Leon stood far away and watched as the Titan emerged from the light and steam. He knew that this Titan was different, because this Titan was his friend. The Titan let out a loud shriek as it got up from its knees.
"Iris... she's a..." Leon said. "And she's never going to be the same again –"
"No..." the woman said.
What is she doing here?! Leon thought. If Iris doesn't eat her, then she will be a mindless Titan forever –
"She's different... she's special... My father was right..." the woman said as she stared at the Titan in awe. "She will lead humanity to victory... She will be our salvation."
Leon turned to the woman, confused to what she was saying.
"Who... who are you?" Leon asked.
The woman turned to him, it was the first time that he saw her eyes, they were beautiful hues of blue.
"You said that you know Levi, right?" The woman spoke. "I need you to give him this message..."
~*~
The mammoth size Titan of Rod Reiss crawled on the ground, slowly making its way to Wall Sina. The surface of its body emitting Titan steam that was too hot for anyone to come any close. With no possible way to destroy it with mere ODM Gear and bleades, Erwin gave his orders to follow the Titan.
"Erwin!" Levi called.
Erwin met with Levi and the others, he was relieved when he saw Eren and Historia on the wagon, both safe. But there was another that caught his eye; Iris lay on the wagon beside Hange, unconscious, and on her face, he saw the marks that Eren would have after he have transformed to a Titan. But he wasn't the only one who was shocked with what he saw, Eren sat on the wagon with eyes wide in shock as he stared at Iris.
"Anyone hurt?" Erwin asked.
"Hange took a hit." Levi said.
"Doesn't look like anything too serious." Erwin said. "And Iris?"
Levi turned to his daughter. his mind still unable to come to terms to what he just witnessed earlier.
"I have a lot to report." Levi said. "But, first..."
"Anything on that Titan?" Erwin asked.
"It's Rod Reiss... I look forward to hear your thoughts about this, Commander."
"Time is short. Head back to the Wall."
"You gonna let that thing drag its fat-ass back to Sina?" Levi said.
"Well, most specifically, I'm going to let it continue to Orvud District."
~*~
"Alright, time to think..." Hange began. "Lord Reiss is after the Founding Titan's Power, and that power is currently residing inside Eren."
As Hange continued with her thoughts, Leon couldn't help but remember what he saw earlier and what the woman told him. He couldn't help but counter everything that Hange, Eren, Historia and Levi were planning.
There's no need! Leon thought. It doesn't have to come to that... because...
"Let's not forget the other option." Historia spoke. "First off, your plans are full of flaws – it might not even be possible for my father to be freed from the First King's will! And no matter how much you restrain him, if he alter other people's memories, there's mothing we can do!"
She's different... she's special... She will lead humanity to victory... She will be our salvation.
Turning to Iris, he couldn't help but see the Titan that came out of the rubble. The truth to who she was now... but, if he were to tell them now, then everything that the Scouts have planned, and Historia... it would just turn to hell.
"And considering how much we don't know much of the Founding Titan, it's much to risk!" Historia continued.
"She's right you know," Armin spoke. "There's no guarantee that Reiss would even turn back to a Titan if he ate Eren. It's just a hypothesis. No one's actually seen it happen before."
"You said that you know Levi, right?" The woman spoke. "I need you to give him this message... tell them..."
"So far, we've only been led by destructive pacifists, if they kept the Founding Titan's powers, that's how it will stay. This is humanity's first chance to escape from them." Historia added. "Eren, your father wasn't evil, he was trying to save humanity from the first King! He stole the Founding Titan from my sister, and he murdered my father's wife and children because he had no other choice."
"You mean..." Eren said.
"That's right, the Doctor Jaeger I knew wouldn't have done something unless it's completely necessary!" Armin said.
"Agreed, he must've known another way. Another way to save humanity without Reiss blood. And that must have been why he left you the key to the cellar."
"Your cellar, so that's important now?" Sasha said.
"Apparently, it is." Connie said.
"All I care about is plugging that hole in Wall Maria." Jean said. "The way I see it, it makes our choice pretty clear."
"You know that's a fairly convincing argument." Levi added.
"For whatever it's worth, I think we should stick with Eren too." Hange said. "But, are you sure about this, Historia? That Titan's a major threat, our only way forward is to kill your father."
"There's another way." Leon spoke.
"What?" Eren turned to him.
"Have you all forgotten?" Leon said. "Eren isn't our only Titan..."
So, it really is Titan marks... Eren thought as he looked down at Iris.
"But we're still not sure what abilities does Iris' Titan have – all we know is that her Titan form is just like the Female Titan." Armin said.
"How did... How did Iris even become a Titan?" Historia asked.
"It's a long story..." Leon said.
~*~
"LET ME GO! NO! NO!"
Iris scratched and punched Lord Reed, trying to push him away as he approached her with the injection that had the Titan Serum. But Lord Reed kicked her injured leg, breaking it even more, and had her crying in pain.
"NO! IF YOU DO THIS, SHE'LL BECOME A NORMAL TITAN!" Maria cried.
"Take her away." Lord Reed said. "She won't, because she already is one."
Lord Reed took a hold of Iris' arm and tugged to towards him.
"HOLD STILL!"
"NO! LET GO OF ME! LET GO!" Iris struggled.
Iris opened her eyes and found herself standing on water. She looked around and saw nothing but endless water and blue skies.
"This is..." Iris said.
"They never should have existed in the first place..." A man suddenly appeared before her, standing a few feet away. He was an old man, who had his eyes closed and wore clothes that resembled a king.
"You're..." Iris trailed off, speechless as she somehow knew who this man was.
"Eldians... Titans..." the man continued. "They never should have existed in the first place. I will accept the responsibility of righting this wrong. Only... until the day that this retribution comes, I want to live inside the Walls... I want to enjoy this brief paradise, this world without conflict."
The man opened his eyes, they were the same as her mother.
"This is what I shall pass on to you... my child..."
A sudden gush of wind came, the King disappeared and Iris found herself in the church once again. There was a blast and it, sent Lord Reed across the room. Iris found herself crashing to one of the pillars, and when she looked up, the last thing she saw were stones falling down at her –
Iris woke in a jolt.
"Iris!"
Eren came to her side. She was confused to what was happening. Eren wasn't at the church, so how was he there? Looking around, Iris noticed that she wasn't at the church and that everything around her was moving.
"Where am I? What's happening?" Iris asked.
"I should ask you the same thing." Eren said.
"Iris!" Levi rode his horse near the wagon, he held his hand on the wagon, leaning forward to see his daughter. "You're alright."
"Captain, where –" Iris stopped and looked over her father's shoulder, reaching up and getting herself on her feet (while Eren protested that she sits down) Iris saw the huge Titan crawling towards their way. "What the hell is that?!"
"Armin, fill her up." Levi said. "We're getting close to Orvud District."
"Yes, Sir." Armin said.
"Iris, I know that you're confused, but you have to understand what happened while you were gone." Armin said. "But first off, that Titan is Rod Reiss."
Iris eyes widened in shock. How much did I miss? She thought.
Armin told Iris the whole story, from the moment she was captured, to the coup d'état of the military against the government, the puppet king, and their mission in the Reiss Chapel that led them at their current place, but he missed the part of the Titan that came and her coming out of that Titan. He wasn't sure how to tell her that.
"Armin, I said to tell her everything." Levi said, glaring at the young man.
Armin was hesitant.
"Iris, what do you last remember?" Leon asked, knowing that Armin couldn't give the story.
"I... I..." Iris clutched her head in her hand as a headache came when she tried to remember. "I was in the Reed church... my grandfather was there... and he told me everything... about humanity."
"Hold on, so you're saying that Lord Reed knew about the Walls' history?" Hange spoke.
"Yeah..." Iris said.
Hange turned to Levi.
"It is apparent that we get Lord Reed." Hange said. "We need to get every bit of information from him –"
"You can't..." Iris spoke. A memory flashed in her mind: the blast, the church crumbling, debris falling, a large chunk of the wall falling on to her leg –
My leg! Iris thought. She looked down at her leg, in shock. It's back... how...
"LET ME GO! NO! NO!"
Iris scratched and punched Lord Reed, trying to push him away as he approached her with the injection that had the Titan Serum. But Lord Reed kicked her injured leg, breaking it even more, and had her crying in pain.
"NO! IF YOU DO THIS, SHE'LL BECOME A NORMAL TITAN!" Maria cried.
"Iris, I know it's too much to ask, but what do you –" Armin began.
"Mom's alive..." Iris said.
Everyone froze to what they heard. Levi, who was riding beside the wagon, froze on his place, his mind trying to understand what his daughter said.
"Iris..." Leon said.
"Mom's alive!" Iris said, turning to him. "Where is she?!"
"Iris, you're not making any sense." Eren said. "You said that your mom died, remember –"
"I'm telling you!" Iris grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "She's alive! I saw her!"
"Iris!" Levi said.
Iris turned to her father.
"Mom's alive..." Iris said, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Iris... Maria is –"
"She's alive, damn it!" Iris yelled. "Why would I lie?!"
"Iris, calm down." Leon said.
"Why won't you say anything?! Why won't you believe me?!" Iris continued.
As the father and daughter went on, Eren and Historia were both in confusion to why Iris' mother was important to their Captain. While around them, the other members of the Levi Squad were in total shock, knowing the history of the father and daughter.
"We'll talk about this later." Levi said. "Right now, we have more pressing matters. There are things that you still need to know... but first, we need to know is what you last remember..."
"That doesn't matter! Mom's alive –"
"Iris, you almost died!" Leon yelled.
Iris turned to him.
"On our way to the Reiss Chapel, we heard a Titan's shriek at the East." Leon said. "Given orders by Captain Levi, I went to investigate... when I got there, I found a Titan's body already disappearing, and I found a woman... she had you in her arms – your body was crushed, you were beyond repair... you were dying! But that woman saved you by injecting something inside you... and you..." Leon looked her at the eye. "You turned to a Titan... Iris."
Silence filled the air. Iris was frozen in place. It was impossible, she saw her grandfather be crushed by the stones, and the injection was gone –
"You're insane." Iris spoke.
"We saw you, Iris." Armin spoke. "You came to the cave and went through the barrier... you were about to eat one of the men, but Leon stopped you... and you came out of the Titan..."
"You saw me?" Iris said.
"We all did." Levi said. "That's why we needed to know what you last remember... and what we got from Leon's story... that explains that... I know that you want to talk about your mother, but right now we need to take care of that first."