Nest & Wings (Annie Leonhardt x Male Reader)

Chapter 46: A Major Setback

Hange was intrigued by their weapons. They were similar to the anti-personnel weapons you had, but they were semi automatic and could fire multiple consecutive shots before having to reload. Hange says how acquiring them would greatly strengthen your military.

Yelena shares some news on Marley and mention how the rest of the world had begun to see weakness in the global superpower following their loss to Paradis last year. This had led to the Middle Eastern Federation to declare war on them, which explained why they hadn't been able to come to Paradis for the last few months or so.

Another reason they kept away is that in an ironic twist, the titans they unleashed on Paradis to keep the Eldians restricted would also inhibit them from attacking the walls. This however wasn't really the case anymore as you had already taken out all the titans. But the fact that Marley wasn't aware of it would help keep them away for a while longer.

They also share information regarding the Marlean Military, of which the sheer number of soldiers amounted to millions. Paradis had absolutely no chance against the full force of their military and could not afford to go to war with them.

However, as large as their military was, they were scattered around different parts of the world they had colonized. The forces in the city of Liberio would only amount to a few thousand. This meant that the Liberation had to be done in one day without giving them time to gather their troops. That could all wait however, as what Yelena says next throws a wrench into everything you had planned.

She explains, "We were sent by Zeke Jager. Contrary to what most people believe, he's been plotting against Marley and planning the Liberation of all the Eldians for a long time. He's willing to negotiate with Paradis regarding the terms of his plans."

The three of you were utterly shocked to hear this. Hange asks, "How does he plan to do that? Also, why does he need our help?"

Yelena continues, "You have both the Founding Titan as well as the Walls that this plan requires."

"Walls? What do they have to do with anything?" Levi asks skeptically.

She answers, "As you may have already discovered, the walls are made up of thousands of Colossal Titans. With the power of the Founding Titan, it's possible to release them and even control them. There's a legend about them in Marley that's kept them from attacking Paradis all this time."

"A legend you say?" you ask her.

Yelena says, "A catastrophe that could destroy the entire world called the 'Rumbling.' Zeke's plan is to cause a partial version of it, using the wall titans from just the outer districts to send a message to Marley and the rest of the world, and threaten them to leave Paradis in peace, lest they want a full scale Rumbling to happen."

As she said that, you recall the vision Eren had a while back after your duel at the beach. While neither of you had any idea what triggered it, you knew that it would likely cause a stir if the authorities were to find out that they could control the Wall Titans.

After convincing him that violence wouldn't solve Paradis' problems in the long term, you and Eren came to an agreement to keep his vision along with a few other things he shared with you afterwards secret from everyone else.

But with Yelena informing Hange about the Rumbling— as it's called, your worst fear is at the brink of coming into fruition in that the government would chose to go to war with the rest of the world over your plan of making peace.

"Judging by what you said so far, Paradis seems to have everything necessary for the so called Rumbling. How does Zeke play into it?" Hange asks.

She continues, "Not everything. Controlling them requires the Founding Titan, whose power can only be accessed by a royal blooded titan shifter. Eren does not have royal blood, so he cannot use its power by himself. Zeke is the key to unlocking it; although we won't share the method until after they meet in person."

"What about Historia?" Levi asks.

You answer, "Eren won't allow that."

With that, it was essential to work with Zeke in order to carry out the Rumbling plan. Hange seemed intrigued at the idea, but you quickly shoot it down saying, "Didn't you see how easily she killed her own comrades? I don't think we can trust her!"

Levi in turn says, "I agree. This is Zeke we're talking about after all. We can't trust them Hange!"

After contemplating for a bit, Hange says, "Hmm... alright, I understand. But as the Commander of the Survey Corps, I have to inform this to the council though."

She was right. As much as you wanted to put an end to it here and now, as soldiers you were obliged to share the information with the government. With that, you temporarily detain Yelena and the others telling them you'd come back with an answer. You leave Jean in charge of watching over them and head off to the Capital.