AUTHOR'S POV:
"Hey!" Historia called out, running after two children at a farm land. "Get back here!"
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From afar, Eren, Armin and Faye were looking at her, leaning on a fence.
"She looks so happy now as compared to some days ago." Faye said with a smile.
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Historia grabbed the kids by their collars. "Don't run away now! Listen to me!"
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"Have you heard her nick name yet?" Armin asked.
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"Snacks can wait until all your choms are done!" Historia said, grabbing the kids.
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"The cattle taming Goddess." Armin said. "Not as an insult ofcourse."
"Nice to see her already being elevated to devine status." Faye said and glanced at Eren. "But, it's sad to see that people don't acknowledge Eren's efforts."
"It doesn't really matter to me..." Eren said, staring ahead. "I don't want people to see me as their saviour though."
"Selfless suicidal idiot." Faye said and rolled her eyes.
Armin just chuckled while a smile crept on Eren's face.
Then Historia approached them.
"Hey! You're all slacking again!" Historia said, stopping before them.
"Oh..." Armin trailed off.
"It's going to be dark soon!" Historia said.
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Armin and Faye were walking ahead, carring crates. Eren was carrying two bags, walking side by side with Historia.
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"I remember Mom scolding Eren like that whenever he would slack off." Faye said with a sad smile. Armin looked at her with concern. Faye sighed. "I miss those days..."
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"I heard the hardening experiments are going well." Historia said.
"Yeah." Eren replied. "But if we take too long, chose two will come back."
Historia looked down. "What would you do? If Reiner and Bertolt came back for you, I mean."
"I would have no choice but to kill them." Eren replied.
Silence fell upon them.
"I hope we learn more soon." Historia said after a few moments of silence. "About why this world is like this. I don't want us to have to regret the things we've done."
Two children ran down, laughing in the distance, grabbing their attention.
"Even the kids from the underground have been smiling lately." Historia said, looking at the kids. This can't have been the wrong choice."
"Yeah." Eren replied, still looking at the children. He looked at Historia. "You have done a great job."
"Not really..." Historia said, looking down, blushing.
"When you smacked him to the ground, you really had the 'I am going to destroy the world!' expression on your face." Eren said and chuckled.
"I-I just got carried away back then, that's all!" Historia shouted, blushing.
Suddenly, Mikasa stood before them with a death glare.
Eren and Historia flinched just by looking at her.
"Uh..." Historia said and awkwardly smiled.
"M-Mikasa..." Eren trailed off.
"I will take this." Mikasa said, taking the bags from Eren's hands. She put the bags on her shoulder.
"Huh?" Eren said.
"Eren is tired from doing experiments." Mikasa said.
"That's true. Sorry Mikasa." Historia said.
Mikasa turned around and started walking.
"Hey! You don't have to do that Mikasa!" Eren said, walking up to her.
"Too bad, you can't stop me from doing this." Mikasa said with a smile, looking at Eren.
Historia chuckled at her remark.
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"Wow look! A wife is concerned for her husband!" Faye with a smirk, walking towards them.
"Faye!" Mikasa called out, blushing. She quickly covered her face with her scarf.
"It's not that, Faye!" Eren said, blushing.
"Well, you two do infact look like a married couple." Historia said with a smirk.
Mikasa looked down, blushing heavily while Eren looked at Historia with wide eyes.
"Historia, you too?" Eren asked.
"Sorry!" Historia said and chuckled.
"See? Everyone see you two as a married couple!" Faye said and chuckled.
"Oh, shut it, Faye!" Eren said and chuckled himself.
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The military was forced to purge many talented soldiers from its ranks but discoveries such as the glowing ore from beneath the chapel were put to everybody's use.
Furthermore, using Eren's hardening ability, a new weapon was created to counter the Titans.
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A scout was standing between the two small Walls, holding blades, grabbing the attention of a titan.
"Come on." The scout said. "Get your head good and stuck.
When the titan moved forward, the scout turned around.
"Now!" He shouted.
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On his command, another scout cut a rope, causing a giant log to fall on the titan's nape.
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Hange, Eren and some other scouts were standing on the wall, looking at the executioner from hell.
"Oh... That's a direct hit on the nape!" Hange said. "This could be..."
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The log was removed from the titan's nape, revealing a giant hole. Soon, steam arose from the hole.
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The scouts slightly cheered.
Hange threw her hand up! "We did it! We took down a 12-meter titan!"
Eren fell to his knees. "We did it!"
Levi glanced at him.
"This is incredible!" Hange shouted, making a fist. "With this weapon, we can kill Titans without having to fight them! It's gonna be a 24-hour all you can kill Titan buffet!" She bent down slightly with a crazed look. "It's the birth of the Executioner from Hell!" She turned around. "We did it, Eren-"
Eren was on his knees, holding his bloody nose while blood was dripping from it.
Levi was on his knees, holding a handkerchief for him.
"Eren?" Hange said with concern.
Eren wiped the blood with Levi's handkerchief.
"He probably overused his Titan powers." Levi said. "He's been doing hardening experiments nonstop."
"Sorry Eren." Hange said.
Eren turned to her. "You have nothing to apologize for, Hange-san. What does it matter if I am tired?" He wiped again. "We need to hurry up and get this weapon to Shiganshina."
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It was now night time. The members of Survey Corps were having dinner.
Jean and Marlo joined the Survey Corps.
Eren, Faye, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Marlo and Jean were sitting together on a table.
"So, all of these happened when I was an MP. Huh?" Jean said, sitting beside Connie.
"Yeah..." Connie said and looked down. "Too bad they turned out to be traitors."
Silence fell upon them.
"We can win! We have a chance!" Marlo said, confidently, breaking the silence. "The Titans don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against that thing!"
"Don't get so excited." Jean said. "Most people don't celebrate joining the Survey Corps."
"That reminds me." Sasha said, turning to Marlo. "Did Hitch try to talk you out of joining?"
"Hitch? Why should she?" Marlo asked, looking at Sasha.
Connie and Sasha started grinning.
"Why? Aren't you two... like that?" Sasha asked.
"I don't know what you mean." Marlo said. "But Hitch did tell me I wasn't cut out for the job and that I shouldn't fake it. She said I could have an easy life if I stayed in the Military Police. I thought she was better than that. So I told her to take her cowardice elsewhere."
Mikasa resumed eating.
"Dense mushroom head." Faye said.
"Huh?" Marlo said, looking at Faye.
"Are you slow, Marlo?" Armin asked.
"That bowl cut is shrinking his brain." Sasha said.
"What you guys are talking about?" Marlo asked, confused.
All of them resumed eating.
"I am done here. See you later." Connie said, standing up with his plate.
"What, already?" Sasha asked, looking at him.
"Since we have some free time, I'm heading to my village tomorrow morning. He walked away. "I might be able to learn something useful. Good night."
"It wouldn't be completely impossible to turn Connie's mom back to normal, right?" Sasha asked.
"Yeah..." Armin said, looking down. "As long as we keep learning more about Titans, may be someday..."
Eren looked down, remembering something.
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The Levi squad was in a room, discussing.
Connie was holding his head, looking down while Sasha was comforting him.
"So all titans are humans?" Eren asked.
"Right now that's just a possibility." Levi said, glancing at him.
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Ymir was sitting on a tree, healing while Bertolt had kneeled beside her.
"About 60 years. It felt like I was stuck in a nightmare that would go on forever."
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"A nightmare, huh?" Eren said, grabbing their attention. "We haven't had much time to worry about it lately, but who exactly have we been fighting? Aren't titans basically just innocent people trapped in some unending nightmare? At some point, I was also one of those Titans."
"Eren." Mikasa softly called out with concern, breaking Eren's trance.
"Huh?" Eren said, confused, looking at Mikasa.
"Don't stress yourself with those thoughts." Mikasa said. "You should eat now."
Eren looked down. "Right. Sorry, Mikasa."
"You've been spending so much time just muttering to youself lately." Faye said, concerned. "You shouldn't stress yourself too much, Eren."
"Yeah..." Eren said, looking down. "Since I saw Dad's memories... Everything feels different now..."
"Talking about Dad's memories, do you remember that Survey Corp soilder who you think met Dad?" Faye asked.
Eren looked down. "Yeah, the memory of that guy must have come from Dad." He took sip from his cup. "He gotta know something." He put his hand on his forehead. "And I can't shake the feeling I've met him myself."
"You're saying you've met him. outside of your father's memories?" Armin asked.
"I think so." Eren replied.
"Maybe you'll remember more if you hit your head!" Sasha suggested.
"That's a good idea." Jean said. "You just need to do something besides holding hands with Historia for once. Try geting the commandant to headbutt you."
"If head trauma was the answer, I wouldn't-" Eren said but stopped as he realised something. Suddenly, Keith Shadish's face came to his mind. "Wait..." He remembered seeing Keith when he was returning from a scouting mission the day Wall Maria was breached. He abruptly stood up, shaking the table in the process, making everyone gasp. "The Training Corps commandant..." He turned to his side. "Keith Shadish."
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The next day, the Levi squad except Connie, along with Hange headed towards Keith Shadish for their answers.
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Eren was riding ahead of them.
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"He was the 12th commander of the Survey Corps once. Erwin's predecessor." Hange said. "It's been a long time since I've seen him."
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Keith Shadish was standing alone at his training ground when the Levi squad approached him.
"Commandant Shadis!" Eren called out, standing behind him.
Keith turned his head around to look at the Levi squad.
Sasha was hiding behind Faye, scared.
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Eren saluted to him.
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The Levi squad, Hange and Keith were sitting at the table at Keith's office while Sasha was standing at the door.
"You're not going to take a seat, Blouse?" Keith asked, looking at Sasha.
"No! I am perfectly happy to stand!" Sasha replied, determined.
"I do seem to recall reprimanding you in this room more than a few times." Keith said and looked down. "And that was only a few months ago." He looked at them. "I hardly recognize you anymore."
"Commander Shadis, Or, as I should say, Commandant." Hange said. "With the mission to retake Wall Maria so near, perhaps you can guess what brings us here today."
Keith turned to Eren and Faye and looked at their determined eyes.
"Eren, Faye." Keith said after a moment. "You two look so much like your mother." Faye and Eren gasped. "But those daggers in both of your eyes, especially Eren's could only have come from your father."
Eren stood up. "Please tell me everything you know about him!"
"What I know is worth very little." Keith replied, eyes downcasted. "The only thing I can part is a story of no importance to humanity. It is the story of events witnessed by a mere bystander."
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Beautiful flowers were dancing in the air, outside the Walls of Shiganshina.
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"It was twenty years ago at Wall Maria. He was out there, just beyond the gates of Shiganshina."
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A frightened Grisha was standing under a tree when a young Keith stopped infront of him, on his horse.
"Hey you!" Keith called out. "What are you doing here? How did you get past the wall!?"
"Wh-What are you doing on this side of the wall?" Grisha asked, surprised. "You couldn't possibly be fighting out here, could you?"
"What?" Keith asked, surprised.
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"Was he telling the truth?"
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Grisha stood there, shaking.
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"He claimed not to remember how he got outside the walls."
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Grisha was sitting on a bench inside a prison cell, looking down.
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"Or anything else about himself, for that matter. All that he could remember was his name, Grisha Jaeger."
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"Never would've guessed it was illegal to go out there without permission." A drunk Hannes said, stopping at the jail cell. He turned to Keith who was leaning on the bars. "And I never woulda bet on anyone outside the Survey Corps bein' dumb enough to try it."
"Well, were you aware there's also a law meant to keep idiots from drinking on duty, Hannes?" Keith said.
Hannes turned to Grisha. "Haha... Anyways, it's not like he hurt anyone so can we keep this one between us?"
Keith turned to Grisha. "Yeah."
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Grisha and Keith were standing outside.
"Well?" Keith said, glancing at Grisha. "What do you plan on doing now, Grisha Jaeger?"
"I've remembered one other thing about myself." Grisha said, still looking down. He slightly looked up. "I am a doctor. If you'll introduce me to a hospital, I should be able help out."
"Eh?" Keith said, tilting his head.
"And... would you mind teaching me?" Grisha asked. "All about the world and about the Survey Corps." He turned to Keith. "All about you."
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Keith took Grisha to a bar talk. They were sitting at a table.
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"He truly knew nothing at all. Not about this world or anything else."
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"I see." Grisha said then held his chin. "Despite the economic inequality, the world within the walls is at peace." He looked away. "If nothing else, at least you don't live in constant fear of the Titans."
A young Carla approached them with their drinks. She put the cups down.
"That's good." Grisha said.
"That's good, huh?" Keith said. "So you are that type."
"Huh?" Grisha said, looking up, confused.
"Some people think it's good enough here so long as we have enough food and alcohol within the confines of the walls." Keith said, slightly angry. "Not once have they stopped to think how much farther the horizon might stretch."
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Carla was laughing in the distance with two men, holding her tray closer to her chest.
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"Is that why you and the rest of the Survey Corps venture outside the walls?" Grisha asked.
"That's right." Keith replied, glaring at him. He slightly looked up and smiled. "Sounds stupid, right?"
"Not at all." Grisha replied, determined. "The ranks of the Survey Corps must consist of the wisest and bravest men. You symbolize the desire for freedom in our souls. You're the pride of humanity."
"Us, humanity's pride?" Keith asked with an awkward smile and Carla turned around.
"Yes." Grisha replied.
"Come on, Keith." Carla said, approaching them with an empty tray. He softly hit Keith's head with the tray. "Are you recruiting for the Survey Corps again?"
"N-No, Carla, this is something else." Keith replied.
"Oh I would make a terrible Corpsman, I'm sure." Grisha said awkwardly. "It would take someone far more skilled than me. Someone destined for greatness."
"Oh, is that right?" Carla asked, walking away.
Keith just starred at Grisha with wide eyes.
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The survey corps were going through a forest on horses.
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"Destined for greatness. It was the first time anyone had said that about me."
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Keith switched to his ODM gear and swang towards a fat, smiling Titan.
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"And it was true that the world inside the wall was too small for me."
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Keith let out a battle cry and sliced it's nape.
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The then Survey Corps commander along with some other scouts including Keith were in a meeting with their superiors.
"It's always bad news from you." One superior said. "When will that recon base be established?"
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'If they made me commander, I would give them the results they wanted.' Keith thought. 'I'd give them results so impressive, their tiny brains wouldn't be able to deny it. And then...' A vision of Carla at bar flashed in his mind. 'Everyone would acknowledge me.'
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Keith opened the door of Grisha's infirmary, holding an ill Carla on his hands.
"Grisha!" Keith called out. "Carla's come down with it too! Can you help her?"
Grisha approached him, face covered in a white cloth. "Get her in a bed." He pointed to a bed.
He turned around to leave when Carla grabbed his hand, stopping him.
"Dr. Yeager..." Carla called out. "My parents are sick too."
Grisha turned to her and lowered down his face cover and smiled. "Don't worry. I will save everyone." He held her hand back.
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"Dr. Yeager!" Hannes called out, crying, grabbing Grisha's attention who was checking out a patient. "My wife opened her eyes!"
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"Dr. Yeager, thank you!" Carla said, hugging Grisha, crying.
Grisha hugged her back and patted her head, smiling.
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Keith, who was distributing water cups, looked at them.
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Carla's parents were smiling at them while Hannes was crying beside them.
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Keith was looking at them with jealousy.
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Keith was standing on a stage, before his superiors.
"You are now Commander of the Survey Corps!" His superior announced, holding a paper.
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A crowd had gathered infront of newly wed Grisha and Carla while Keith was standing far away from everyone.
Everyone were cheering and clapping for Grisha.
"Congratulations!" A woman said.
"Congratulations, Dr. Yeager!" A man said.
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Carla was blushing slightly, holding a flower bouquet while Grisha just smiled.
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A titan climbed up the tree and destroyed the racon base which was built there by the scouts.
"Shit, the base!" A scout cursed, standing on the ground.
"There are too many! We have to retreat, Commander!" A scout said, approaching Keith who was staring at the titans with surprise.
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The Survey Corps returned to the walls. Most of the scouts were injured while there were a lot of dead bodies on a wagon.
Keith was walking ahead of them, looking down.
A crowd had gathered around them.
"Their commander leads them straight their deaths." A man from the crowd said.
"He's always the only one who lives." Another man said.
"The nobody on Erwin's squad has died yet." A woman said, looking at Erwin.
"Maybe they should change commander." A man said.
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'Someone special, destined for greatness...' Keith thought, walking ahead.
"Keith?" Carla called out, grabbing his attention.
He gasped and looked at Carla who was holding baby Eren and Faye in her arms.
He walked towards her and stopped infront of her.
"Carla? And who are they?" Keith asked.
"Eren and Faye. They are our children." Carla replied. "I guess you never got the news." Eren grabbed Carla's hair while Faye was still sleeping. "My husband worried about you." Baby Eren started eating Carla's hair.
"I know. I am sorry." Keith said, looking away.
Carla looked down at Eren. "Are you going to keep this up until you die?" Eren looked at her.
Keith furrowed his eyebrows in anger.
"When will it be enough?" Carla asked, looking down.
Keith went to her face. "You know why people like you live their whole lives without accomplishing a single thing!? You don't have a drop of imagination!" Faye woke up, confused. "Your lives amount to nothing, and you don't even know to ashamed to it! Greatness is beyond you- no, it is beyond even your understanding! You know not when you see it! So a girl who flirts with every man in sight, whose only skill is pouring drinks, will never..." He got teary eyed.
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Keith was kneeling down before Mosses's mother, crying.
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"Yes. Normal peoples' lives amount to nothing."
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Keith was walking along side with Erwin, looking down.
"Erwin. Will you take over as commander?" Keith asked.
Erwin side glanced him, unsurprised.
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He looked at Miche, Levi, Nababa, Hange and Erwin.
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"Special people do exist. It just turns out I was never one of them."
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Keith was walking away, looking down, leaving the Survey Corps behind.
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"Why was I never able to realize something so simple?"
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Keith was walking alone at Throst district during an evening.
"Wall Maria has been breached!" A man shouted.
Keith gasped and looked behind him.
"Shiganshina had been completely destroyed!" The man shouted. "Throst is next in line!"
People started running away in fear, pushing Keith out of their way.
"Keith!" Grisha called out, grabbing his attention.
He turned around to see a frightened Grisha. 'Oh, now I remember. It was because of you.'
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Grisha was holding a sleeping Eren in his arms at the refugees camp.
"Eren." Grisha slowly said and Eren's eyes twitched. Keith was walking towards them. "Wake up, Eren. Why isn't your mother with you?"
Eren opened his eyes and looked at Grisha with saddened expression. "Dad... Mom was... She..." Grisha and Keith were looking at him with wide eyes. "Was eaten by a titan."
Keith gasped and fell to his knees while Grisha had a darkened expression on his face.
"Eren. You must avenge your mother." Grisha said, puting his hands on Eren's shoulder and Keith looked up at them. "I know you can do it." He stood up, holding Eren. "Let's go."
"Wait. Where are you going?" Keith asked, looking at him.
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Grisha was walking inside a forest, holding a confused Eren's hand while Keith was following them.
"Don't follow us." Grisha said, not even looking back.
"Wait." Keith said, stopping Grisha. "You can avenge Carla youself. Right? You're special, after all. Not like me." Eren was looking up at Grisha with confused look. "What if your kid isn't like you either? Not destined for greatness... Think about it. Are you really going to curse someone else like this?"
Grisha turned to Keith. "This child is not like you. He's my son. So please. Stay out of this."
He walked away with Eren, leaving a confused Keith behind.
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Blue lightning hit somewhere in the forest, grabbing Keith's attention.
'Thunder?' Keith thought.
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Keith slowly approached the place where the blue lightning struck.
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Upon arriving there, he saw an unconsious Eren on the ground.
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Keith brought Eren back to the refugees camp and put him down beside a sleeping Faye.
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"And then I carried your unconscious body back to the shelter."
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He left the shelter.
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"That's everything I know." Keith said, looking down.
Everyone had a shocked expression on their faces.
"So... That's it?" Eren asked.
Keith didn't reply.
"So that's the real reason you resigned." Hange said, slightly angry. "Not to atone for the deaths you caused, but because you realised you were never 'Special.' What a childish reason that brought you here."
"Quit it, Hange." Levi said.
Hange furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't care about your inferiority complex. Don't run away from reality." She stood up and brought her fist closer to her heart. "Aren't we supposed to dedicate our hearts to face reality?"
"Please stop, Hange-san." Eren said, grabbing everyone's attention, looking down. "The commandant was right. I was never special or anything. I am just the son of a special man. That's all."
"Your mother, Carla told me this." Keith said, grabbing their attention.
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Carla looked up at Keith. "Is it wrong not to be special?"
Keith gasped.
"I certainly don't think so." Carla said and looked at Eren and Faye. "If my children are not special..." She turned to Eren. "If they never do anything great, so what?" She turned to Faye. "They don't have to be better than anyone. I mean just look at them." She brushed her cheeks against Faye and Eren's face, eyes closed. "They are already so cute!" She looked up at Keith while Eren and Faye yawned. "They are more than special enough for me. They are special because they were born into this world."
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Eren mounted his horse and stepped forward a bit, stoping beside Faye, deep in thoughts.
He looked up at the sky while his hair flew in the air.
"We are indeed special..." Faye muttered with a smile.
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Mikasa and Armin were looking at them with concern.
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Soon Eren and the others left on their horses.
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Keith was standing in the middle of the training ground, looking at their departure.
Some old memories flashed though his mind.
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Keith gasped as he looked at Eren and Faye, standing on the ground with others to join the Cadet corps.
Eren and Faye had determined expression.
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'And you did just as your father wanted.'
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Eren furrowed his eyebrows.
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'The fire in you lit in your heart will no doubt burn you to ashes outside the walls.'
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Keith was messing with the ODM gears of Eren and Faye in his office with a screw driver.
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Keith was looking at Eren with wide eyes as Eren managed to balance himself up with the broken ODM gear.
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'And I wasn't able to change a single thing about that.'
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Keith narrowed his eyes at Eren.
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'I was merely a bystander.'
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