to the rest of the world technologically. And one major contributing factor to their growing economy was a new trading partner, namely Paradis island.

Paradis island was still lagging behind the rest of the world when it came to its development, but they did have access to a lot of natural resources that were in high demand in Marley and the rest of the world. And thanks to some trading deals they'd made with Merkezl and Hizuru, they were able to extract and sell these resources abroad. In addition, the people of Paradis were very interested in a lot of goods from the wider world that had been previously unknown to the islanders, and so trade between Paradis and the rest of the world had greatly expanded. These economic ties and accumulation of wealth and resources were helping Paradis to slowly but surely catch up with the rest of the world. At the moment they didn't have the knowledge or capability to mine and extract many of the natural resources of the island on their own, hence why they were relying on Merkezl and Hizuru to do it for them for the immediate future, but eventually they intended to become more self reliant in that regard, and while it was off the table as an explicit threat, the rumbling remained as a subtle background pressure to discourage either Merkezl or Hizuru from taking advantage of the small and relatively young nation.

Magath shifted his gaze to the other side of the deck. The ship was carrying passengers who were mostly from Marley, though there were a handful of people from other nations as well. And standing toward the center of the ship were three other people under his command who had elected to come along on this trip to Paradis island. Two of them were some of his Warriors, namely Annie and Reiner. Porco had remained in Marley just in case of the unlikely event that something went horribly wrong, though Magath wasn't too worried about that.

The third person was Dr. Ludwig, a spectacle wearing Eldian scientist originating from a nation to the south of the main continent who had spent decades working for Marley. He spoke with a thick accent, and was known for his rather eccentric nature.

"So, you have one year left in your tenure, correct?" Ludwig asked.

"Yeah." Reiner nodded shortly. "Falco's next in line to inherit the Armored Titan."

Ludwig put a hand to his chin. "Yes, and zat little girl, I believe her name vas Zofia? She's ze one who vill inherit ze Female Titan."

"Yeah." Annie said quietly.

Dr. Ludwig looked at her in fascination. "Now, you're an interesting case. You inherited your Titan around ze same time as Reiner, correct?"

Annie mutely nodded.

"Now, normally zat vould mean zat your tenure ends in a year, ze same as him. However, you vere frozen in zat crystal for four years, vhich complicates zings. Physically you didn't age a day, so it's possible zat ze effects of ze curse vere suspended during your imprisonment. If zat is ze case, zen you have about five years left in your tenure rather zan one. Not a whole lot more, but still some. Of course, ve don't know for sure either vay, so ve'll have to monitor you closely."

Annie took a couple steps back, uncomfortable at how enthusiastic the doctor seemed about the idea of monitoring her closely.

Oblivious to her discomfort, Ludwig continued, a gleam in his eye. "Zere are alvays some noticeable signs as a shifter reaches ze end of zeir term, zough ze exact symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. For instance, ven ze term of ze Cart Titan before Pieck came to an end, for ze last few veeks she began to bleed profusely from her-"

"That's all fascinating, Doctor, but I have to say I was surprised when you said you wanted to come on this trip." Magath interjected. "You spend nearly all of your time in the lab or engaged in your research, so what made you decide to come on this little outing? Were you just curious about the island?"

Ludwig looked slightly annoyed at the interruption, but quickly regained his composure.

"Vell, yes, curiosity about zis island vas part of it. After all, it's been a forbidden place for ze past century, and now suddenly it's just anozzer country open to ze rest of ze vorld. But more importantly, I've heard zat Paradis has a Titan scientist by ze name of Hange Zoe, and she's vorked vith ze Founding Titan itself. I'm dying to learn vat she knows."

Magath had to resist the urge to scoff. "I seriously doubt she'll just tell you."

"Oh, I zink she vill." Ludwig countered with a smug grin. "After all, Paradis has admitted zat zeir knowledge about shifters is rather lacking, and after decades of vorking vith Eldians, Titans, and shifters, I have quite an extensive amount of knowledge on ze subject."

Magath looked at him sharply. "Much of that is classified."

Ludwig waved his hand dismissively. "Oh take it easy, ve're supposed to be at peace now, right? And besides, in zis vorld if you vant people to give you something, you have to offer somezing in return. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, yes?"

"Hmm." Magath grunted.

About an hour later, the ship arrived in the Paradisian harbor, and its passengers disembarked, most of them setting foot on the island for the first time, which was presently bustling with activity.

To celebrate the end of the war and to mark the beginning of what would hopefully be a long lasting era of peace, the Paradis and Marley governments had declared the anniversary of their peace talks an annual holiday. Paradis was celebrating the occasion by throwing a large festival in their first and biggest harbor, and had invited people from all over the world to come and celebrate with them.

As they made their way into the heart of the harbor, Gabi, Falco, Zofia, and Udo were in awe of the sights around them, as there had been countless food stands and attractions set up all throughout the harbor.

Reiner and Annie lingered a short distance behind the younger Warriors, their enthusiasm for the festival tempered by the bittersweet memories they both had from the last time they had been on the island.

The streets were lavishly decorated, and people from Paradis, Marley, and elsewhere were mingling and interacting, the joyful atmosphere of the festival lowering the barriers between the differing nationalities.

As the Warriors of Marley walked down one of the side streets, trying to find a place that was slightly less crowded, they happened to pass by another large group. The group consisted of a middle aged man and woman, two men and a woman who looked to be in their early twenties, and a girl who appeared to be in her early teens.

Reiner and Annie froze as they recognized two of the people, and the two groups came to a halt next to each other.

"Oh." Reiner said faintly.

Gabi looked back and forth between the two groups, not entirely sure why the atmosphere had suddenly become so tense.

"Hi." Sasha said awkwardly. "Um, long time no see?"

The older man looked at Reiner's group carefully. "Hmm, judging from your armbands, I'm guessing you're Marley's warriors?"

Reiner slowly nodded. "Yeah."

"It's alright. The war's over, no sense dwelling on the past."

He gently nudged his daughter. "Sasha, why don't you introduce us?"

"Oh, okay."

Sasha looked slightly flustered but tried to remain calm. She turned away from Reiner and looked at Gabi and the others.

"Hi, I'm Sasha, and I'm a member of the Survey Corp. This is my mom and dad, and this is Niccolo, my fiance."

Niccolo nervously raised his hand in greeting.

A faint smile appeared on Reiner's face. "Congratulations. You look slightly familiar though. Weren't you originally from Marley?"

Niccolo nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, but after arriving here and becoming a prisoner of war I ended up falling in love with this island."

He looked down at Sasha affectionately. "Kind of ironic, huh? This was supposed to be the island of devils, but it ended up being the first place where I was really happy."

He smiled ruefully. "Of course my parents aren't exactly thrilled with my choices. I mean, leaving the military so I can run a restaurant instead, and marrying an Eldian, much less one of the islanders, was pretty shocking for them, as it runs counter to everything they ever taught me."

Sasha squeezed his hand. "But I think they'll come around once they see how happy you are now."

Niccolo returned the squeeze. "I hope so. At least they've agreed to attend the wedding and haven't disowned me like I thought they might."

As Niccolo described the strained relationship he had with his parents, Reiner found himself reminded of his own estranged father, who had flatly abandoned him and his mother simply because they were Eldians. At least Niccolo's parents were trying to be somewhat open minded, while his father…

He mentally shook himself. There was no sense dwelling on things that could never be.

Sasha gestured behind her. "Oh, and this is my adopted sister Kaya. And this is Jean."

Kaya shyly waved at Gabi and the other young Warriors, while Jean silently nodded, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Reiner and Annie.

Trying to avoid eye contact with Jean, Reiner kept his attention on Sasha's father.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Blouse. I'm Reiner, and this is Annie, Gabi, Falco, Udo, and Zofia."

Kaya shyly raised her hand. "Hello. So, you guys are a part of Marley's army?"

"Yep." Gabi said proudly. "We're a part of the Warrior unit."

"Interesting." Kaya pointed down the street. "Hey, um, I remember seeing some games back there. Did you maybe want to check them out?"

"Sure!" Gabi exclaimed cheerfully. "Come on guys, let's go!"

With that, Kaya, Gabi, Falco, Udo, and Zofia parted from the group and made their way over to the games Kaya had pointed out.

With the children gone, Jean looked at the remaining two Warriors with a serious expression.

"Hey, can I talk to you two alone for a moment?"

Reiner and Annie looked at each other uneasily, while Sasha, Niccolo, and her parents glanced uncertainly at Jean.

"Okay." Reiner said reluctantly.

Reiner, Annie, and Jean walked a short distance away from the others, and Jean's expression became grave.

"Armin's told me some of his theories, but I'd like to know the truth. What happened to Marco?"

Reiner flinched, while Annie looked at the ground as if secretly hoping it would swallow her whole. They'd suspected that this kind of question was coming, but knowing this didn't make it any less unpleasant.

"I took his gear from him." Annie murmured.

Jean's stare intensified into a glare at her words.

"She was just following my orders." Reiner interjected.

As he'd hoped, Jean's attention went back to him and away from Annie.

"Marco...he overheard a conversation between me and Bertolt, something that had to be kept secret. We needed to silence him, and I thought letting him be eaten by a Titan would be the best way to avoid arousing suspicion. And...well, you can deduce the rest."

Reiner hung his head. "I...for what it's worth...I'm sorry."

For a moment, Jean didn't say anything, and Reiner and Annie remained silent, as if waiting for his judgment.

After about a minute of silence, Jean spoke.

"Did...did he have any last words?"

Reiner blinked, mildly surprised by the question, before answering it.

"Yeah. He said 'we still haven't talked.'"

Jean folded his arms and let out a long sigh, his gaze drifting away from them and toward the sea.

"I guess that really was the root of the issue. We didn't talk, because we were too busy killing each other."

He glanced back at them. "Of course, it's not like we really had a choice in the matter. At Shiganshina Armin tried to talk, but Bertolt said he'd only talk if we all agreed to die."

Annie winced at the venom in Jean's voice, but said nothing, knowing his bitter words were fully warranted.

Reiner took a tentative step forward. "If...if you want to take out your anger on me...go ahead. I won't stop you."

Jean scowled. "Tch. It won't bring Marco back, and you'd just regenerate from anything I did anyway. I cannot forgive you for what you've done, but for the sake of peace I'll let it slide. Just...if you come back to the island, please give some warning next time so I don't have to see either of you ever again."

Reiner nodded, but Jean had already turned around and walked away, seemingly unwilling to tolerate being in their presence any longer. He didn't rejoin the others, but instead wandered off on his own.

"Well, that was uncomfortable." Annie remarked.

Reiner looked at her, his expression remorseful. "Annie...I realize I never apologized. Both for forcing us to keep going after Marcel was eaten, and for forcing you to take Marco's gear. I'm sorry."

Annie let out an impatient sigh before turning around and kicking him in the head. He stumbled to the ground, his ears ringing, while nearby bystanders looked at them in shock.

"Save it." Annie said flatly. "Like Jean said, apologizing won't change the past, so spare me your remorse. It won't do any good at this point."

Reiner slowly got back up, his hand gingerly touching a small cut on his cheek. "Right. Sor...right."

"Everything okay over here?"

Reiner and Annie turned around and saw that Mr. and Mrs. Blouse, Sasha and Niccolo had come back over, looking at them in concern.

Annie shook her head. "It's nothing, he was just being an idiot."

Reiner nodded.

The street they were on ended a few yards away and led onto another larger street that ran perpendicular to the one they were on, and a more sizable crowd had begun to gather and were marching down the street right past them.

Reiner looked at the large number of people in surprise. "Whoa, what's going on here?"

Mr. Blouse peered carefully down the street. "I'm not sure but I think...ah, I'm right. It's the queen."

In the middle of the gathering crowd was a squad of MPs who were escorting two people, Armin and Historia. Armin was cradling a blond haired baby in his arms, and Historia was raising her arm in greeting to all the citizens eager to see her, while the MPs were doing their best to keep their enthusiasm at bay. Armin was in his military uniform, while Historia was decked out in her royal outfit, though she had decided to forgo the long flowing cloak that sometimes accompanied it.

Annie's jaw dropped. "Wait...Krista?! How the hell did she become queen?!"

Reiner smiled sheepishly. "Oh right, I forgot to mention, Krista's real name is Historia."

Comprehension dawned on Annie's face, and she closed her mouth.

"Oh."

Sasha burst out laughing. "Ha, the look on your face was priceless!"

Annie folded her arms and looked away, trying in vain to hide her embarrassment.

Reiner looked at the baby in Armin's arms curiously. "And I'm assuming that's her child?"

"Yep." Mr. Blouse confirmed. "It's a girl that they named Ymir, after Historia's late friend I guess."

Reiner felt another pang at being reminded of yet another member of the 104th that had died because of his failings. It was a burden he would carry for the rest of his life, short as that may be, and he was glad that Historia and Armin at least had managed to find some happiness together.

As the royal couple and their escort passed by, Armin and Historia didn't see their group, but one of the MPs, Hitch, did, and briefly made eye contact with Annie before continuing on their way.

Annie was immensely grateful to Hitch, as she had been the only one who had regularly visited her in her crystal prison during the four years, and those visits were probably the only reason she hadn't gone insane from the extended isolation and darkness.

Reiner turned back toward Mr. Blouse. "Say, where's Eren? I didn't mean it like I was demanding to know, I just, I was wondering, since Armin's here."

Sasha hummed uncertainly. "I'm not sure where Eren is, but I know it's not here. I think he and Mikasa are abroad somewhere."

Her eyes softened. "They got married right after the war."

Annie let out a small smile at the news. "That's wonderful. But...doesn't Eren only have a short time left?"

"Just over three years." Niccolo said sadly. "Not a lot of time, but they're trying to make the most of it."

He smiled at Sasha warmly. "I'm certainly glad you and I have more time than that."

Sasha leaned her head against his arm. "Me too."

As the young couple gazed at each other lovingly, Reiner reflected on Eren with regret. It sounded like he and Mikasa had managed to find some happiness with one another, but it would be brutally cut short before long. Reiner didn't place much value on his own life anymore, and if he could he would gladly give his remaining year to Eren. It wouldn't be much, but Eren deserved it far more than he did.

Elsewhere in the harbor, Erwin stood near a stand selling imported wine of various kinds from all around the world. A short distance away he saw Yelena giving Onyankapon a tour of the harbor, as this was his first time on the island. Most of the volunteer soldiers had disbanded and either gone back to being normal Marleyan soldiers or returned to their newly liberated homelands. Onyankapon belonged to the latter group, and while Paradis remained his top priority, Erwin was glad that his efforts had helped the people of other nations as well.

Just behind him, his second in command was slowly becoming intoxicated from the exotic alcohols she was trying.

"Hoo!" Hange grinned, her cheeks flushed as she held an empty glass at a slightly tilted angle. "This is really good!"

Erwin glanced at her with a wry smile. "Don't overdo it, Hange. I know what you're like when you get super drunk, and I'd prefer not to deal with that."

Hange waved her hand at him dismissively. "Don't be such a worrywart, I can handle myself. Besides, I'm a scientist, and I want to test my theories. I need more samples."

She set down her empty glass and quickly snatched up a new kind of drink.

She swirled the liquid around the glass, eyeing it curiously. "I bet this tastes interesting."

She then drained it down in one gulp, letting out a sharp gasp as it passed down her throat.

"Hypothesis confirmed!"

As Erwin watched Hange with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, Magath and Dr. Ludwig happened to be making their way through the same part of the harbor.

Ludwig froze. "Isn't zat Ervin Smith?"

Magath followed his colleague's pointed finger, and instantly recognized the Paradisian commander.

Magath nodded. "Yes. And I believe that's Hange Zoe standing next to him."

"Ah, perfect." A grin lit up Ludwig's face, a sight that always left Magath feeling slightly unsettled.

Ludwig walked over and raised his voice. "Hello zere! My name is Dr. Ludvig. If I'm not mistaken, you are Hange Zoe?"

Erwin seemed somewhat surprised to see Magath, while Hange's attention was on the eccentric doctor.

"Yes, that's me." Hange smiled tentatively. "But how do you know about me?"

"Vhy, anyone interested in Titan research should know about you! I've read about some of your experiments, and as a scientifically minded person myself I'm dying to know more."

Hange looked flattered. "Oh really?"

"Yes. For one zing, I'm very interested in some of your experiments involving captured specimens. In Marley vhen ve vanted to do research on Titans ve just made our own, but you had to catch Titans out in ze vild so to speak. It sounds like it vas dangerous but also intriguing. Vould you mind telling me more?"

"Oh certainly! Let's see, where should I start…"

Hange and Ludwig then walked off and began to swap Titan stories and theories, leaving Erwin and Magath alone. An uncomfortable silence filled the air as the two military leaders regarded each other.

Erwin was the first to break the silence.

"So, it looks like you have an eccentric Titan scientist too."

Magath nodded shortly. "Yes. He does good work, though his lack of empathy can be a bit unnerving at times. He almost seemed disappointed when Willy Tybur banned some of the more controversial experiments we had been conducting on Eldians."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "But isn't he Eldian?"

"Yeah, but he seems to forget that half the time. Or maybe he just doesn't care."

"Hmm…"

Another uncomfortable silence filled the air.

Magath looked at the ground. "This is the first time we've seen each other in an informal setting."

"Yes."

Magath looked out toward the sea, in his mind's eye recalling the day he had seen a massive flash of light out across the watery horizon, the day everything had changed.

"I still remember the day I first saw you on the battlefield, when you appeared in your Beast Titan form at Fort Slava. That whole incident was certainly a wake up call, for Marley and for me."

Erwin remained silent, sensing Magath had something he wanted to get off his chest.

"The operation on Paradis...I was the one in charge of it, but most of the details of the operation were handed down to me by my superiors."

He let out a bitter chuckle. "All in all it was quite the stupid plan. Entrusting the whole thing to four children, and sending them in blind with our latest intel about the walls a century out of date. Madness. Utter madness. And of course the human cost of the plan was never given any consideration at all."

He looked at Erwin anxiously. "For what it's worth, I am sorry for ignoring my better judgment and following along with what my superiors wanted."

Erwin inclined his head. "Apology accepted. I have quite a few war crimes under my belt now as well, so I'm in no real position to judge you for what you did. Given the circumstances, I probably would have done the same thing. All we can do now is move forward."

Magath was slightly taken aback that his apology had been so easily accepted by Erwin, but it didn't come as a major surprise to him, as from what he had learned about Erwin's past and the decisions he had made he knew the Scout commander was a much better man than him. When the good of his people was threatened by his government's corruption and shortsightedness, Erwin had helped stage a coup and overthrown the old regime.

Meanwhile, when the good of his people was threatened by his government's corruption and shortsightedness, Magath had meekly submitted to their plans, only raising a few halfhearted objections that he knew damn well would be ignored. And as a direct result, the people of Paradis and Marley had endured large scale death and destruction that could have been avoided.

True, he'd eventually worked with Willy Tybur to replace the old regime in Marley with a new one, but it had come far later than it should have, and most of the hardest work was being done by Willy. The consequences of his mistakes would still linger for a very long time, and Magath could only hope that he had done enough to rectify these mistakes and help future generations move toward a better path.

As he observed the festivities around him, and the sight of people of various nationalities coming together to celebrate peace, Magath had to admit that this seemed like another promising step along that path.

TWO YEARS AFTER WAR

Reiner's eyes slowly slid open, taking in the familiar sight of his bedroom. His mind was still foggy from sleep, and at first he wasn't sure why today felt different somehow.

Then he remembered. Today was the end of his term.

He rolled onto his back, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.

It was strange. There was a time when the idea of dying had terrified him. Now, though, it didn't seem to phase him as much. A large part of that had to do with the massive guilt and regret he still held in regards to what he had done on Paradis. No matter what he did to try to atone for his sins, the shame was something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Not having to carry that burden any longer would be a blessing.

Plus, if he was honest with himself, he was rather weary of life. Some are able to live through war and then return to a more normal life, but in his case he knew that things would never be the same again, and a 'normal' life just wasn't in the cards for him.

He also had to admit he was curious. He'd heard various theories about what happened after death, and he would soon get to see which one, if any, were correct.

With a heavy sigh, Reiner slowly stood up and walked over to his desk. A drop of blood fell onto the wooden surface, and Reiner quickly grabbed a clean rag to hold to his nose.

After he was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, Reiner got dressed and headed downstairs, where his mother was waiting for him with breakfast.

They ate breakfast in silence, the oppressive atmosphere brought on by the knowledge that it was his last day discouraging much talk.

But as Reiner got up to leave, she finally broke the silence.

"Reiner…"

He looked back at his mother, and was saddened but not surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"It's okay."

She shook her head vigorously. "No it's not! No parent should ever outlive their child, and yet I…"

He pulled her into a hug, trying to give her what comfort he could.

"We've been over this. You can't blame yourself entirely for what happened. I contributed too, and the old Marleyan regime was what ultimately pushed us into the Warrior program."

He pulled back and looked at her seriously. "Just...just promise you'll look after Gabi for me, okay?"

She gave a shaky nod, tears still flowing down her face. "I will."

As Reiner and her left the house, the rest of their extended family was waiting for them to say their goodbyes to Reiner. They included Karina's brother Charles, his wife Jennifer and their son David, Karina's sister Carolina and her husband Thomas, as well as their daughter Gabi. Falco and his parents were also there to say goodbye to Reiner.

After they had all said their goodbyes, Reiner, Gabi, and Falco left through the front gate of the internment zone and began to walk toward the military HQ.

The walk was unnaturally silent, and the only thing of interest Reiner noticed along the way was when Gabi dropped a letter into a nearby mailbox. He hadn't been able to see the address, but he was pretty sure it was a letter to Kaya, who had become her pen pal after they met on Paradis island.

Gabi and Falco were also much more subdued then normal, which Reiner felt slightly guilty about, as he knew that if it wasn't for his imminent demise they would probably be in fairly good spirits.

About a month ago Falco had finally confessed his feelings to Gabi, something Reiner had suspected for a long time but said nothing about. Gabi had accepted his feelings, and the two of them had started dating shortly afterwards. After everything they had been through during the war the two of them were more mature than most 14 year olds, but they were still quite smitten with each other, and Reiner hoped that they would be happy together, even if he wouldn't live long enough to see it.

Before long the three Warriors arrived at the headquarters and headed for the basement, where they knew the other warriors would be waiting for them.

As they entered the basement, they found the others sitting at a table off to one side of the large room. Magath was at the head of the table, while Annie, Porco, and several other officers sat further down the table.

"There you are." Magath said. "I was starting to wonder."

Reiner shrugged. "Well, let's just get this over with."

He then shook hands with Annie and Porco.

"Bye Reiner." Annie murmured.

"Say hi to Marcel for me, okay?" Porco smiled halfheartedly.

Reiner nodded. "Sure thing."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Gabi hugged him tightly, a few stray tears leaking from her eyes. Reiner looked down at her regretfully, and gently patted her on the head before pulling away and moving toward the center of the room, where several of the officers chained him down.

As they put the chains in place, Reiner found himself reflecting on how things had changed over the last two years for the Eldian people.

Willy Tybur was smart enough to know that a century of propaganda can't be undone overnight, and if he made too many radical changes too quickly the Marleyan populace, and even the Eldian populace, would react negatively and fight against him. As a result, Eldians still had to live in the internment zones, and they still had to wear the armbands. But a series of reforms had been passed that had greatly improved the conditions of the Eldians. All of the draconic laws that threatened Eldians with severe punishment for minor offenses had been repealed or nullified, and the path to become an honorary Marleyan had been expanded far beyond just the military, which in turn had given Eldians more rights and opportunities in society.

And one small change that applied to Marley's shifters was a more humane method for transferring the Titan powers. It had been traditional for the previous shifter to be chained down and then eaten alive by the next person in line. That was still the case, but they had now added the option for the previous shifter to be sedated during the process. As Willy had pointed out, forcing the person to be awake while they were eaten alive seemed needlessly cruel, and just because it had been the tradition didn't make it right. And so Reiner had been given the choice to be unconscious when Falco's Titan ate him.

But Reiner had refused. After all the lives he had taken, and in particular what he had done to Marco, knowing firsthand what it was like to be eaten alive was an act of penance that Reiner was more than willing to perform.

After making sure the chains were secured, the officers quickly moved away and headed back to the side of the room.

Falco came forward with the syringe in his hand. Falco and Reiner looked at each other for a moment, Falco's unspoken promise to look after Gabi and the others hanging in the air.

Falco then looked down, visibly steeled himself, and pressed the syringe into his arm.

As the burst of light faded and Falco's pure Titan came into view, Reiner found himself feeling remarkably calm, and closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

FOUR YEARS AFTER WAR

Mikasa's eyes shot open, and instantly she felt a cascade of dread run through her. The fateful day had finally arrived.

The day that Eren's tenure came to an end.

She peered over at her husband, who was still tucked under the covers and fast asleep, and she could feel her heart breaking. No matter how much she had tried, she knew she was never going to be truly ready for this day.

She tried to console herself by remembering the good times they'd had. Just as Armin and her had promised, Eren had gotten to see much of the world. Thanks to the connection she had with the Azumabito clan, Kiyomi had agreed to pull some strings, and she and Eren had traveled far and wide, seeing many of the different landscapes and environments that had been described in Armin's books, as well as experiencing the cuisine and culture of numerous different countries, seeing many variations of how humans lived out their lives. For three years things had been grand, and both Eren and her had been so in awe of the new sights and experiences that it had helped them to forget just how limited his time was.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. While the whole world now knew that Eren was the Founding Titan, most people didn't know what he looked like, and thanks to Kiyomi's discretion he had been able to travel abroad mostly undetected. But eventually his frequent travels were discovered, and about a year before the end of Eren's tenure an assassin belonging to an extremist group originating within Marley had tried to kill him. The attempt had failed thanks to Eren's healing abilities and Mikasa's overpowering skills in combat, but it was enough to spook the Paradis government, and Erwin had forbade them from leaving the island anymore.

But while the end to their travels was disheartening, they knew that Eren wouldn't live long enough to see everything there was to see regardless, and so tried not to let it bother them too much. And while they couldn't leave the island anymore, there were still other things they could do during Eren's remaining year.

Mikasa smiled softly to herself.

Over the course of their travels they had made love countless times, in numerous different positions and locations, each time feeling more sweet and intimate than the last. Eren rarely initiated it, but never turned it down, and she found herself unable to stay away from him for long. Part of it was her desire to be as close to him as possible, but the other part was her desperate desire to have a child with him, so that even when he was gone there would still be a legacy he left behind that went beyond his accomplishments as the Attack Titan. And after more than three years of making love with him, she finally got her wish less than a year before Eren's tenure was up.

As her thoughts turned to their child, Mikasa heard their infant daughter crying from the other room, hungry for her morning meal. Not wanting the cries to wake Eren, she quickly left the bedroom and began to breastfeed their daughter.

She stared down at the young infant fondly. Their child looked almost like a miniature version of Mikasa, with the only exception being the vivid eyes that resembled Eren's. They'd looked over several books with possible baby names, and in honor of her Hizuru heritage Eren and her had decided to name their daughter Lan Fan.

But while having Eren's child had made her happy, the pregnancy had been the most difficult time of her life. Not because of the pregnancy itself (though that had been no picnic either) but because of what had happened to Eren during it.

From what she had heard through Hange, shifters displayed different symptoms as their term came to an end. For some of them they suffered no major physical ailments apart from a general tiredness and achiness that slowly increased the closer they got to their expiration. For others, they had more moderate symptoms, such as a persistent cough or occasional bleeding from the nose or other orifices.

But with Eren, it seemed that the curse was feeling particularly vindictive, as his symptoms had been severe.

Shortly after Mikasa found out she was pregnant Eren developed a persistent and rather violent cough. At first they'd hoped that would be the extent of it, but they were quickly disabused of that notion. Around the same time she began to feel morning sickness, (which to her relief did not result in any vomiting as she had feared based on what she'd heard from other women who had gone through pregnancy) Eren began to feel a sickness of his own, and about once every few days he would vomit up blood early in the morning.

The first time had greatly alarmed her, and this concern didn't lessen much even after Hange informed them that this was indeed a symptom that had been documented by Marley as some of their shifters reached the end of their term. The second time it happened, she saw little wisps of steam escaping the corners of Eren's mouth after he had finished vomiting up the blood, and she had been unable to stop herself from weeping at the cruel irony of it all.

The power healing his body was the very same thing that was slowly killing him.

As if the coughing and the vomiting wasn't bad enough, Eren's respiratory system also began to work against him, and he would have episodes where he could hardly breath, wheezing in and out painfully until the constriction passed. At first it was only triggered if he overexerted himself or did some major exercise, such as ODM gear training, but over time it got to the point where even basic things like walking across the room a little too fast could trigger it.

And to top it all off, Eren's hair had changed color. It started off with just a few streaks, but as he got closer to the end of his tenure and the other symptoms got worse and worse, his hair had shifted completely from black to a dark gray.

All in all, it had been a very rough nine months for both of them, and during his final year Eren appeared to have aged ten or more.

But there were some moments of beauty amongst all the suffering. Seeing Eren's joy as her belly swelled, his selfless attempts to ease her discomfort despite his own pain, and the look on his face as he held their daughter for the first time. All of it was proof that even in the darkest moments there is still a silver lining.

And yet…

Lan Fan had fallen asleep against Mikasa's chest, and she heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Eren standing there, his eyes looking sad and tired.

He wordlessly wrapped his arms around her, being careful not to disturb their daughter, and she rested her head against his chest. They remained there for a few minutes, savoring one of the last moments they would get to spend together as a family.

The last month had perhaps been the most difficult of all. Mikasa was still recovering from her labor, and Eren continued to deteriorate, all while they had a newborn child to look after. Between all of this, the pair of them had been exhausted.

But despite how tired she was, Mikasa still loved her daughter unconditionally, and would forever be grateful to Eren for the times they had shared together. All those years ago he had given her a home and a family after her old one was violently taken away from her, and now he had provided her with a new home and a new family.

She desperately didn't want him to go. But…

A knock came at the door, and Mikasa found herself beginning to tremble.

Eren pulled away from her and went to open the front door.

Armin stood in the entrance, and he had to force himself to not flinch or look away as he saw Eren. He was appalled at just how much of a toll the curse of Ymir had taken on his best friend, but he knew that expressing that sentiment would only make Eren feel worse, and so did his best to keep it to himself.

Armin also knew that it would be silly, even tactless, to ask questions such as "How are you this morning?" or "Did you sleep well?" given what day it was, and what the answers would almost certainly be.

So instead, he simply said. "It's time."

Eren nodded wearily. "Alright."

A few minutes later Eren stepped out through the front door of their house, with Mikasa right behind him with Lan Fan. A carriage was waiting for them on the road a short distance away. Eren moved very slowly and cautiously as he approached the carriage, knowing that moving too quickly could easily trigger an attack, and he wanted to spend his last few hours with at least a modicum of dignity and comfort.

He carefully climbed into the carriage and sat down with a relieved sigh, looking and sounding like a much older man then the twenty three year old he actually was. Mikasa entered the carriage and sat down next to him, being careful to avoid waking Lan Fan. Armin sat across from Eren, while Historia sat across from Mikasa. Armin and Historia looked at the other couple in concern, but said nothing, knowing that no words would be able to ease the anguish that the day would bring.

With its passengers settled in, the carriage began to move forward and head for its destination, the Scouts Shiganshina headquarters.

During the ride Eren seemed mostly weary and tired, as if simply staying awake was an effort. Armin and Historia looked at him in concern, while Mikasa found herself unable to contain the spike of jealousy she felt as she looked at Historia's large belly. Unlike her, Historia had been able to get pregnant almost immediately after she and Armin had gotten married, and now their second child was on the way. What was more, they had been given much more time to spend with each other and with their child before they would be parted by Armin's premature death, and if Eren's future memories were correct, Armin would live long enough to see at least a partial cure for Ymir's curse developed, while Eren would not.

But she did her best to keep this jealousy to herself. It wasn't Armin or Historia's fault that Eren's time was so limited, and being angry that life had turned out more favorably for them would do no good at all.

Even so, she couldn't completely repress the little voice in her head yelling that it wasn't fair.

The ride seemed to take a distressingly short amount of time, and before they knew it they had arrived at the Scouts headquarters.

Eren got out first, once again moving very slowly and carefully, his breathing slightly labored. Mikasa walked beside him, while Armin and Historia lingered a short distance behind them.

The transfer had been timed so that it would occur exactly one week before the thirteen year anniversary of when Eren inherited his power. Initially Mikasa had protested, asking if Eren couldn't be given even just a little more time. But Erwin had insisted that the Founding Titan power was too important to risk losing, and so they wanted to keep the margin for error as low as possible. Mikasa hadn't been happy about this, but after how much Eren had suffered the last few months as his body slowly broke down, she reluctantly acknowledged that it probably was for the best, though she never admitted this out loud, least of all to Erwin.

The four friends slowly made their way to the basement of the mostly deserted headquarters. A large dinner had been held two nights ago for Eren's friends and acquaintances, and so Eren had already said most of his goodbyes. Today, on the actual day of the transfer, there were relatively few people who would be present, as one friend eating another friend isn't something most people want to see.

As they entered the basement, they saw the small number of people who had come for the transfer, which consisted of Hange, Levi, Jean, and a handful of other Scouts and officials.

Hange walked over to Eren, her usual eccentric enthusiasm gone and replaced with a more concerned, almost motherly demeanor.

"Hey." She said gently. "How are you feeling?"

Eren shrugged halfheartedly. "Tired."

Hange nodded sympathetically, patting him softly on the shoulder. "I see."

Eren slowly walked over to the center of the room, with Mikasa and Lan Fan still at his side.

Hange walked over to where the other Scouts were gathered.

"Jean, are you ready?"

Jean swallowed thickly, his hands shaking as he held the small box containing the serum.

"No. But...I'll do what I have to."

Jean averted his gaze, trying not to look at Eren. What are you supposed to say when you know you're about to eat one of your closest friends?

Eren knelt down on the floor, while Mikasa sat down beside him, Lan Fan still fast asleep in her arms.

Historia remained on the side of the room with the other Scouts while Armin approached his two childhood friends, briefly pulling them into a hug before standing back up, his eyes very red.

He held out a cup. "Here."

Mikasa took the cup, holding it carefully to avoid spilling its contents.

Armin looked at Eren, trying and failing to maintain his composure.

"Eren. I'll...I'll see you again someday."

Eren smiled softly at his best friend. "Right. Take care of everyone until then."

"I will."

With that, Armin hastily retreated back to the side of the room, tears pouring down his cheeks as he tried in vain to wipe them away. He soon rejoined Historia, who offered him what comfort she could even as tears began to fall from her own eyes.

Eren's gaze returned to Mikasa, his eyes full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry...I won't be there...to wrap that scarf around you...like I said I would…"

"It's okay." Mikasa whispered.

She handed him the cup, and he quickly drained its contents. He then discarded the empty cup on the ground.

Mikasa gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, Eren. For everything."

She then pressed her lips against his, pouring all of her emotions into this final kiss, wanting her love to be the last thing he was aware of in this world.

Despite his weakened body Eren returned the kiss with full force, returning her love just as powerfully for a minute or two. Steadily, though, the sedative he had swallowed began to take effect, and he slowly went slack as he slipped into unconsciousness.

As he fell asleep, he slumped against her, his head resting on her shoulder, and the sudden movement caused Lan Fan to wake up and begin fussing.

Mikasa burst into tears as she regarded Eren's unconscious form, knowing now that this was truly goodbye. And despite everything, she still wasn't ready for it. She hoped madly that there would be some trick, some loophole, some other way that they hadn't thought of yet, anything to mean she could spend even a little more time with Eren.

But no such miracle materialized, and Mikasa knew deep down that it wouldn't. She continued to cry, and Hange and Levi had to come over and gently carry her away as she sobbed her heart out, Lan Fan still carefully cradled in her arms.

With Mikasa out of the way, Jean slowly approached Eren, whose face looked almost peaceful, and if it hadn't been for the gray hair Jean could almost pretend that Eren was just taking a nap, one he would soon wake up from and return home where he belonged.

Sadly, life isn't always so kind. Jean opened the box he was holding, and with shaking hands assembled the syringe. After it was completed, he held it in his palm for a moment, still trembling slightly.

Fuck it, just get it over with.

Letting out a shaky breath, he jammed the needle into his arm and pushed the plunger down.

A burst of light filled the basement. Mikasa, Armin, and Historia averted their gaze, not wanting to watch, while Hange, Levi and the others witnessed Eren being devoured by an eight meter Titan.

A moment later, it was over. Jean emerged from the steaming Titan's carcass, his skin warm to the touch and the telltale shifter markings around his eyes.

Hange and Levi approached him.

"Well, it worked." Hange remarked. "How do you feel?"

Jean looked down at his hands, which were no longer trembling. "Fine."

He looked across the room, and could see Armin and Historia trying to comfort the grief stricken Mikasa.

"Just fine."

As Jean ascended the stairs leading away from the basement, he was surprised to find that he didn't feel as guilty as he thought he would. It was uncomfortable knowing that he had eaten Eren, but Eren was going to die anyway, and Jean knew that Eren had wanted the Founding Titan's power to be preserved and used to protect their people.

But while Jean was glad to have the opportunity to play such an important role, he couldn't help but feel saddened that Eren had been denied the chance to live a full life, and to savor the peace he had helped fight for. It wasn't fair.

But then, life never is.

SIX YEARS AFTER WAR

Hange leaned forward against her desk, her interest piqued.

"You said you found a cure?"

Dr. Ludwig nodded. "Possibly. You see, I've done a lot of experiments vith Eldians and Titans over ze course of my career, and last year I made a razzer major breakzrough. Ve know zat spinal fluid plays a key role in ze Titan povers, and zat Eldians are physiologically different from other humans in minor but measurable vays. Using a special blend of drugs and highly specialized surgical equipment, I vas able to perform an operation on an Eldian, and isolate ze…"

He vaguely waved his hands in the air. "Substance, entity, vhatever you vant to call it, vithin ze Eldian's spine, and remove it. And after doing so, ze power of ze Titans vas gone from zeir body."

Hange blinked in surprise. "Really?'

"Yes. Normally all it takes to turn an Eldian into a Titan is to inject some Titan spinal fluid into zem, but after ze zing vas removed from zeir neck, ze Eldian had ze same response to Titan spinal fluid as a normal human, zat is, nozzing. And zeir Eldian blood test came back negative despite ze fact zat ve know full vell zat zey vere born Eldian."

Hange put a hand to her chin. "I see. Well, if Eldians are able to get rid of the Titan powers, that would go a long way to further proving that they are people and not monsters in human skin as some still claim."

"Indeed." Ludwig agreed. "Unfortunately ze operation is very difficult and expensive, and at ze moment I'm ze only one who knows how to do it, so eliminating ze Titan povers isn't feasible just yet. And of course ve vould need to monitor ze Eldians who have had ze power removed and see how zeir children turn out in order to really ascertain ze long term effects of zis discovery."

Hange nodded grimly. "True. But what does any of this have to do with the curse of Ymir?"

"Ah, yes, an excellent question. Vell, after performing ze surgery on an Eldian, I considered anozzer possibility: Vhat if zis vas done to a shifter? Obviously nobody vants to get rid of ze nine Titans just yet, as zey are still strategically valuable, but I hypothesized zat ze surgery could be used as a humane method of transferring ze power once a shifter's tenure is up. Ze Female Titan's term vas coming to an end, and so zis vas ze perfect chance to test my hypothesis. And my hypothesis vas correct. I vas able to successfully transfer ze power of ze Female Titan from Annie Leonhart to her successor Zofia Reitsch, by extracting ze organic...vhatever it is, from ze former and implanting it into ze latter."

Hange sat back as she considered what this news meant.

"I see. So, the power can now be transferred without requiring the previous holder to be eaten. That's definitely good news. But does it actually stop the curse of Ymir?"

Ludwig folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. "Ve von't know for sure for many years to come, but after examining Annie's body very carefully, here is my professional opinion. Ze power of ze Titans has taken its toll on her body, and vhile removing ze power appears to have delayed ze effects of ze curse, I doubt it has stopped it. So I estimate zat a shifter vill live for anozzer zhirteen years once zeir power is removed."

Hange eyes lit up. "So, in essence, this operation will double a Titan shifter's life span from thirteen years to twenty six years?"

"I believe so yes. Of course, ve von't know for certain until Annie Leonhart dies, but zat seems ze most likely explanation."

Hange leaned back in her chair, a relieved smile on her face. "Well, that's welcome news indeed. Would I be correct in assuming that you would be willing to lend your services to us when our shifters come to the end of their terms?"

Ludwig inclined his head. "Zat vould be an accurate assumption, yes, but in exchange I vould like access to some more of your Titan research, specifically concerning information about ze Founding Titan."

Hange's smile faded, but her tone of voice didn't change. "I'll have to speak to my superiors, but I think that can be arranged."

"Excellent."

Ludwig stood up. "Vell, I'd better get going, and I'm sure you'll vant to share ze good news vith your colleagues."

Hange shook his hand. "Yes. Thank you for taking the time to inform me of this."

After Dr. Ludwig left her office, Hange found herself pondering the implications of what she had just learned.

The most immediate consequence was that inheriting the power of the Titans would no longer be as much of a death sentence. While Hange was looking forward to inheriting the Beast Titan from Erwin, she had to admit that the idea of only living for thirteen years afterwards was a little scary, so knowing that the number of years she had left would be doubled was welcome news indeed. Naturally this good news extended to Armin and Historia as well, and Hange was certain that Historia would be thrilled to learn that she wouldn't have to kill her husband in order to fulfill Erwin's plans like they had originally thought.

But beyond that, knowing that it was possible to remove the Titan powers from Eldians brought with it new things to consider. She knew that Marley, despite making some changes for the better in regards to how they treated Eldians, still kept most of them within the internment zones, and still treated the idea of Eldians becoming honorary Marleyans as virtuous, as if there was something inherently wrong with being Eldian that they should aspire to escape from.

However, this new discovery changed things slightly. If it was possible to remove the organic material responsible for Titan powers from Eldians, and if this procedure became more widely available, then transitioning those who had undergone the procedure from being seen as Eldian to being considered Marleyan wouldn't just be a social construct but a biological reality. Hange couldn't deny that there were rational reasons to be wary of the Titan powers, and if they were gradually phased out, then over time the world's prejudice toward the Eldian people would resolve itself once the Eldians slowly but surely became indistinguishable from the rest of humanity.

As Hange stood up to share Ludwig's discovery with the other Scouts, she remembered Eren with sorrow. The poor young man had only been two years off from this groundbreaking discovery, and could have lived at least until his mid thirties if it had been discovered just a little sooner.

She shook her head. There was no sense in dwelling on what might have been.

NINE YEARS AFTER WAR

Armin slowly opened his eyes, his head feeling heavy and numb. He also felt a throbbing sensation in his neck. It wasn't painful, but it felt strange and rather uncomfortable.

Historia peered down at him from the chair she had pulled up next to his bedside.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

Armin gingerly sat up. "A little groggy, but overall okay. Did it work?"

She smiled at him warmly. "See for yourself."

She handed him a small mirror, and Armin gasped in shock at what he saw.

As his thirteen year term had come to an end his hair had turned completely gray, much like Eren's had, though thankfully he'd been spared from the more unpleasant symptoms Eren had had during his final months. Now, though, aside from a few gray roots his hair had reverted back to its original blond color.

Armin set down the mirror, feeling relieved that the operation did appear to have postponed his expiration date.

"Wow."

He looked back at Historia. "So, you're now the Colossal Titan."

Historia nodded, and showed him a small cut on her finger that then immediately healed itself in a small burst of steam.

Armin swung his legs down so that he was sitting on the side of the bed.

"Well, I'm guessing Hange and the others will want to start doing experiments with you and Jean as soon as possible."

Historia shrugged. "Probably, but they have to do the transfer between Erwin and Hange first, so I think it's going to be a few days before we have to worry about that."

The door to the room was opened, and Dr. Ludwig strolled in.

"Ah, you're already avake. Interesting, you recovered in about half ze time as Porco after I transferred his Jaw Titan to his successor Udo."

Ludwig flipped through a folder he was carrying and jotted down a few notes before closing it again.

"Vell, my vork here is done. If you'll excuse me, I need to discuss some zings vith Hange."

He then left the room just as quickly as he'd entered it, not giving either of them a chance to say anything.

Historia sat down on the bed next to Armin, her hands clasped together.

"He's a rather strange man. But, we owe him quite a debt. I...I didn't have to eat you like I thought I would."

Armin nodded. "Yeah. And now I have thirteen more years than I expected."

He gently placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm glad that I won't be leaving you or our children as soon as I feared."

Over the past nine years they had had five children. They had an eight year old daughter, Ymir, whose mischievous nature reminded them at times of her namesake; a four year old daughter, Mina, who was rather shy and tended to keep to herself; a pair of three year old twins, Jennifer and Jeffrey, who alternated between being best friends and worst enemies; and a one year old boy they'd named Marco.

Raising so many children was rather exhausting, and as his duties as the Colossal Titan kept him rather busy it often fell to Historia to look after them all, though after the transfer their roles would switch. But despite how tired she often was, Historia's children did make her happy, and Armin did his best to spend as much time with his family as possible.

Historia's mother hadn't been a real mother to her, and Armin's parents had died when he was very young. Consequently, both of them wanted their children to grow up in a home that was happy and whole, with both parents around to support them. And thanks to Dr. Ludwig's discovery, Armin wouldn't have to leave them as soon as they had initially feared.

They'd also agreed that they would try to have as many children as they could, because the more children they had the less pressure there would be on any one of them to be responsible for the safety of Paradis.

Armin bowed his head. "But...I still feel so bad for Eren."

Historia gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "I know."

Mikasa had adjusted to life without Eren, but they could tell that she still missed him greatly, even years later, and she had become more withdrawn and solemn.

She'd done her best to raise her daughter Lan Fan on her own, but she was still a soldier, and as an Ackerman she was often entrusted with the more dangerous (or potentially dangerous) assignments. As a result, Historia often looked after Lan Fan for her, not that she minded. Lan Fan was now five years old, and viewed Armin and Historia's children as her siblings.

Armin also missed Eren, though not to the same extent that Mikasa did, and whenever he looked into Lan Fan's eyes he was always reminded of his best friend, and the last words they had said to each other.

Historia slowly stood up, pulling Armin up with her.

"Let's go home."

It was the day after the operation that had transferred the Beast Titan from Erwin to Hange. Hange's eye had healed at last, while Erwin was packing up his desk.

Hange watched him with her newly restored binocular vision. "So, you're serious about retiring?"

Erwin nodded as he tossed some items into a bag. "Yes. My lifelong ambition was to learn the truth about the world. After that dream was realized, the Scouts were still counting on my leadership to guide us to victory in the war against Marley. But now, the war is over, and while there are still some issues here and there, we've achieved peace."

He glanced out the window before shaking his head in resignation.

"I'm not the man needed for the job anymore, and so far you've done much better when it comes to the diplomacy and cooperation needed in this new era. I'll just get in the way, so I think it's best if I step aside."

Hange sighed. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. But, if that's what you want I won't stop you."

She smirked. "Still, now that I'm officially in charge of Levi I can boss him around as much as I like."

Erwin smiled wryly at the joke, his gaze briefly settling on the ring on her finger.

Hang and Levi's friendship had always been strange, but they'd been through a lot over the years, and about two years ago they'd decided to get married, figuring they weren't getting any younger, and if they were always going to be bickering they might as well make it more convenient for themselves. And apparently the sex was pretty good too, not that Erwin wanted too many details about that.

Seeing that he had gathered up everything, Hange looked at her old commander sadly before extending her hand.

"Take care Erwin."

He took it, looking at the new Scout commander with pride.

"Good luck Hange."

TEN YEARS AFTER WAR

It had been a full decade since the war between the Mid East Allies and Marley had ended, and important officials from all over the world had gathered just outside of Shiganshina.

Among the crowd were ambassadors, leaders, and journalists from almost every known nation and region in the world, as well as members of the military from both Marley and Paradis, and civilians who had been permitted to come and bear witness. They included Willy Tybur, the leader of Marley; his sister Lara Tybur, whose term as the Warhammer Titan had ended just two months ago; Magath, who was still in charge of Marley's military; Falco, the Armored Titan, and Gabi, the Cart Titan, who had gotten married two years before; Zofia, the Female Titan; Udo, the Jaw Titan; Kiyomi, the ambassador of Hizuru; Mazhar, the ambassador of Merkezl; Pixis, who had replaced Zackley as the commander in chief after he had died of a heart attack the previous year; Rico, who had replaced Pixis as the commander of the Garrison; Niles, who was still the commander of the Military Police; Hange, who was the commander of the Scouts, and the possessor of the Beast Titan; Historia, the queen of Paradis and the possessor of the Colossal Titan; Jean, the possessor of the Founding and Attack Titans; and many others.

In their continuing efforts to prove that they were truly on the path toward peace over the long haul, Paradis was now going to demonstrate this commitment to the whole world by using the Founding Titan to destroy the Titans contained within Wall Maria, and show that they had no intention of unleashing the rumbling as long as they were left alone. The Titans within Wall Rose and Wall Sina would remain as a deterrent, as Paradis still had a ways to go before they caught up with the rest of the world, but it would be a powerful gesture nonetheless.

Once everyone was gathered, and the newspapers had all of their cameras pointed at Wall Maria, the officials of Paradis stood up and joined hands, with Historia and Jean subtly standing next to each other so that their hands would touch.

A few seconds later, a series of loud cracks permeated the air as Wall Maria fragmented before falling apart, revealing the long line of Colossal Titans standing side by side.

The crowd was briefly on edge as they took in the sight of the large number of enormous Titans, until one by one the Titans toppled over and collapsed, sending out tremors as their bodies hit the ground.

As the Titans began to steam and disintegrate, a cheer rose up from the crowd, and a mixture of grateful and nervous applause was directed at the Paradisian officials.

After a few speeches were given, including one by Willy Tybur which encouraged further cooperation and trust between nations going forward, the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving behind the now empty land that no longer displayed a monument to fear.

The world is often a cruel and uncertain place. But one by one, the walls were coming down, both physically and metaphorically, and hopefully in the end that would be enough.

Author's Note: And it's finally done. Hoo boy this chapter was a long one, but I'm reasonably satisfied with how it turned out.

There ended up being quite a few deleted scenes with this chapter, moments that I ended up cutting out or shortening either because they didn't fit, they weren't necessary, or I just didn't feel like fully writing out because I was running out of steam.

Dr. Ludwig's character was based off of the Medic from TF2, and his role as you could probably tell was mainly a plot device for the cure for Ymir's curse. We still don't fully know how the Titan powers work, and probably never will, but I think the idea for the cure I came up with was reasonably plausible. I hope Ludwig's accent wasn't too indecipherable, and I apologize if it was.

I know I didn't focus on Reiner's death as much as Eren's, but there's several reasons for that. While Reiner isn't straight up suicidal here like he was in canon, he's still kind of tired of life, and the people around him can kind of sense that. Plus, the transferring of powers is something the Warriors are pretty used to at this point, so while it's sad it's not heartbreaking.

I know some people will want me to have had the cure be discovered earlier so that Eren could get it, but I wanted to stick to my guns on this one, and the truth is life just kind of sucks sometimes. When it comes to Eren's deterioration, that was based partly on some of my own experiences. I've been fairly fortunate in that I haven't had any close loved ones in my life die yet, though it's only a matter of time since both sets of grandparents aren't doing too well. But I did lose two cats to cancer, one in 2019 and the other in 2020, and I know losing a cat isn't the same as losing a person, but it still hurts. In both cases they slowly but surely got worse and worse as time went on. One of them ended up throwing up almost every day during the last few weeks of their life, and they would constantly eat but never gain any weight. The other one had other issues including episodes where the simple act of breathing was a struggle, and they would wheeze painfully in and out until it passed.

I don't know, I just found it both interesting and tragic to treat the curse of Ymir like a terminal illness, because that's in effect what it is, and that's something that wasn't explored as much in canon.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this final chapter. Be sure to leave a review letting me know what you thought, it really is greatly appreciated.

Also, the reason I named Eren and Mikasa's child Lan Fan was because it was a reference to the FMA character, and it's a nod to the fact that Lan Fan and Mikasa share the same English voice actress, and the two characters have a remarkable number of similarities.