You Are Free

Chapter 8 The Table Talk Part 1

Sasha says, "I joined because of Eren and the Queen. I owe them a lot."

At the same time, Mikasa and Armin are taking Gabi into a room, with Gabi asking, "Why did you protect me?"

"Because. I don't have a reason." Mikasa says.

"I'm the one who killed your comrade. I'm the one who bludgeoned the guard." She mutters. "Falco didn't do it. Kill me, not him."

"We won't kill you." Armin says.

"But you want to, don't you?" Gabi asks.

"I don't want to kill you." Armin takes a deep breath. "Kill this, kill that... It's all you think about. Just like someone I know."

Just then, Eren walks into the room, with Aya, Gloria, Peter, and Odom behind him. "Er-"

Before they can say anything, Eren's eyes glow as Armin and Gabi feel an electric shock hitting them. "What the..."

"I just wanna talk. Conflict isn't necessary to solve Eldia's problems." Eren says.

Then they hear Floch's voice, "We're going ahead."

"Okay." Eren says back, and Armin says, "That voice... Floch must've come."

"It is not just him." Eren replies. "Don't worry, Hange and the others are fine. We're just moving them."

"Eren, we're the ones who wanted to talk." Armin speaks up. "What made you go attack Marley all on your own? Did Zeke and Yelena really talk you into joining them?"

There is silence as Armin and Mikasa stare at him, his expression remains unchanged as he responds. "I am free."

"Huh?" Both Mikasa and Armin seem surprised and confused by the answer.

"The things I do and choices I make are all decided by my own free will."

"So your actions after meeting Yelena were all you?" Armin asks.

"Yes." He answers plainly.

"No, you're being manipulated!" Mikasa declares with a firm conviction.

Eren's gaze shifts towards her as she speaks, still totally dull.

"You wouldn't get kids and innocents involved, even if they were enemies!" she pleads. "Plus, I know you care about us more than anyone!"

"Don't you?" Her expression is stricken, almost panicked. "The reason you saved me in the cabin..." She leans forward and brought one hand up to her scarf as she stands up. "The reason you gave me this scarf... is because you're kind..."

"I said, 'keep your hands on the table.'" Eren outbursts and the tone causes everyone to be surprised.

Mikasa freezes and slowly sat back down as her hands fell to the table, she looks defeated. Eren says, "Sorry about that tone. I was just not having a good mood. Before my leaving, Mikasa, did you remember what I tell you?"

Mikasa flinches and says, "Y-you... you told me that... the Attack Titan has the ability... to see the future..."

"What?" Armin and Gabi are shocked at what Mikasa says, and this is the first time that they learn about it. Eren says, "Four years ago, I saw the future, what a sight it was."

"Then that means..." Armin says, "You knew everything from the start? Zeke's plan? Sasha's death, the attack? You saw everything?"

Eren says, "Through the power of the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan, I learn to control what I saw, and I could see the results of all of the results. I saw peace, but also endless destruction. Over and over again...with no end sight. Seeing it, I know I had to be the one to change things and end the cycle of hatred once and for all. At first, I try to save the ones dearest to me by trying to change the flow of paths, I even tried to stop things from happening. But I realized that to achieve that one goal, sacrifice is unavoidable. To assert our birthright, I am prepared to sacrifice the world. So I will keep moving forward until all my enemies are destroyed."

"So that's why you decide to attack Liberio?" Armin asks. "There are good people out there! Children and families! People like us! The Eren I know would never be okay with this bloodshed!"

"Then let me ask you, between our home and theirs, what difference does it make to you?" Eren asks.

"What difference... There isn't one! Don't you get it? We're all just people, Eren! Take away our titles, our history, you'll see, we're all the same!"

"The world doesn't see it that way, Armin." Eren says with a roar, and suddenly, Armin is kneeling in pain. Mikasa says, "Armin! What did you just do, Eren?"

"That was the Founding Titan's power." Eren says. "Needing the Titan with the Royal blood to activate the Founding Titan's true power? There was no such thing. I could've unleashed the Rumbling four years ago."

This causes everyone in the room to gasp in shock. "Y-you didn't even tell any of us about this?" Mikasa asks with horror.

"I am sorry, Mikasa. I only trust my wife and my true comrades." Eren says, and hearing that Eren has a wife causes her to be heartbroken.

"Y-you're married?" Mikasa is now depressed, but deep down inside, she already knows that Eren and Historia might be a thing, and she also has deduced that Historia's pregnancy is actually from Eren. But to think he didn't invite her or his friends to the wedding breaks her.

"Most of the Yeagerists are from the Scouts, that might be true, but 4 years ago, they consisted of Eldian Restorationists sent here by Marley. Yes, I used the Founding Titan's powers to return them back to humans." Eren says as he turns to Peter and Odom.

"This is Peter and Odom, they might look the same age as us, but they have been Titans for 19 years." Eren says. "I'm sure you already know Aya and Gloria. Why don't you tell them your real name, Gloria?"

Gloria says, "Sure, your highness." She turns to Mikasa and Armin. "You may know me as Gloria, but my real name is Gloria Tybur. The War Hammer that Eren ate to gain powers, that's my aunt."

Gabi widens her eyes in horror, "Why would you join someone like that devil? You were an Honorary Marleyan!"

"Wrong, I'm an Eldian, and don't compare me to those traitors who do nothing to help Eldians but live in luxury mansions. Not to mention they have the War Hammer Titan, but they never use it in wars." Gloria says. "However, being in that family gives me some perks. A few months ago, I was able to bring Eren and some of the Yeagerists to other nations. We were trying to negotiate with other nations, and do you know what their answer is?"

Aya says, "The nation's military is attacking us, not willing to have a peace talk. We lose a lot of our people because of it. And after we finish our final nation, Gloria's uncle manages to gather all the other nations, using Eren Yeager holding the Founding Titan as an excuse to have the other nations ally with each other and attack Paradis. If Eren didn't have you attack the port, you won't be able to sit here and talk like this. Instead, you'll be dead bodies scattering on the ground."

Eren says, "And by that, Eldia's future won't be built on speeches and dialogue, but on blood. I will unleash the Rumbling and end all of this."

Here is a new chapter, and I'm going to split this into two parts, and you can also see that Eren isn't going to say something about hating Mikasa because I plan to let Mikasa join the Yeagerists in the end. I hope you like this chapter and in the next chapter, we'll conclude this part of the story and see what is going to happen.