Kruger picks up one of the men as he holds him tightly, crushing him in his grip.
The soldiers had their lives squeezed out of them like fruit being juiced and their scraps cast into the sea. I suppose I should explain what the sea is. The sea is a body of salt water that covers 70% of our world's surface.
Kruger dissipates from his titan as he walks back up the stairs of the cliff towards Grisha and Evelyn.
"Owl, who are you?" Grisha asks as he looks at Kruger.
"I am Eren Kruger" Eren says as he wipes the blood from his nose, "as you just saw, I possess one of the nine titans. In other words, I'm a Subject of Ymir, just like the two of you".
"You pretended to be a Marleyan and infiltrated Public Security?" Grisha questions as Evelyn looks up at Grisha, "what about the blood tests?".
"That was easy enough with the help of a doctor" Eren explains calmly, "doctors make good spies. In all honestly, you did very well. But in terms of result, Grice has every right to grieve like he did".
"You're absolutely right" Grisha says as he looks down, "I was a useless Father, a useless husband, and a useless man".
"Father, don't say that" Evelyn says as she squeezes Grisha's hand.
"And yet, why am I the only one that remains? It should just be Evelyn. She's the one who was supposed to lead us" Grisha says as he looks down at Evelyn, "Dina was someone special, being a Subject of Ymir with royal blood. Evelyn here, she's the same. The two of them can both tap into a titan's true power" Grisha says as he grabs Eren by his collar, "if you hadn't jumped in to keep me quiet, Dina would-. Answer me! Why did you only let me live?".
"Enough. Don't your fingers hurt?" Eren asks as Evelyn notices her Father's hand.
"Thanks so much for your concern!" Grisha says sarcastically.
"Father, what happened to you? What did they do to you?" Evelyn asks worriedly.
"Look, you didn't seem to care much when your comrades were chopping them off!" Grisha says as he ignores Evelyn for the time being, "well? If you had gone on a rampage in your titan form sooner, wouldn't the others not be titans right now? What happened when Evelyn tries to pass this cliff? She was injected with that serum that turned the others into a titan. Will she turn into a titan too? Will she be stuck here forever? What was the whole point of letting them become titans?" he asks as Eren falls to his knees, "what's wrong? You look pale".
"It was just fellow patriots" Eren says as he tries to catch his breath, "I severed thousands of Subjects of Ymir's fingers and made them into titans. Women and children, too. All while believing it was for the sake of Eldia. I don't have much time left, Grisha. I'm entrusting you with the final task. Not anyone else, just you and your daughter. That day, the first time I met you, if none of that had happened, you wouldn't have festered enough hatred of Marley to come this far".
"Is that the reason you chose me?" Grisha asks as he looks at Eren.
"That's part of it" Eren says as he looks at Grisha, "the country, your Father, yourself. The hate in your eyes was enough to burn the world to ashes. You lit that same fire under your daughter here. I was once like that, too. The royal family that stayed behind formed a revolution. My Father was part of it. However, they accomplished nothing at all and were burnt alive. I was so young, all I could do was peek through the closet door and watch. Ever since then, I've sworn revenge on Marley and the revival of Eldia. But all I've managed to do is cut the fingers off my fellow patriots, kick them off this wall, and watch them turn into titans. It's because of the things I've done that my true identity was never discovered. I'm no different than when I was little. Perhaps I'm still looking at the world through a crack from the closet".
"Tell me, Owl" Grisha says as he looks down, "what is this task left for my daughter and I?".
"It's to infiltrate the walls and retake the Founding titan" Eren says as he looks at Evelyn, "and Evelyn will be the one to retake the Founding titan. With her royal blood, she can access its full power. But in order to do that, Grisha. You must inherit my titan".
"What did you say?" Grisha asks in shock, "that would mean you...".
"I'll be eaten by you as a titan" Eren says as he looks out to the sea, "you'll take the Founding titan from its owner the same way, Evelyn".
"Why aren't you doing it?" Grisha asks as he looks at Eren.
"Those who inherit the power of the nine titans perish in 13 years" Eren explains calmly, "I inherited this titan 13 years ago".
--- present day ---
"The Owl called it 'The Curse of Ymir'" Eren explains as he looks at the wall of his cell, "the founder Ymir lived that long after her powers awakened, so it's only appropriate we live that long, too".
"I've got 13 years left" Armin says as he writes things down as he sits at the desk in Eren's cell, "and you?".
"Eight years left... not even" Eren says as he looks down.
"You're wrong" Mikasa says from the cell next to them, "this has to be a mistake. It's wrong".
"If one possessing the power of the nine titans dies without passing it on, the power is inherited by a baby yet to be born by a Subject of Ymir" Eren explains as he listens to Mikasa, "it's as if all the Subjects of Ymir are connected by something we can't see. On inheritor said they saw paths. The blood and bones that form a titan, and at times, even memories and thoughts are sent through those paths. All the paths cross at a single coordinate. In other words, that's the Founding titan".
--- the year of 832 ---
"Every single Subject of Ymir is connected to that coordinate" Eren explains as he looks at Grisha.
"Who was the found Ymir exactly?" Grisha asks as he looks at Eren.
"Under Marley authority, she's a pawn of the devil" Eren explains as he looks out to the sea, "during the Eldian Empire era, she was a miracle of God. Some day she touched the source of all living matter. Who's to say they're wrong? The only truth in this world is that there is no truth. Anyone can become a God or a devil. All it takes it for people to believe it".
"You're the one who said Dina had royal blood in her" Grisha says as he looks down, "was that a 'truth' of yours?".
"Unfortunately, Dina having royal blood is true, which means your daughter is a descendant of the Fritz bloodline" Eren says as he looks at Evelyn who looks confused about everything.
"Then why abandon her?" Evelyn asks angrily.
"Precisely because she had royal blood. I couldn't let the enemy have her" Eren says as he looks back at Grisha, "it had to be done before Zeke told Marley everything. Would she be better off giving birth to children for the enemy for the rest of her life? If Evelyn stays here and they find her, she will serve the same fate. I've done my duty. You do yours. Only someone with the power of the titans is capable of reaching the walls".
"To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'm fit for the job" Grisha says as he looks at Eren.
"You will do it" Eren says persistently.
"Look at that. He was eaten by a titan" Grisha says as he peers down the side of the cliff, "and you asked if watching that was interesting? It wasn't interesting at all. His screams of agony were unbearable to hear. I didn't know any better. If I had known this was the price of freedom, I wouldn't have paid it".
"Stand" Eren says as he stands up, "for the sake of restoring freedom and dignity to Eldia, stand!".
"I can't" Grisha says as he looks down.
"Look. I brought this from your home" Eren says as he passes Grisha a photo of himself, Dina, Evelyn and Zeke.
"I can't look" Grisha says as he shuts his eyes.
"You can't look, you can't stand, you can't fight" Eren says disappointedly, "have you no balls? Did Marley castrate you?".
"It's pointless to try and make me recall my hatred" Grisha says as tears fall from his eyes, "all I have left now is my daughter and my sins".
"That's more than enough" Eren says confidently, "the main reason I picked you was because you left the walls that day. That day, if you hadn't taken your little sister and gone past the walls, you would've taken over your Father's clinic, your sister may have grown up, married, and even had children. But you did go outside the walls. Ever since the first day I kicked a patriot off this wall, ever since that day you took your sister outside the walls, we must push forward until the price of our actions is paid. Even in death and after death" he says as Grisha finally looks at the photo, "this is a story you began, right? Each of the nine titans has a name, including the titan that you will inherit. No matter which era this titan has found itself in, it has pushed ever forward, seeking out freedom. For the sake of freedom, it fights. It's name...".
--- present day ---
"The Attack titan" Eren says as he puts his hand to his chin.
"What are you doing?" Hange asks as they stand outside of Eren's cell alongside Levi and Armin, "the Attack titan" they say as they mimic Eren's expression and pose, "didn't you just do that?".
"No" Eren says quietly.
"Huh? He just did that, right?" Hange questions as Levi unlocks Eren's cell, "didn't you two see it just now?".
"Yeah, but it was..." Armin says as he looks away.
"See? What was that all about, Eren?" Hange asks as they look at Eren.
"No, it's nothing" Eren says as he looks down.
"It's the name of your titan, isn't it? What were you doing talking to yourself?" Hange asks persistently.
"Enough, Hange. He's 15 years old" Levi says as he opens the gate to Eren's cell, "everyone goes through a phase".
"What kind of phase are we talking about?" Hange asks as they looks at Levi.
"Hange, I'll explain to you later. It's not right with him here" Armin says as he looks at Hange.
"What do you mean by that?" Hange asks as they look at Armin.
"Guys, just shut up for a minute" Evelyn says as she walks down the stairs to the cells, "if he's anything like me right now, Eren doesn't need a lot of noise".
"Evelyn" Levi says as he looks at her, "do you remember everything?".
"Yeah. Everything. I also learned some things that I didn't know before" Evelyn says as she looks at Eren, "are you like that too, Eren?".
"Get out" Levi says as he looks at Eren.
"I'm supposed to be disciplined for ten more days" Eren says as he looks at Levi.
"It's over" Levi says as he looks down, "Hange just now was punishment enough".
"We had a talk with Premier Zachery, so don't worry about it" Hange says as they look at Armin who unlocks Mikasa's cell, "if we jail the heroes who toppled the Armoured and Colossal titan, it kind of sends a bad message, you know? Plus, you were defying us morons who let the Beast and Armoured titan get away".
"That's not" Eren says as Mikasa walks out of her cell, Eren turning to look at her, "did you lose some weight? We had plenty to eat, though".
"You seem good" Mikasa says as she looks at Eren.
"I guess" Eren says as he puts his hand on his chest.
"Hurry up and get changed" Levi says as he, Hange and Armin all walk out of the cells.
"Where are we going?" Eren asks as he looks at Levi.
"To an audience" Levi says as he looks forward, "her Majesty has come to Trost".
--- in Trost District ---
Historia sits at the table as she reads the letter that Hange had taken from Reiner that Ymir had written for her.
To my dear Historia,
As I am writing this, Reiner stands next to me. It's pretty obvious that he's sneaking peeks at this love letter. He can be such a creep. No wonder he's single. However, he did promise me he's deliver this letter to you. He says it's payback for saving them that one time. I'm sorry about then. I never imagined I would end up choosing them over you. It won't be long until I die. But I have no regrets. That's what I'd like to say, but there is one thing. It's that I wasn't able to marry you.
Sincerely, Ymir.
Historia places her hand on the piece of paper as she feels an electric pulse travel through her body, as she sees the majority of Ymir's memories.
"What was that?" Historia asks as she places the letter down on the table, "is that all there was?" she asks as she looks over at Jean and Hange who sit in the same room as her.
"Yes. Of course, I doubt she was able to write anything beneficial for us" Hange says as they look at Historia.
"Was there any secret message only you would know?" Jean asks as he looks at Historia, "like a code?".
"I don't know" Historia says as she looks down, "but I doubt she would do anything like that. Ymir's such a dummy. Such a dummy. You'd play it off the second you're embarrassed. I just never know with you".
"We're here" Levi says as he knocks on the door.
"Come in" the guard says as Levi opens the door.
"Your Majesty" Eren, Mikasa and Armin all say with a bow.
"Stop it. It's not an official position yet" Historia says as she comes over to them, "so much has happened, hasn't it? But all I did was stare at the South sky from within the walls".
"It's an important duty of yours just to stay alive" Armin says as he looks at Historia.
"Yeah, that's right" Eren says as he looks at Historia.
"I'm glad to see you're all acting as usual" Historia says with a small smile.
"Well, that... it hasn't sunk in for us yet" Eren says as Mikasa and Armin both look at him.
"Shall we get this going?" Hange asks as they organise their notes.
They all make it to the meeting with Premier Zachery as Historia sits at the front alongside him and another soldier.
"'The Early Life of Grisha Jaeger'" Premier Zachery reads from one of Grisha's books, "'The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History'. 'Information About the World Beyond the Walls'. The only people who know about the existence of these books are those here in this very room. These were retrieved by the efforts of ten living Scouts and the 199 others who are not here today. Today, and in the Queen's presence, I would like to assess our situation, and establish an agreement in our terms of our course of action. Scout Regiment Commander Hange Zoe".
"Sir!" Hange says as they stand up, "the Scouts have lost a great deal, including Erwin Smith. But in exchange for the many heroes we lost, we have retaken Wall Maria, stole the Colossal titan's power, found the secret of the titans within the Jaeger family's basement, recovered Evelyn Jaeger's memories, and gained someone who knows what life is like outside of the walls. However, humanity that lives within the walls remains in a precarious situation. It would be a relief were titans the only monsters we had for enemies. However, the true identity of the enemies we've been fighting are humans. A civilisation, you might say... the world. According to these books and Evelyn's memories, we're a special race called the Subjects of Ymir who can turn into titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good".
--- the year of 832 ---
"If the Founding titan falls into the hands of Marley, Eldians are done for" Eren says as he looks at Grisha.
"The King of the walls wouldn't allow that to happen" Grisha says as he looks at Eren.
"The King of the walls won't fight" Eren says with a slight chuckle, "'if once again Eldia is driven to sin, we will perish as it's meant to be. I have made a vow renouncing war with the Founding titan'. He said that to the royal family on the continent and then closed the walls".
"Did he not warn that the titans of the walls would flatten the Earth?" Grisha wonders.
"Those words we meant to deter an attack" Eren says calmly, "it allowed for a brief time of peace. The King of the walls stole his people's memories and made them believe humanity perished beyond the walls. He surrounded himself with the ignorant and babbled about paradise. A King who can't protect his own people is no King. You must find that cowardly King and strip him of the Founding titan. That is our mission".
--- present day ---
"Mr Jaeger later achieved this mission and entrusted the Founding titan to his son Eren after failing to pass it onto Evelyn after realising the titan serum she had previously been injected with mixed badly with her royal blood, meaning she would not be able to inherit any of the nine titans. But in return, it blessed her with the ability to copy powers from the nine titans, apart from the Founding titan's power" Hange says as they looks at Evelyn, "in order to wield the Founding titan's full power, it must be possessed by someone with royal blood. However, even if that person possesses the Founding titan, they're enslaved to the King's ideals, which only leads them down the path to humanity's downfall. That is the vow renouncing war. However, Eren was able to control pure titans in the past to escape a dire situation, after touching Evelyn's biological Mother Dina Fritz. However, when he touches Evelyn, he cannot control them. So something is stopping Evelyn from unleashing Eren's true power, but she doesn't know what it is, nor does it state in Doctor Jaeger's books".
"Now that you know this, if the Military dare to lay a hand on myself or Historia, I won't stand still" Evelyn says as she stands up, "Historia may be able to help Eren control titans, but that does not mean you can force her to do anything. We're royals, you're simply just the military. Know your place".
--- the year of 832 ---
"Have a family" Eren says as he prepares the pure titan injection, "after you enter the walls, build a family".
"What are you talking about?" Grisha asks as he looks at Eren, "I have Dina and Evelyn. Won't I just forget the things you tell me just before I become a titan anyways?".
"That's not always the case" Eren says as he looks at Grisha, "and someone may see it later. Your wife, your children, your neighbours if need be... love someone inside the walls. If you can't do that, it'll only repeat. The same history, the same mistakes... over and over. To save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else, you must see it through".
"Mikasa? Armin? Who's that?" Grisha asks as he puts his head down.
"Who knows? I'm not sure" Eren says as he looks into the distance, "whose memories are those? Are you ready, Grisha?".
"Yes, I'm ready" Grisha says as he looks at Evelyn, "I love you Evelyn, Daddy's going to be okay".
Evelyn nods as she hugs Grisha before Eren comes over and injects the titan serum into Grisha's neck, Grisha turning into a pure titan.
"Evelyn" Eren says as he grabs Evelyn's hands, "the titan serum in your neck will most likely not mix well with your royal blood and your secret. So you won't turn into a titan. But you need to make sure you're careful around the one who screams. You could be hurt".
"Yes, sir" Evelyn says as she looks up at the man.
"This injection here will erase your memories temporarily until you and your Father get into the walls. You'll start to gain your memories again afterwards" Eren says as he passes Evelyn an injection, "once Grisha has come out of his titan, inject yourself. Your Father will wake up soon after. Evelyn, lead the people of the walls well".
"Yes, sir" Evelyn says as Eren stands in front of her.
"Good girl. Now shut your eyes and cover your ears for me" Eren says as Evelyn does as he says, Eren walking towards Grisha.