(Y/n) = Your name
(F/n) = Fake name
(F/c) = Favorite color
(H/c) = Hair color
(S/c) = Skin color
Third Person P.O.V
After leaving Trost, Levi and his squad began making their way towards the former Survey Corps HQ in Wall Rose but they had to stop at one location before going there. It was a heavily defended fort in the middle of an opened field filled with small craters. This location was where (Y/n) moved all his research papers, blueprints, prototypes, and resources for his inventions after training camp. Violet, (Y/n), and Yukina needed three separate wooden carriages to carry all of the minimal supplies for (Y/n) to even begin working. After getting all the supplies he needs and covering them in a large tarp, he had everything he needed for Project Eye, they all traveled for a day and were in the forest near the former HQ. Oluo decided that he was the person who should explain things to Eren.
Oluo: "The former Survey Corps headquarters. It's nothing more than a renovated old castle. While it definitely looks impressive, it's so far from the Walls and all rivers that it's completely useless to the Survey Corps. The story goes back to the ambitious early days when the Corps was formed. Who've would've thought we'd end up using it again to serve as your hideout?" he stated to Eren.
Eren, however, was not paying much attention to Oluo as he was looking back to Levi riding on horseback next to the wooden carriage that (Y/n) was riding. The two were talking loud enough for him to hear clearly.
Levi: "Oi brat, why the hell are you bring along that filthy girl with you." he asked (Y/n) with an annoyed look.
(Y/n): "Eh?! That's not nice to say Levi-bro." he said looking at Levi with a look of disapproval.
Levi: "I don't care. She smells like rotten eggs and is covered in coal dust." he pointed out.
(Y/n): "Well... I do agree that she needs a bath... badly. But I refuse to leave her behind. Yukina is my apprentice and... I really need someone that can help me." he stated playing with his fingers.
Levi: "What about Hange or one of them, I'm sure they could help you." he said pointing to Special Operations Squad.
(Y/n): "No offense, but they aren't suited for the delicate work of my art. I need someone who knows what they are doing. Hange could help but you know how she is Bro, she only cares about Titans and with Eren here, her attention would only be focused on him." he pointed out.
Petra: "Huh? How could you say that we don't know what we're doing, (F/n)? I thought you loved us." she said pretending to be hurt.
(Y/n): "Huh?" he asked snapping his head towards her.
Eld: "It's ok, Petra. It looks that (F/n) found a replacement for us. We're useless to hi-her." he said playing along with Petra.
The moment (Y/n) heard the word "useless" he remembered what Mikasa said to him and felt a sharp jab to his chest thinking that he was actually hurting their feelings. He felt tears building up underneath his eyes as he sniffled catching everyone's attention.
(Y/n): "N-No... I'm the useless one... sorry for hurting your feelings. I'll make it up to you by making dinn-" he tried to say.
Gunther: "No!" he suddenly yelled with fear.
(Y/n): "Wh-What?" he asked taken aback from the yell.
Petra: "H-H-He means that there no need for you to make dinner. Isn't that right, guys?" she asked them nervously
Eld: "Th-Th-That's right! So don't make dinner or breakfast or food in general." he said nervously.
Oluo: "Perhaps you shoul-" he tried to say.
Levi: "Oi, let her make dinner if she wants." he said giving them a glare.
Oluo: "Look at what you did Petra!" he whispered to her angrily.
Petra: "How was I suppose to know he would cry and offer to cook!" she whispered back.
Eren looked at the two in confusion. They didn't want (Y/n) to cook and Petra said he. Eren only shrugged thinking that he was hearing things while Levi and (Y/n) continued to talk.
Levi: "Alright, the dirty brat can come, but you're in charge of her. So make sure she takes a bath." he ordered.
(Y/n): "Y-Yes sir." he said wiping his eyes.
Levi looked away from (Y/n) and stared at Eren making him look away only for Olou to ride closer to him.
Oluo: "Don't get cocky, new blood." he suddenly said to him.
Eren: "What?" he asked in confusion.
Oluo: "I don't know the deal with this crap about you being a Titan, but we can't have Captain Levi babysit-" he tried to say.
Before Oluo could finish his sentence, his horse foot slips off a rock causing him to bit his tongue shocking Eren, an indifferent stare from Yukina and Violet and a sigh from everyone else who is used to this. They all continued on until they arrived at the castle. While Levi was helping (Y/n) get off the carriage and unload his supplies with Violet and Yukina, the rest of the squad and Eren went up ahead to check out the castle. Eren was the last to get off his horse while Oluo and Petra were by a small staircase where Oluo was sitting. Gunther and Eld were looking around the entrance seeing how dirty and disrepair the castle was.
Petra: "That's what you get for talking while riding your horse." she scolded him.
Oluo: "The first moments leave the most important impression. That newbie was scared shitless." he replied to her.
Petra: "I think he was just stunned silent by how lame you are." she pointed out.
Oluo: "Still, it's all going according to plan." he said obviously lying.
Petra: "Man, you never used to talk like that. If by chance, you're trying to imitate Captain Levi, you should really stop it. You two are nothing alike, but still..." she said to him.
Oluo: "Do you want to chain me down, Petra? You're still ways to go to be fitting for my wife." he said to her slightly nervous.
Petra: "If only you'd bled to death from biting your tongue. You keep on boasting about how many Titans you've killed too." she complained.
Oluo: "So what? I've boasted about you guys too." he stated to her.
Eren: 'Those people are the Survey Corps Special Squad, commonly known as the Levi Unit.' he thought to himself.
Petra: "You're pathetic!" she yelled at him.
Eren: 'Petra Ral, took down ten Titans and assisted with taking down another forty-six. Oluo Bozado, took down thirty-nine Titans and assisted with another nine. They are the elite of the elite.' he thought to himself until he noticed Eld and Gunther walking nearby.
Eren: 'Eld Jinn, took down fourteen Titans and assisted with another thirty-two. Gunther Schultz, took down seven and assisted with another forty.' he thought staring at them as his eyes glanced over to (Y/n) and Violet talking as they were carrying boxes.
Eren: '(F/n) Engel, The Goddess of Humanity, took down thirteen Titans and assisted with another twenty-three. Violet Smith, adopted daughter of Erwin Smith, took down thirty-eight Titans and assisted with another twenty-one. She is humanity's strongest woman earning the title of "Humanity's Soldier Maiden". They are the top tier of the Survey Corps, hand-picked by Captain Levi. If I went berserk, these people would be the ones to kill me.' he thought to himself nervously.
Gunther: "It's covered in weeds. It looks terrible." he complained
Eld: "It's been disused for a very long time. Inside, a sea of dust is probably awaiting us." he pointed out.
Levi: "That is indeed a severe problem. We must sort it out immediately. Brats! That means you're helping as well!" he yelled back to them.
(Y/n): "Eh?! But we're on a tight sche-" he tried to say.
All it took was Levi glaring at (Y/n) to make him stiff up. He quickly dropped his box and saluted him.
(Y/n): "Y-You got it, B-Bro!" he said nervously.
(Y/n) slowly made his way to the castle with Violet helping him walk. Everyone followed their example and began wrapping bandanas around their lower face while (Y/n) and Levi did that as well as a bandana wrapped over their head. Levi, Eren, Violet, (Y/n), Yukina, Petra, and Oluo were cleaning inside while Eld and Gunther cleaned the windows outside. Petra and (Y/n) were having a fun time catching up until she found out on how he got his injuries. She immediately began scolding him for not being careful with Violet agreeing whole-heartedly. Oluo couldn't help but snicker as he added candles to the chandelier.
Petra: "What's so funny? (Y/- I mean (F/n) got hurt, this isn't funny." she told him.
Oluo: "Oh, I'm not amused because of that. I just find it amusing that you always act like you're his mother." he pointed to her.
Petra: "I-I-I do not! I'm just worried about HER safety." she reminded him looking over to Yukina as she hugged (Y/n)'s head.
Oluo: "I'm just saying that you should give the kid some breathing room. They probably had to deal with an overprotected mother all the time." he told Petra remembering that (Y/n) was from a noble family.
Petra: "I... that's fair. I'll sto-" she tried to say.
(Y/n): "I don't mind!" he suddenly shouted.
The two looked down towards (Y/n) to see the slightly embarrassed expression on his face.
(Y/n): "I mean that...uh... she can keep being... motherly." he said to her with a smile.
Petra: "It's fine (F/n), I'm sure you must be homesick. Your parents must have been worried sick when you... you know." she said to him.
(Y/n) only shook his head as he looked down to the ground sadly.
(Y/n): "Mother never cared nor liked me all too much. Father saw me more like an inconvenience than their child. So I'm certain they weren't all too bothered by my... disappearance. So I would appreciate if you didn't stop Petra, you or Levi when it comes to how you treat me. And the rest of the squad feels like the brother's I never had or the big sister that I always wanted to take care of me. We're like one big weird but happy family... it feels nice having a sense of what a normal family is like." he said honestly closing his eyes embracing Petra's warmth.
Oluo only looked away telling (Y/n) to shut up but couldn't hold back his smile. Petra only hugged (Y/n) more tightly as she rested her chin on his. She felt touched that he considered her like a mother and couldn't help but smile by his words. She eventually let go of him and continued to talk as they cleaned. Once they finished cleaning the room, (Y/n) wanted to go check on Eren. Violet was about to accompany him only for Petra to tell her that she would help (Y/n). She was reluctant at first but allowed Petra to help (Y/n) walk towards Eren was supposed to be.
They looked around for a bit until they finally heard Levi and Eren talking and made their way to the source of their voices only to see Levi leave a room. The two knew that Eren would be in that room. They peeked inside to see him and bad their presence known as they walked into view of the doorframe.
(Y/n): "Erick! Where did all that energy go? You always talked about wanting to join the Survey Corps but now you look... you know." he pointed out.
Petra: "(F/n), his name is Eren and he's right you know. You've got quite a despairing look on your face, Eren." she stated.
Eren: "I do?" he asked suddenly turning back to see them.
(Y/n): "Yup yup yup! It was as if you were remembering that time you couldn't balance on the maneuver gear." he stated nodding his head accidentally letting his old habit slip out.
Eren: "Yup yup yup?" he muttered to himself looking at (Y/n) carefully.
Petra: "Ah! Well, I'll be calling you Eren. Captain Levi does the same Here, his word is law." she said trying to take Eren attention off (Y/n).
Eren: "Right... I don't mind that." he stated still staring at (Y/n) carefully before shaking his head.
Eren: 'Must be my imagination.' he thought to himself.
Eren: "But did I really have a despairing look on my face?" he asked.
Petra: "It's not surprising at all. Captain Levi doesn't come across as the perfect, invulnerable hero people think he is, does he? The true Levi is surprisingly short, irritable, violet, and hard to approach." she told him.
Eren: "That's not it. I was surprised how obediently he accepts the decisions of the higher-ups." he stated.
Petra: "Did you think that as strong as he is, he wouldn't care about rank or the chain of command?" she asked.
Eren: "Yes." he answered honestly.
Eren: "I expected him not to acquiesce to anyone's words." he told them.
Petra: "Well, I don't know the details myself, but I heard he was pretty much like that originally. Before joining the Survey Corps, he was a famous thug in the capital's underground. If I remember correctly, you met the Captain when he joined didn't you (F/n)." she asked him.
(Y/n): "Well, to be honest, he kinda was like that when he first joined the Survey Corps." he stated closing his eyes while nodding his head with a smile on his face.
Eren: "But then, why?" he asked confused to Levi's change causing (Y/n) fall silent as his smile faded away as he looked away.
Petra: "I don't know exactly what happened. He was taken into the Survey Corps under Commander Erwin's hands." she told him.
Eren: "The Commander?" he asked surprised.
Before Eren could ask more question's, Levi's head pop from the entrance of the room.
Levi: "Hey, Eren!" he asked sounding annoyed.
(Y/n) and Petra immediately stiffed up nervously as they moved aside to allow Levi to come in as they began sweeping and cleaning as if they were working the entire time.
Eren: "Yes, sir?" he asked standing straight.
Levi: "It's no good at all. Redo it all from scratch." he told him with a deadly expression.
Eren began shaking in fear as saluted Levi as he quickly left the room to go upstairs. Levi looked over to (Y/n) causing him to freeze up as looked over to Levi as sweat quickly ran down his face.
Levi: "Oi brat. Go and make sure Eren cleans the upper floors properly. I don't want you moving too much with your injuries." he stated.
(Y/n) looked at Levi in surprised only to nod his head in compliance before leaving the room quickly only to trip and fall face first earning a facepalm from Petra and a sigh from Levi.
(Small timeskip brought to you by a nervous Eren cleaning as (Y/n) stares at him creepily to make sure he cleans properly)
After cleaning most of the base, everyone decided that it was time to eat dinner much to almost everyone's dismay. (Y/n) placed on a white apron over his clothes as he prepared some tea for everyone before going to the kitchen to cook. Violet sat next to sat down next to the right of Petra while Yukina sat across from her on the left of Gunther. So while (Y/n) hummed happily from the kitchen, everyone was getting informed on what was going to happen.
Eld: "We'll probably be ordered to stand by for a few more days, but I heard we're supposed to be going on a large-scale extramural expedition. And we'll be taking the new graduates with us as well." he announced to them.
Gunther: "Is that true, Eld? Isn't it awfully soon? Even considering that they handled this last Titan attack quite well..." he said before not finishing his sentence.
Oluo: "I heard those kid's pants required multiple washings to remove the shitstains." he said with a smirk.
Petra: "Is this all true, Captain?" she asked.
Levi: "I'm not involved in making our plans. It's Erwin. He's likely considering far more variables that might occur to us." he pointed out.
Eld: "It's true that we're in an unprecedented situation. On one hand, we lost the Maria reconquest route established through huge sacrifices, but on the other hand, we got an unexpected ray of hope..... I still have trouble believing it. You can "turn into a Titan", but what's that mean, Eren?" he asked as they all looked towards Eren.
Eren: "My memories from that time are quite hazy. It felt like a selfless, dreaming state but it can be triggered by hurting myself. Like if I bite-" he suddenly stops when a thought came to him.
Eren: 'Wait, how do I know this?' he thought to himself.
Levi: "You guys know all of this too. We couldn't get any more out of him than what's written in the reports. She won't stay put though." he said while taking a sip from his cup of tea before looking at Eren
Levi: "Her meddling could even kill you, Eren." he announced.
Eren: "She? Who?" he asked worriedly.
At that moment, there were two separate and loud thuds. One of the thuds came from the door that was barred closed, the other came from the kitchen door that hit the wall. (Y/n) was coming over with a cart of food with a happy smile on his face. Everyone except Levi and Eren was freaking out as they watch (Y/n) approach. Petra stood up to get the door as someone on the other side attempted to open it again. When she took off the wooden bar, the door opened to reveal Hange.
Oluo: "It's two disasters at the same time." he muttered
Hange: "Good evening, gentlemen and gentlewomen of the Levi Unit! Have you made yourselves at home in the castle?" she asked as (Y/n) arrived at the table.
Levi: "You're early." he commented as (Y/n) began putting plates in front of everyone.
Hange: "How could I stay put now?" she asked.
Eren: "Major Hange?" he questioned in surprise not noticing the
Hange: "Sorry for the wait, Eren. I'm in charge of experimenting on the two Titans we captured alive in the city. I want you to help me out with tomorrow's experiments. I came to ask permission for that." she announced.
Eren: "An experiment? What am I supposed to-" he tried to ask as (Y/n) placed a delicious looking bowl of potato and vegetable stew in front of him.
Hange: "What else but that totally awesome thing you do!" she said very excitedly.
Eren: "Uh... I can't give you permission. I don't have authority over myself you see." he pointed out.
Hange: "Levi, what are Eren's plans for tomorrow?" she asked him.
Levi: "Cleaning the garden." he stated.
Hange: "Okay then, it's decided! I'll be counting on you tomorrow, Eren!" she yelled out happily as she grabbed his hand.
Eren: "Yes, ma'am. But what exactly are these experiments on the Titans?" he suddenly asked.
Hange heard what he said and looked at him with a look of excitement before asking him to repeat.
Eren: "Uh... What exactly are these experiments?" he asked again.
Oluo: "Stop that. Don't ask her." he tried to warn him.
Hange: "Ah. I knew it. You just had this expression like you wanted to know." she said happily.
Levi: "Oi, if you're going to explain things to him, you have to eat the kid's cooking first." he said moving his bowl over to her.
Hange stared down at the bowl hesitantly before looking back to Eren.
Hange: "Lucky for me, I been slowly growing immune to the effects of his cooking! The effects will only last half an hour!" she announced.
She took a deep breath before grabbing the wooden spoon and began shoving it quickly in her mouth to eat shocking most of Levi's squad. It took a few seconds before she slammed the bowl on the table.
Hange: "See? Everything is fine." she said as she stood proudly... for ten seconds.
Suddenly her face went pale as she fell down to the ground groaning. Eren stood up immediately and began kneeling down next to her trying to see what was wrong as everyone else stood up from the table as (Y/n) looked over to her confused.
(Y/n): "Is she ok?" he asked.
Levi: "She'll be fine. Must have passed out by your delicious cooking." he lied resulting in (Y/n) smiling happily.
The rest of the team announced that they wanted to "eat" in private before going to bed. (Y/n) nodded his head happily as they scrambled to leave and get rid of the hazardous food. As they left, Levi looked over to Yukina and sniffed the air resulting in him glaring at her as he covered his nose.
Levi: "Brat, take her to the bath and wash her yourself. She smells." he stated before leaving.
(Y/n) looked over to Yukina who had pushed the bowl of stew away from her. He gestured her to follow him as he also gestured Violet to follow as well. The three left leaving behind a confused Eren as Hange laid on the floor groaning. They made their way to the large bath. Violet went inside to get the water going while (Y/n) and Yukina gathered soap and towels from a nearby storage closet. Once they gathered everything and the bath was ready to use, they began changing out of their clothes while Violet made sure that (Y/n) couldn't be seen by Yukina as he undressed before wrapping a towel around his chest. Once he finished, he and Violet undid their braids. (Y/n)'s (H/c) hair has grown much longer as it reaches down to his thigh.
Once they were all finished undressing and placing a towel on, they made their way into the bath. Without hesitation, (Y/n) told Yukina to sit down near the edge of the very large tub which confused her but she listened to him. As she sat down, (Y/n) quickly ripped off her towel causing her to yelled at him as she covered her chest while (Y/n) had a hot, wet, and small towel in his hand.
Yukina: "H-Hey! What the hell, teacher?!" she yelled as she glared at him.
(Y/n): "Bro said to wash you myself, I already know that you have a bad habit of skipping out of baths since you work too much. So I'm going to personally clean you." he said giggling.
She tried to stand up only for (Y/n) to tackle her down onto the wet floor causing her to land on her hands and knees with (Y/n) hugging her from her back with one hand with the towel wrapped around her near her groin. His other hand wrapped around all the way to her chest and he grabbed onto her left breast causing her squeak.
Yukina: "W-W-Where the hell do you think you're grabbing?!" she asked.
(Y/n): "Wow Yukina! Your body is so muscular and tone." he said as his left hand began massaging her breast as his right hand began feeling her abdomen.
Yukina: "S-Stop... don't touch...me." she said trying to hold in her voice.
(Y/n): "By the gods... you can grind meat with these!" he said as he began cleaning her body forcefully.
(Y/n): "Violet? Can you come here and help me clean her?" he asked.
Violet nodded her head as she made her way over to them causing Yukina to yell for help for no one to come. After several long minutes of a thorough cleaning by (Y/n) and Violet, Yukina was now clean and smelled like flowers. The three sat in the bath in silence enjoying its warmth all expect Yukina, who's face was flustered to what just happened. (Y/n) looked over to her and giggled.
(Y/n): "Don't worry Yukina, we all pee ourselves in our life every once in a while." he pointed out to her.
Yukina: "It wasn't pee." she stated.
(Y/n): "What else would it b-" he tried asking.
Before he could finish his sentence, they all heard the sound of the door opening. They turned back to see Petra walking inside with a towel wrapped around her chest. She smiled as she walked over to them and slowing sitting down in the water. Petra looked over to (Y/n) and asked if he wanted her to wash his hair for him which he nodded happily. He floated over and sat in front of her. As she began cleaning his hair, she glanced over to Yukina.
Petra: "What happened?" she asked in confusion.
(Y/n): "Yukina peed herself when Violet and I cleaned every spot on her body." he stated.
Petra: "Peed? ...oh... I see. Maybe next time you should let Yukina clean herself." she told him.
(Timeskip brought to you by Yukina pulling (Y/n)'s cheeks violently)
(Y/n) and Violet left the castle with Levi early in the morning the day after the two captured Titans were killed by an unknown traitor. They left to gather more supplies for Project Eye leaving Yukina in a hidden warehouse that was on top of the mountain to set up the foundation of the first prototype. Levi was occupying them since he needed to see what Erwin had planned for them at the castle with Eren. Once they arrived, Levi was told that they would be taking part in the assembly. When he left, the two went to the Garrison to request a daily supply of several dozen gas tanks and several tons of metal to be delivered at the castle. This shocked them of course by they were willing to arrange the request seeing that (Y/n) did deliver them the train that was defending Trost. After this, they proceeded to the market and purchased every piece of fabrics they could get their hands on and have them sent to the Garrison so they could deliver it to the castle along with the other order. Everyone who noticed this was staring in curiosity to what they were planning on doing with all of those items.
Once they finished gathering the supplies, they made their way to the assembly to wait for Erwin. While they entered through the back, the remaining recruits gathered in front of the assembly area in their own groups. They were there to apply to be a member of the Survey Corps. At one of the walls was Annie, Armin, Sasha, and Connie who were leaning against it. They were all silent until they notice someone walking up to them. When they looked up they saw Jean standing in front of them.
Armin: "Jean! Are you sure about this?" he asked knowing that Jean wanted to be in the Military Police.
Jean: "Yeah." he said plainly.
Sasha: "Why the change of heart? I mean, aren't you scared?" she asked.
Jean: "Huh? What? Of course, I'm scared of joining the Survey Corps." he stated as if it was obvious.
Connie: "Th-Then why would you?" he questioned.
Jean: "It's not at all because I'm scared of the Titans. I'm also not thinking, "Those with skills should join the Survey Corps," either. I'm different from that reckless idiot." he stated.
Connie: "Eren, huh? He's already in the Survey Corps, isn't he?" he asked.
Officer: "Recruits, fine in! Line up before the stage! I repeat, line up before the stage!" he suddenly announced making most of the recruits walk towards the stage.
Jean: "You know, I'm not putting my life on the line because I was persuaded to. At the very least, this isn't a decision someone else can make for me." he said before walking off.
They all looked as he walked away before making their way to the front of the stage, it took twenty minutes to get everyone lines up, lighting the torches, and for several more people to arrive. Now all the recruits stood at attention as Erwin stood on stage in front of all of them.
Erwin: "I'm Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Survey Corps. Today, you'll decide where you'll enlist. And to be blunt, I'm here to recruit soldiers for the Survey Corps. I'm sure the latest Titan attack has made you fear the Titans and recognize the limitations of your own strength. However, through that battle, mankind has made unprecedented progress in its struggle with the new tools the Goddess has provided us, but more importantly, we have a new ally to combat the Titans, Eren Yeager. His willingness to risk his life for mankind signifies his unquestionable allegiance to us. Furthermore, not only did he allow us to stop the Titans, but he also provided us with a way to unveil the Titan's mystery!" he revealed.
When everyone heard this, it made most of them gasp. The large group of recruits began whispering with one another about what Erwin meant only for him to answer that question.
Erwin: "In the basement of his home in Shiganshina District lies the secret of the Titans, unknown even to him. If we can just reach that basement, we might find a clue that will aid us in overthrowing the Titan's century-long rule!" he announced to them.
There was a sense of hope from the recruits knowing that there was a chance to win but there was one individual who was surprised with Erwin announcement.
Armin: 'Even if it's to recruit soldiers, how could he reveal this much? Or... is there something else? What is the commander trying to smoke out?' he thought to himself.
Erwin: "We aim to reach that basement in Shiganshina District. But to that end, the recapture of Wall Maria is crucial. In other words, our goal hasn't changed." he pointed out.
With that Petra and Mike walked out holding a map out to show everyone.
Erwin: "But now that Trost District's gate is unstable, we'll have to go around from Karanese District in the east. The military route we spent four years to prepare has been rendered useless. During those four years, we lost more than sixty percent of our men. Sixty percent in four years... it's an absurd figure. Those of you who join us will participate in an expedition a month from now in which the predicted mortality rate is thirty percent. Most of you will likely die in four years. However, if you manage to survive, you'll be an elite soldier who can overcome all odds. If you are still willing to endanger your lives with us, remain here. Please, ask yourselves. Are you capable of offering your lives for mankind?! That is all. Those of you who wish to enlist elsewhere may leave." he told them.
As he said that, someone walked out from the side of the stage. It was one of the squad captains in the Survey Corps.
Squad Captain: "Commander, don't you think you went too far? You might've scared them all off." he stated.
Erwin: "(F/n), come here." he called out to him.
(Y/n) was surprised by this and limped out towards him in confusion. Once he got to where Erwin was, he placed his hands on his shoulders and made him face the large group before letting go.
Erwin: "If you want to hear more about the brutal truth of the Survey Corps, then listen to the Goddess's words! Tell them what you know, (F/n)." he told him.
He didn't want any of them to die but he also knows that they needed new recruits. He looked around the crowd in hesitation at first until he saw several faces of people he knew. Images of Isabel and Farlan flashed through his mind. His hands gripped tightly as he took a deep breath.
(Y/n): "I... I love everyone in the Survey Corps. Everyone is like family. When you join, you will befriend many of them and form close bonds... but that doesn't last long when we go out on expeditions. I seen so many people join only to die on their first expedition even the more experience or skilled among us isn't safe. Death is something you have to get used to in the Survey Corps. It's not a fantasy like in books, it's a living nightmare once you leave the wall. So I have to tell you. Don't do something you do not want to do. If you want to live, leave. If you want to join, try not to be a hero and survive." he stated trying to get everyone he befriended to leave.
There was a moment of silence as (Y/n) looked around the ground until his eyes locked with Annie's eyes. She pointed her finger to a bell tower nearby. (Y/n) nodded his head causing Annie to turn around and begin walking away with several more recruits. This caused a chain reaction where one after another, people began turning around and walk away taking (Y/n)'s advice.
Jean: 'Damn... please. I've already decided. Don't make me hate myself any more than I do now!' he thought to himself as his instincts told him to leave.
Sasha: 'I have to get away now or else...' she thought unable to move her feet.
Connie: 'I only left my village to join the Military Police Brigade. Mom would be overjoyed. If I join them, everyone in the village will acknowledge me.' he told himself.
As the last of the recruits left, the embers of the torches floated through the wind across the area. (Y/n) only looked in horror to what he was seeing. The very people he didn't want to join the Survey Corps were still there at attention along with several other recruits. Erwin could see the horror in his eyes but he looked back to the remaining recruits.
Erwin: "Could you... die if given the order to?" he asked.
Recruit: "We don't want to die!" he yelled out.
Erwin smiled as he looked at all of them remembering their faces.
Erwin: "I see. I like your expressions. Now then, I accept all of you that remain as new Survey Corps soldiers! This will be a true salute! Offer your lives!" he announced doing a salute.
Everyone did the same without hesitation with many of them having a look of despair on their faces.
Jean: "This is the worst. Damn the Survey Corps." he muttered to himself.
Sasha: "I'm scared! I want to go back home." she stated in fear.
Connie: "I don't care anymore." he stated.
Nearby Krista was shaking in fear near Ymir as she stared forward at the horrified (Y/n). Ymir looked over to her and shook her head in disappointment.
Ymir: "If you're gonna cry about it, you should've left." she told her.
Krista: "I-I-I can't leave her behind." she stated in fear.
Erwin: "You've all done well to suppress your fear. Every one of you is a brave soldier. You have my deepest respect." he told them honestly.
With that, he helped (Y/n) back to the side of the stage while other Survey Corps members went on stage to inform the new recruits on what to do next. (Y/n) announced he needed some fresh air and went out for a walk. Violet was about to go after him only for Erwin to stop her. He knew that (Y/n) needed time to process the fact that there is a good chance that the new friends he made will die in a month. (Y/n) began limping through the empty streets and began making his way to the bell tower. Once he arrived, he slowly made his way up until he reached the top where he was able to see over most of the city and at the top, Annie was waiting for him.
Annie: "Time to keep your promise." she said straight to the point.
(Y/n) sighed before limping over to a ledge before sitting down. He gestured Annie to ask her questions and she nodded.
Annie: "Who are you?" she asked.
(Y/n): "Do you promise to not tell anyone about anything I tell you?" he asked.
Annie: "Yes." she announced.
(Y/n): "... I guess... I'm an idiot that's only good at making things for other people and being a pawn." he stated to Annie.
He leaned back and looked up to the starlit night sky.
(Y/n): "But before that, I was an idiot who was good at making things I wanted to make. With the dream of breaking free from my cages." he said lifting his hand to the sky.
Annie: "Can you answer the question?" she asked.
(Y/n): "You're no fun!" he yelled as he pouted.
(Y/n): "I'm the son of the most influential noble family. Was the son that is. My real name is (Y/n) Wurzel. It's nice nice nice to meet you!" he said as he leaned forward towards Annie with a grin.
Annie looked at him for a few seconds before something clicked in her mind. Her eyes widened as she stared at his face as an image from a few years ago during the Titans invasion when she was on a horse. The way (Y/n) just talked and acts most of the time was similar to the person who saved her, Reiner, and Bertholdt. She walked over to (Y/n) and grabbed his face and began moving it side to side as she began examining him much to his dismay as he cried out to her to let it as it began hurting. She ignored him as she continued to examine him until she concluded that it was indeed the same person from back then.
Annie: "You... you were that child knight weren't you?" she asked.
(Y/n): "Child knight knight knight?" he asked in confusion.
Annie: "Were you the person wearing armor and cape while on horseback at Shiganshina?" she asked.
(Y/n): "Huh? How did you know that that that?" he asked in surprise.
Annie didn't say anything as she smiled seeing that the person who saved them was safe. The two would continue to talk through the night with Annie asking questions and (Y/n) answering honestly seeing no real reason to lie to her. The only thing he didn't reveal was Project Eye and anything related to Eren. The entire time they talked, a thought came across her mind. What if she convinced the others to bring (Y/n) with them once they were done. Once they finished talking, (Y/n) promised to send letters to Annie when he had time.
(Small Timeskip brought to you by Yukina and (Y/n) nervously working on Project Eye)
The next day arrived and flew by quickly as the sun began to set. The new recruits arrived at the castle and began learning their role while Eren trained with the rest of Team Levi with the notable absence of (Y/n). He also noticed that (Y/n) was not going to be apart of the expedition with them and that his role was strangely left out of the plans. Eren asked Levi about this which he simply replied with "Erwin knows what he's doing." before going back to cleaning his hands.
After training, Eren was given the important task of cleaning after the horses. Once he was done, he walked out of the stables only to see Armin and Mikasa walking by with the rest of the recruits.
Eren: "Everyone! Oluo, may I go speak with my friends for a bit?" he asked.
Oluo: "Jeez, you don't need my permission to talk to your friends." he stated.
Eren: "But the Captain-" he tried to remind him.
Oluo: "Take the hint and just go already." he told him as he took a sip from his drink.
Eren nodded as he ran after them.
Eren: "Hey! Mikasa, Armin!" he called out.
The two snapped their heads back to see Eren running up to them.
Mikasa: "Eren!" she said in surprise.
Eren: "It feels like it's been forever!" he said happily.
Mikasa: "Eren, did they do anything terrible to you? Like inspecting every bit of your body or causing you mental anguish?" she asked worriedly.
Eren: "No, nothing like that... unless you count (F/n)-sis cooking." he said shivering as he remembers that his curiosity got the better of him.
Mikasa: "So you're saying she hurt you?" she asked with a dangerous look in her eyes.
Eren: "Huh? Not at all, more like her cooking is... really bad. If anything, she has been making sure that the Major doesn't do anything terrible to me." he told her.
Mikasa: "Good. I already have to deal with that shorty. He went way too far. I'll pay him back in kind someday." she stated.
Eren: "You're not talking about Lance Corporal Levi, are you?" he asked.
Nearby Levi was watching and it was obvious that he could care less about Mikasa comments seeing that she could never beat him in a fair fight. As Eren talked with Armin and Mikasa, the rest of their group of friends walked over to them including Kurome and Akame, but it was clear that Kurome could care less as she looked around for (Y/n).
Eren: "Oh wow, you're all here? But... are you guys here because. Don't tell me, you enlisted?" he asked.
Connie: "Why else would we be here?" he pointed out.
Eren: "Then, the only ones who picked the Military Police are Jean, Annie, and Marco?" he asked.
Just as he said that Jean walked up from behind him with another group of new recruits. Eren turned around in surprise to see Jean.
Eren: "You're kidding me... you too?!" he said in shock.
Jean: "Marco's dead." he said bluntly.
Eren: "What... did you just say? Did you say Marco's dead?" he said in disbelief.
Jean: "It seems like not everyone dies a dramatic death. We don't even know how he went down. He died alone without anyone seeing or knowing." he revealed.
Eren: "Marco..." he tried to say something but couldn't find the words to say anything else.
Everyone remained silent not wanting to say anything as one of the Survey Corp squad leaders called out to them to receive their capes. Once they got them, they went inside the castle to continue their talks.
Eren: "You guys are really-" he tried to say.
Mikasa: "Yes, we'll be participating in the expedition as well." she told him.
Jean: "Hey, Eren. I heard that as a Titan, you tried to kill Mikasa and Kurome. Mind explaining yourself?" he asked.
Mikasa: "That's wrong. Eren was trying to kill a fly-" she tried to say.
Jean: "I didn't ask you. Say, Mikasa. That wound on your cheek seems pretty deep. When did you get it?" he asked interrupting Mikasa.
She didn't say anything as she covered up the cut.
Jean: "Tell me Kurome, was Eren trying to kill a fly?" he asked obviously not believing Mikasa excuse.
Kurome: "There was no fly and even if there was, he wouldn't even notice it. He tried to kill us." she said bluntly.
Mikasa hatefully glared at Kurome, who returned the glare only for Akame to calm her down.
Jean: "Well it looks like one of them is a liar Eren? Be honest and tell us the truth." he told him.
Eren: "...I think it's true. In my Titan form, I tried to kill Mikasa." he revealed.
Jean: "So you don't remember it, huh? In other words, you weren't aware you had that power until now, and you lack the means to control it." he pointed out.
Eren: "Yeah, that's right." he said honestly.
Jean looked at him for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head. He turned back to the rest of the group who were listening to them.
Jean: "Hear that, guys? That's the situation we're in. Our lives and mankind are in his hands. We'll probably die without Eren ever knowing, just like Marco did." he told them.
Mikasa: "Jean, why are you driving Eren into a corner like this?" she demanded to know.
Jean: "You know, Mikasa. Not everyone can blindly die for Eren like you, someone without anything to return to. We have the right to know what exactly we're risking our lives for. Otherwise, we'll waver at the moment of truth. We expect something out of Eren. Let us know what to expect. And Whether it's worth our lives." he told her before walking over to Eren and grabbing his shoulders.
Jean: "So Eren! We're seriously counting on you okay?" he said with a scared look in his eyes.
Eren: "Yeah... count on m-" he tried to say.
Before Eren could finish his sentence, the echo of a loud explosion traveled through the air causing them all to look around in fear. They could see Survey Corps soldiers running in one direction and they could see Violet among them with a worried look in her eyes.
Violet: " Luminary!" she cried out as she disappears out of sight.
Connie: "Hey! Isn't that what she calls (F/n)?!" he pointed out.
Without hesitation, Kurome and Akame ran after Violet with Krista following after them. The rest of the group chased after them and when they got out of the castle, the saw a large fire burning at the top of the mountain. They all went to see what was happening and when they got to the top, they saw several dozen members of the Survey Corps attempted to kill the fire inside the warehouse. They looked around to see (Y/n) and Yukina on the ground covered in soot with several strands of hair burnt at the end. The two were in a deep conversation as Kurome hugged him with Akame and Violet having a look of relief on their face. The group made their way over to them to hear the conversation.
(Y/n): "It looks like this gas is our best bet." he stated.
Yukina: "And also deadly, the whole thing blew when that guard came in with a torch." she pointed out.
(Y/n): "We're on a tight schedule. We just have to work around it and try to keep flames away from it. Perhaps a basket of some sort to carry everything." he told her.
Yukina: "That means we may need more than just the one if we plan to have it carry heavy objects." she announced.
Eren: "(F/n)-sis! What happened?" he asked.
(Y/n) looked over to everyone to see the shocked looks on their faces. He gave them a reassuring grin as he waved his hand as if everything is fine.
(Y/n): "It's fine. Just technical difficulties. This will probably be a common thing for a few days." he stated.
Yukina: "We're going to need a new workshop... and blueprints." she pointed out.
(Y/n): "..... looks like I'm not sleeping for another three days." he said groaning.
Jean: "What the hell? How can you be so calm about this? What's going on?" he asked.
Before (Y/n) could say anything, Levi showed up and told everyone to leave. They wanted to protest but he had this look that said if they don't leave, they will face punishment. So they did.
Levi: "What happened?" he asked.
(Y/n): "The first prototype blew up into a ball of fire. But with that lessoned learn, we should be able to get it to work... maybe. And when I do, I'll be so excited to finally reach up to the heavens! Not in the way I wanted but this is a good substitute." he said happily.
A part of me is excited to reach the heavens and a part of me is scared. It has always been my dream to escape my cage but I don't want to leave anyone behind. I want to bring everyone with me. We're a family. Family sticks together. Forever.
-(Y/n) Wurzel
All right, I want like to ask you all a question. Youjo Senki story is coming to an end soon meaning that when that story ends a new story voting poll will start! Any suggestions will be added to the list from last time. You can comment your suggestion in the comment section or private message me.
See you in the next chapter.