𝐆𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐆 |𝐀𝐎𝐓

NULL

THE PROLOGUE: NULL

❝ WHY DO YOU FIGHT FOR HUMANITY, MR. SMITH? ❞

IT WAS THE YEAR 843 WHEN THE scouts first met Elias. The scouts were on their twelfth expedition that year. Seeing the cluster of titans at their rendezvous point alarmed the commander at the time, Keith Shadis. He was about to announce for them to retreat until he took notice of Miche's behavior.

The blond wore a shocked expression. Turning towards Keith, he gestured for them to investigate. Smelling the presence of a human mixed between the Titans. Soon, the soldiers charged towards the cluster. Taking care of any titan that came their way.

Arriving at the center of the cluster, they were shocked to see the titans kneeling before a child. The child before them was unharmed, no signs of injury or trauma present. The piercing stare of the commander made the kid lookup. His blank expression made those around him uneasy—gazing into the commanders eyes, he spoke.

"Bitte geht jetzt"

Not having a clue on what the boy said, the scouts watched as the small cluster of titans fled the scene. Not one single titan lingered nor did they try to snatch a soldier. A certain titan obsessed scout trembled in awe, slowly approaching the small child in front of them. Their blushing face slightly frightening the child. The kid dashed towards the nearest figure.

Erwin, feeling the slight tug on his pants, looked down at the boy's pleading face. "Helfen Sie mir mal, gnädiger Herr!" Not completely understanding him, the child sighed before making 'grabbing' motions, telling the older male to pick him up.  Looking over at his commander, he got the okay to proceed and pick the boy up.

Keith scanned over the child's features. Having never seen such red hair inside the walls, he was quite intrigued with his use of the foreign language. Remembering his past encounter with a certain brunet man, he was hoping for the small child to understand the words he spoke.

"Wie lautet dein Vorname?" The rest of the scouts turned towards the wiggly child in Erwin's arms. The glimmer in his brown eyes was noticed by everyone in his vicinity, seeming to feel at ease with the use of the foreign tongue. Sticking his small hand out for the commander to shake, he bestowed the crowd with his toothy smile.

"Elias!"

◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸

"It seems he's suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. The dried up blood on his scalp makes me believe he may have fallen from a high surface or suffered a blow to the head"

"You think it was one of those titan worshipers that brought him out there?"

"No, it can't be. The majority of those cultist have been thrown in jail"

Now having finished his examination at Doctor Jaeger's home, Elias couldn't help but feel at ease. Having felt slightly uncomfortable with the stares his son was giving him. Not to mention the fact that Grisha Jaeger, who seemed like a nice man, kept side eyeing him. Almost as if he were studying the child.

As the commanders discussed what they would do with him, Elias caught the doctor signaling him over. A warm smile present on his face. Handing a fresh loaf a bread, he started speaking in a hushed tone.

"Du gehörst doch nicht zur königlichen Familie, oder?" Grisha could see the fear in the boy's eyes. Whether it may be because of the soldiers presence or the fact that he could out the boy, the brunet tried reassuring him. Ruffling the child's red locks to bring him ease. "...I'll keep it a secret"

Elias sighed in relief, the now crushed bread was released from his harsh grasp. Mumbling a small 'thank you,' he bid his farewells to the doctor—staying clear of his son's sight. He walked between Erwin and Keith, holding onto the hem of Erwin's cloak. The two informing the child of his living status.

Thanks to the agreement of the military police, Elias would be allowed to stay inside the walls under Erwin's custody. Though the redhead's mood sunk when the commander told him he would start training immediately; his plans of living a carefree civilian life, ruined. Goodbye to his childhood, hello trauma and emotional unavailability.

Elias looked at the other soldiers. Hange, Miche, Keith, and Erwin all had this aura around them. Determination? Curiosity? The kid couldn't really pin point what it was. Without even realizing, he spoke out his last thoughts. The four in hearing vicinity could feel their hearts swelling up.

"I hope to be of use to humanity"

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .
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INFORMATION WE CAN SHARE

NAME: Elias Smith
RANK: Executive Officer
AGE: 15|850.....19|854
HEIGHT: 185cm|850....190|854
WEIGHT: 82.6kg|850
BIRTHDAY: March 30
BIRTHPLACE: N/A
RESIDENCE: Wall Rose
FUN FACT: Elias has been told that he's the spitting image of his mother

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some side notes:

-I will be referring to Hange with they/them pronouns as it is not specified whether Hange uses she/him or is undetermined

-I headcanon that Marley makes the children in the warrior program learn either German, French, or Italian (some of the most spoken languages in EU besides English) for work purposes

-ELIAS IS NOT A TITAN SHIFTER! He is not of Eldian nor Marleyan descent. More of his family background will come up during the 2nd or 3rd part of the story

-How Elias got onto Paradis island will be later revealed as the plot develops as well as the reveal of his legal last name

-I am writing this solely because of the inspiration I got from season 4 as well as the manga ending soon

-Also, please correct me if the wording for what Elias/any other character is saying is off! I'm using a translator to convey what he's saying in German