AUTHOR'S POV:
Eren was trying to break free from the chains.
He was pulling himself by all of his might, eyes closed.
'Shit!' He looked down, defeated.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Historia walking towards him, wearing a white dress.
She stopped and Eren got a better view of her.
'Historia?' Eren thought.
"Eren, you are awake?" Historia asked. "Everything's going to be fine. Just hang in there!"
Eren furrowed his eyebrows. 'So, Historia is safe?'
"Eren, listen to me." Historia said. "For as long as we've lived and for many years to come, my father has been humanity's greatest ally. We were completely wrong about him." Eren was looking at her angrily. "I know he's been interfering with the Survey Cops and that he had Pastor Nick killed, but he didn't have any other choices. He's only doing what amust be done to protect humanity."
"Historia, allow me to explain the rest." Rod said, walking towards Historia.
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Eren looked down at Rod. 'I think I remember... The last thing I saw was those two embracing. How long ago was that? The captain, Armin, the Survey Corps... Is everyone alright?' He looked up at the glowing walls. 'And why are the wallis here glowing? I can't tell if it's day or night. Wait, before that. I feel like I have been here before.'
"What's wrong?" Rod asked, walking up the stairs, holding Historia's hand, approaching Eren. "I assure you, this is the first time you've been here. Although I would expect you to recognise it."
Eren was looking at them over his shoulder. 'What does that mean?'
Rod and Historia stood behind Eren.
Eren tensed when Rod brought his hand towards his back.
"F-Father, please tell him everything." Historia said, stopping Rod.
"Yes, I intend to." Rod replied, looking at Historia. "There's just one thing I'd like to try first." Both of them brought their hands closer to Eren's back. "We may be able to help him rememberall on his own."
When both of them placed their palms on Eren's back. Then blue lights crackled and Eren's eyes grew wider.
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The Reiss family were in the chapel, standing in a circle, holding hands.
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'What am I seeing?'
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The Reiss family looked back at someone with shock.
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Frieda angrily bit her hand.
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'These aren't my memories.'
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Another titan was holding Frieda's founding Titan's wrist.
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The another titan was holding Urklyn Reiss while Rod was running away. His mother's dead body was behind a pillar.
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'They can't be!'
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Reiss Chapel was on fire.
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'Whose memories are these?'
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People were running away in fear while a young Keith was looking back.
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A key was tied up to a young Eren's palm.
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'I know that key!'
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Someone was holding an injection while Eren was crying, trying to run.
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'Is this...'
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Young Eren was on his knees.
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'It can't be...'
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Young Eren was on all fours when suddenly blue lightning struck him.
Then suddenly, a small titan's body started to form. He had exposed jaw.
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Eren's pure titan was about to eat the man infront of it.
In Eren's titan eye's, there was a reflection of a scared Grisha.
Then Eren ate him.
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Steam was emitting from Eren's titan remains while the severed right hand of Grisha was on the ground.
Young Eren was sitting on his knees, holding Grisha's glass in shaking hand, crying.
Steam was emitting from his body while Titan marking were on his cheeks.
"Dad?" He said, bringing the glass closer to him.
Then he closed his eyes, looked up and screamed.
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At Rod's estate, Frieda and a young Historia were sitting in the shadow of a large pile of hay bale. Historia was holding a book.
"That's incredible, Historia!" Frieda said with an a cheerful tone. "You can read that well already?"
"It's only because you taught me so well!" Historia replied, looking at her with a smile while she had a runny nose.
"Careful, now, your nose is running!" Frieda said and searched for a handkerchief in her bag. "You should learn how to ke more ladylike, too, Historia." Historia looked ahead while Frieda brought the handkerchief closer towards her nose. "Here blow!" Historia blew her nose on Frieda's handkerchief. "That's it! Good job."
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"Hey!" Historia called out, sitting beside Frieda who had a book opened on her lap.
"Hmm?" Frieda said.
"What's it mean to be ladylike?" Historia asked.
"Well, I suppose being ladylike means..." Frieda said and pointed towards the drawing of a woman, holding out a flower for a demon. "Being a lot like this girl right here."
"Christa?" Historia asked.
"Right." Frieda replied, glancing at Historia. "You like Christa don't you, Historia?"
"Yeah." Historia replied with a smile.
"Christa is a kind girl who's always looking out for other people." Frieda said. "That's how you should try to act, too. The world is full of pain and suffering, but if you stay kind and help other people, they will love you in return."
"Okay." Historia said, looking at Frieda. "Then I'm gonna try to be more like you!"
"Huh?" Frieda said with a deep blush.
"When I grow up, do you think I can be just like you?" Historia asked.
Frieda hugged Historia who tensed at the act.
"Ofcourse!" Frieda said and brought Historia closer. "With that attitude, of course you can!"
Both of them giggled, eyes closed.
After a moment, Frieda pulled away from the hug but kept her hands on Historia's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Historia. It's time for me to go." Frieda said, sadly. "You'll have to forget about me again until we meet again."
Frieda pulled her head closer and lightly headbutted Historia.
Blue lightning crackled around their forehead because of the impact, making Historia's eye wide.
Historia just stared at Frieda's departure while wind picked up it's pace.
'Huh? Who's that lady?'
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Eren was looking ahead with wide eyes while Historia was holding her forehead, crying.
"Well?" Rod said. "Do you remember the sin your father committed?" Historia stepped back a bit. Rod glanced at her. "What's wrong, Historia?"
"Why? Why did I forget her?" Historia asked as she remembered Frieda holding her up. "I was never alone." She remembered riding a horse with her. "That woman was always there for me. She gave me books, taught me to read and write and she was always kind to me. How could I forget about her?"
"You met Frieda?" Rod asked.
"Frieda?" Historia asked.
"If you're remembering a young woman with long, black hair, it was most likely Frieda Reiss. She was your half-sister." Historia gasped. "She must have taken it on hesself to visit you every now and then. If she erased your memories afterwards, it was only to protect you."
"She erased my memories?" Historia asked. "Yes, but touching your hand to him seems to have restored those memories." He turned to Eren.
"Um, father?" Historia called out. "Where is Frieda now?" She brought her hand closer to her chest. "I'd like to say thank you. If she hadn't been there for me, I... I need to thank her for what she did for me."
"Frieda was no longer in this world." Rod replied.
"Huh?" Historia said.
"I used to have 5 children." Rod said, walking closer to her and embraced her. "But five years ago, my wife and all of my children were killed by that boy's father, Grisha Jaeger." He glanced at Eren.
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Grisha was begging Frieda to save everyone from upcoming attack.
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"Grisha possessed the power of the titans."
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Frieda brought a hand towards her family to shield them.
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"His motives remain a mystery."
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Grisha stabbed his palm with a knife and blue lightning struck, emitting steam everywhere.
Then Grisha's attacking Titan began to form while he was roaring.
The Reiss family covered their eyes.
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"But he came here to steal the power that the Reiss family possessed."
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The steam died down.
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"Grisha's goal was to forcefully take..."
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Frieda bit her hand and transformed into the founding Titan with a roar. Her titan eyes were purple.
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"The power of the Titans that resided within Frieda."
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The founding Titan threw a punch at the attacking Titan's jaw, making him back off a bit.
The Reiss family was running away.
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"Frieda's Titan was superior to all other Titans."
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The founding Titan ran towards the attacking Titan with a roar while her family members were looking at them from afar.
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"None could have rival her strength."
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The founding Titan was one the ground while the attacking Titan was over her, pulling out one of her hand.
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"However, she lacked the experience necessary to wield that power."
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The attacking Titan threw a powerful punch to her face, making Frieda unconscious.
He held her head and brought his mouth closer to the founding Titan's nape.
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"Unable to properly wield her strength..."
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The attacking Titan bite off her nape and brought his head up, holding her head with his mouth.
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"She was ultimately overwhelmed by Grisha, amaonsumed her and her power."
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The founding Titan's severed head fell to the ground while Dirk Reiss and Abel Reiss ran towards them. The rest of Reiss family was in the back.
The attacking Titan looked towards them. His eyes were purple while a trail of blood rolled down his mouth.
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"But he didn't stop there. He went on to attack the rest of us. He wanted to eradicate the entire Reiss family."
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The attacking Titan crushed Abel and Dirk with his hand.
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"First he crushed 14-year-old Dirk and 12 year Abel with his hand."
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The attacking Titan crushed Rod's wife and Florian Reiss under his leg.
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"His next kick crushed my wife as she held 10-year-old Florian her arms."
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The attacking Titan squeezed Ulklin Reiss in his palm.
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"Finally, he took my eldest son Ulklin in his fist and pulverized him."
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The attacking Titan broke through the chapel and went outside, causing destruction while Rod was running away in fear.
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"By some miracle, I alone managed to escape."
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"That can't be..." Historia trailed off, still in Rod's embrace. She turned to Eren. "So, she was..." Rod pulled away from the embrace. "Why would head such a terrible thing?"
It went silent for a moment before footsteps were heard.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Kenny called out, walking towards them. "What are you guys doing having a leisurely chat down here? Don'tcha know what kinda shit's going down outside?"
"Kenny? What happened?" Rod asked.
"The Survey Corps staged a coup d'état and most of the military backed them up." Kenny replied. "They outed the king as fake and rounded up all the influential nobles. It qualifies as a Royal shit show. Only a matter of time till they show up here. You oughta finish up here quick."
"Yes, all right." Rod replied. "Please join the Personnel Suppression Squad at the entrance." Kenny held his hat. "I shouldn't have to tell you again that you and your men cannot be present for the ceremony."
"You alright, Your Highness?" Kenny asked, bowing a bit. "Did I make you mad?" He sat straight and put his hand on his hips. "Sorry about that. I am just so worried about you."
"Kenny, I trust you. Go." Rod said.
"Same to you, King Reiss." Kenny said, his face covered by his hat. He turned around and walked away. "Tsk."
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In a prison cell of Royal Palace, Zachary was keeping Aurille in a torture chair.
Aurille was upside down, naked, wearing only a pair of socks while a vessel was connected with his ass. His hands and legs were cuffed to the chair. A pipe was connected to the vessel.
Zachary was standing before him.
"From now on, you'll be fighting gravity just to digest your food." Zachary said, bringing his hand up. "Moreover, I see a need in clothe you above the knees. And you'll be paraded before the people once a week for your dose of humiliation." He brought his hand down. "It's so beautiful. This may very well be the finest work of art ever conceived. It's incredible to see decades of planning finally realized." He put his hand on his back. "But see, only after you're publicly humiliated in front of the same people you tyrannized will this masterpiece be truly complete."
"Zachary!" Aurille called out. "Just you wait! The blood of slaves run in your veins! It won't protect you like our noble blood! Soon you'll lose so many memories you won't even remember how to shit!"
Zachary put the pipe on Aurille' mouth and let out a sadistic laugh.
"That lone insult of yours is getting pretty stale!" Zachary said. "Can't you come up with anything else?" He punched his stomach.
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Outside of the Royal Palace, the scouts were preparing to leave for the Reiss Chapel.
"This could be bad, Erwin." Pixis said, walking towards Erwin with Anka and another Garrison soilder. "All the nobles seem to be saying the same thing. It's just as your father speculated." Erwin fully turned to him. "The Reiss family must be able to freely alter people's memories." He stopped infront of him. "Moreover, it seems that the nobles' bloodlines and a few others are immune to the effects."
"Is that possible?" Erwin asked after a gasp.
"If Reiss obtains the "scream" power of Eren's Titan, this uprising will be forgotten forever. They're so confident of this that they're spilling all their secrets with no resistance. It's as if none of this matters one bit to them."
"I see..." Erwin said. "I suppose this means there's nothing we can't be made to forget."
Pixis closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well, should the worst happen, this means they'll remember their time in Zachary's torture rooms. I don't understand that man. To think he spent his whole life planning just to do that."
"Commander, you knew about him?" Erwin asked.
"It just slipped out." Pixis replied, opening his eyes. Then he turned to his right and walked away. "But, yes, I knew. I suspected the true nature of Dhalis Zachary's ambitions." He stopped in his tracks. "Unlike you, I'm not very fond of gambling. And it's also unlike of you..." He side glanced at Erwin. "I value what remains of humanity over my own life." Erwin gasped slightly. "I backed your coup only because I believed it was the best choice for humanity. Had the government provenátself more worthwhile..." He looked down. "I was prepared to oppose Zachary... Goodness look at what I'm saying to the man I just helped overthrow the government." He looked up. "I recall a song about a day when humans would stop fighting, but when will that be?"
"Commander!" A scout called out, causing Erwin to flinch. "All troops are prepared and ready! We are ready to move out!"
Pixis had his head down. Erwin glanced at him.
"Humans will stop fighting each other on the day that only one human remains." Erwin said, turning to the scouts.
Pixis laughed and turned to him. "I was hoping you'd have a proper answer, not some half-baked nonsense."
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"All troops!" Erwin shouted, wearing a cloak, sitting on his horse while all scouts were behind him. "Our mission to recover Eren and Historia will now commence! They are believed to be held in the chapel on the Reiss estate!"
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"Got that?" Levi asked, heading towards the Reiss Chapel with his squad. "He's Kenny the Ripper. If he's there, he'll be our biggest obstacle. As an opponent, he's near the same threat level as me. Actually, with the weapons he's got, he's even deadlier than me."
"Then there's no way we could beat him..." Sasha said while riding behind, holding a torch.
"Maybe if we waited for the backup-" Connie said, riding beside her, holding a torch.
"Absolutely not." Mikasa said, cutting him off.
"I know it's out of the question!" Connie said. "Eren might be eaten already if we wait till morning."
"But based on what the captain said..." Armin said, looking back. "He must have at least one weak point."
"Really?" Faye asked, looking at him.
"Yeah. He may have the training, but he doesn't have our practical experience." Armin said.
"But, Levi, how do you know so little about Kenny the Ripper when you lived with him for so long?" Hange asked.
"Sorry. I didn't even know his full name until recently." Levi replied. "Apparently, it's Kenny Ackerman." He turned to Mikasa who was sitting, holding her knees. "Are you two related?"
"My parents once told me that the Ackerman family, my dad's side, was persecuted in the cities." Mikasa said, looking up. "And because my mom's family was oriental, she didn't feel welcome anywhere either. They were both driven to the mountains near the outermost wall and that's where they met. But I never found out why the Ackermans were persecuted. I don't think it motivated by race like it was for me."
"Has there ever been a time when you felt like some kind of power suddenly awakened inside you?" Levi asked.
Mikasa gasped as she remembered the day Eren saved her.
"There has." Mikasa said, looking away. "It happened 6 years ago when mine and Eren's life was in danger..."
"What happened 6 years ago?" Hange asked.
"I was home alone at that time when 3 sex traffickers barged into my home and kidnapped me." Mikasa replied after a few moments, looking down while Hange and her friends except for Armin and Faye gasped. "Later that day, Eren came to save me..."
"How did he manage to save you from 3 kidnappers?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow
"He killed... Two kidnappers by taking them by surprise." Mikasa said and her friends gasped. "When the third kidnapper was about to kill him, he told me to that the only way to live is to fight and also... a mysterious voice told me to save him... That's when my powers awakened and I killed the third kidnapper."
Silence fell upon them. Sasha and Connie looked terrified while Faye and Armin remained calm.
"Kenny Ackerman experienced it too." Levi said, breaking the silence. "One day, he suddenly felt an insane amount of power flowing through his body and he knew exactly what to do next. I've felt that surge of power too."
"Don't you guys think it's somewhat because of the Ackerman blood?" Faye said, gaining everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Mikasa asked, surprised.
"I mean, the three of you at one point, felt sudden surge of powers." Faye explained, looking back. "So, there is a possibility that Captain is an Ackerman too and the three of you are somehow related."
Mikasa and Levi looked down.
"It might be possible." Levi said.
In the distance, Faye and Moblit could saw the Reiss Chapel.
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Inside the Chapel, Kenny was standing before a pillar, looking at his reflection from his dagger.
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A young Kenny, wearing a blood stained coat was standing beside his ill grandfather, holding a knife.
"Just spill it, Gramps." The young Kenny said, looking at his knife. He looked over his grandfather. "You're about to die anyways, right?"
His grandfather opened his eyes and glanced at him. "Kenny... Were you out killing more Military Police?"
"Yeah." Kenny replied and grabbed a chair. "The ones that were snooping around here earlier..." He sat up on the chair beside his grandfather. "Are turning into fertilizer as we speak." His grandfather coughed a bit. "Apparently, the branch family recently moved down south near Shiganshina. But they keep running into interference down there too, so they are still poor as hell." He looked at his grandfather. "Doesn't that seem wrong? Didn't the Ackermans used to be a family of warriors protecting the King? Now our family is two steps away from extinction. How the hell did you manage to piss off the King so badly?" After not getting any reply, he brought his hands to his side. "Come on, toss your beloved grandson a bone here!"
His grandfather slowly sat up and looked at Kenny. "My beloved grandson? You, Kenny the Ripper, terror of the capital? It's not that the King hates the Ackerman family. He simply fears us. Because he isn't able to control the members of the Ackermyn family."
"Control?" Kenny asked.
"I don't know the full story." His grandfather said. "But it's come that our kandy more served the crown as royal protectors. The royal family passes down the power of the Titans from generation to generation."
"What? What's the power of the Titans?" Kenny asked.
"It's a power that allows them to alter the memories of all humans, causing them to forget the past. Only a few noble bloodlines are immune. Among them, there were two groups that turned their backs on the King. An oriental family and the Ackermans."
"And that's why people hate us?" Kenny asked.
"It's a painful tale to tell." His grandfather said, looking ahead. Then he coughed and laid down on his bed.
"This probably ain't the kinda thing you wanna hear on your deathbed, but I found out what happened to my sister." Kenny said, looking down. "Kuchel's been working at a brothel in the underground. One of her customers knocked her up. And she wants the baby. Wouldn't listen to reason." His grandfather coughed. "I swear..." He looked up. "Ain't no point being born in a craphole world like this where there's not a single dream worth pursuing."
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Levi entered the chapel.
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"Found it." Armin said, looking at a trapped door, covered by a rag. "A hidden trap door."
"Eren and the enemy must be through here." Hange said, kneeling before the trapdoor. Levi kneeled down too. "I just hope I predicted the layout down there correctly."
Behind Levi, Armin was tying up a gas cylinder to a barrel, filled with oil.
"These presents better be worth all the trouble we went to preparing them." Levi said.
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Kenny's squad members were standing on multiple wooden places which were attached on the glowing pillars, ready for the battle.
"There are atleast seven of them." Caven informed. "And you can be sure Levi is among them. You're all aware of how even though we successfully ambushed him last time, he still managed to kill twelve of us. And rest of the Interior police are tied up in the whole coup d'eat business. The odds are against us. In such a tiny world, it's better to die ham to suffer though the misery that awaits us after we surrender." She looked up. "But isn't living within the confines of the walls justas oppressive? We can't defeat the titans so we sit and wait for the day they break down the walls and destroy us. When we chose to join the Military Police, earned our way into the Interior Police, and began to follow Kenny, we did so in pursuit of meaning for our meaningless lives in this meaningless world." Her teammates looked determined. "So, let's hold on to our faith that Kenny's dream can change this world until the very end!"
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Outside, Armin finished tying up the cylinder to the barrel.
"Alright, we are good to go!" Armin said, turning around.
"Are we?" Levi asked, turning to him. Then he looked ahead. "And is everyone prepared to get their hands dirty?"
Connie and Sasha looked unsure while Faye, Mikasa and Armin looked determined and firm.
"Looks that way." Levi said.
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Eren was staring ahead, expressionless.
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The Kenny's squad members were positioning near the entrance to the glowing place.
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Kenny was slowly walking towards Rod with a smirk.
'I am just one step away from fulfilling my dream.'
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