❝Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty.❞
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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO:
BLOOD AND BONES
Deep within the Headquarters of the Survey Corps, there existed a room only very few had been allowed to visit. The walls were of a dark shade of brown, as well as the floors which were covered by a thick, green carpet. The ceiling was high enough for Galene to have to crane her neck to see its large expansion, and a single window allowed sunlight to illuminate the wooden table that sat under a hanging lamp with candles.
Important meetings to discuss strategies in the never-ending battle against Titans took place there, yet the reason of her presence held a different meaning.
Galene took a seat by the window and glanced at her surroundings with a closed expression. Only five people had been called to witness and hear her tale: Erwin Smith, Hange Zöe, Jack Leonhart, Farlan Church and the queen herself.
Expectation was thick in the air, but Galene waited — there was someone missing.
Not long after her realization, the door cracked open. She glanced at Levi out of the corner of her eye, feeling unsure for the very first time in many years.
"You're late," attacked Jack as the shorter man crossed the room and sat down in front of her, giving her no option but to meet his expression.
His eyes were already on her, holding the same intense glint she was used to seeing in them. However, something else caught her attention. Beneath them, grey bags spoke of insomnia. A slight frown curled on her lips as a question remained unspoken between them, but the lack of coldness in his grey irises answered it.
When handing those files to him, she had opened a door only for him to walk through. No one knew about what was written in them, about whom she was and what she had done. Except for him: Levi Ackerman. And that would lead to a conversation once the meeting was over.
"Shall we?"
Her attention was grabbed by Erwin, who was looking at Historia. The latter nodded and turned her focus on Galene. "There's nothing about your family in our archives. But from what I gathered during your conversation with the former king, Everharts signed some kind of business contract with the royal family. Would you care to elaborate?"
Galene noticed how she had avoided referring to the former king as her father, but made no comment on it and sighed inwardly. "I think it'll be easier if I start by revealing the truth about us before I jump into details."
"Go ahead."
"Have you ever heard about the Devil of All?"
"The demon my ancestor run into and made a contract for power? It's said it vanished after giving the royal family the power to control Titans," Historia mentioned with a serious frown.
Galene titled her head and smirked ever-so-subtly. "Yes... and no. The Devil of All created the First Nine and gave them to your ancestor to put an end to the war between humans, but the royal family was greedy and after winning, they built up these damn Walls and hid the people inside. They wanted to control everything; they locked up the First Nine while giving humans the false belief that the royal family were some kind of saviours by stealing their memories. The Devil of All witnessed everything and couldn't allow its power to waste away in cells, so it planted some seeds before returning to its world."
"Seeds?" Hange repeated in a voice of utter disbelief.
"Descendants of the Devil of All," Galene elaborated. "It left those seeds and gave them one single mission: to get the First Nine back from the royal family. It took many years, but eventually, they succeeded. But the plan had escalated into something bigger and bolder; not only did they retrieve the Titans, but they also killed the former king's family."
A loud bang echoed in the room as Hange jumped to her feet and slammed her hand on the table. "Wait a second! I remember that incident. The Military Police spent months looking for clues and nothing was ever found."
"Hange, sit down," Erwin ordered in a calm voice, yet surprise was evident in his blue gaze.
As the woman complied, Farlan cut in. "So you really are saying that these... descendants were behind the murder of the royal family?"
Galene nodded curtly.
"What was their goal?" Historia asked, bringing her attention to the farthest chair.
Before an answer could be given, however, movement caught her eye. Glancing at Farlan, Galene shook her head at the sight of him pulling out a notebook and a pen.
"There's no need to write anything down," she voiced, causing him to pause and look at her. "I spent four fucking years doing that in the underground."
With an inner sigh, she tilted her head to meet the watchful eyes of Levi. She laid her arm on the table and opened her hand, expectant. Seconds ticked by, and the sudden silence seemed to make the air grow heavier in the room. Finally, Levi reached inside his jacket and pulled out a stack of documents.
"Wait, you let him read them?!"
Closing her eyes briefly as an incoming headache pinched the sides of her skull, Galene went over her files quickly. "Yes, Jack."
"Serious—"
Her eyes narrowed, and her hardened features silenced his questioning.
"Not now."
Jack looked beyond unpleased, but he didn't say anything else and simply let out an annoyed grunt. In the meantime, Galene had finished going over the files and was taken aback by the number of pages. Some documents were missing; the ones she was adamant in keeping away from more witnesses.
She lifted her gaze, but Levi was — because it was evident to her — purposely avoiding it.
Instead of calling him out on it, Galene resumed the previous conversation.
"By killing off the royal family, they'd make sure no human being could control their Titans. That was their goal." Passing the files for Historia to read first, she added, "Each of the Nine has specific skills. Everything is explained in detail there. With them and the army of trained soldiers, they aim for humanity's annihilation."
"So the incident in Wall Maria was their doing?" Farlan inquired. "But why did they take so long to attack?"
"Because they're missing vital pieces. When the Attack Titan merged with the Founding Titan and disappeared after the royal family's slaughter, their plan had to change. I assume he hid somewhere inside the Walls, as he's now been found and is eager to help."
"That's one way to describe the brat, I suppose."
Erwin hummed in thought. "We also count with the Colossal Titan now, taking even more of their killing power. They've taken a hit and it will probably take some time for them to get their strength back."
Galene bit back a smile and nodded. "Indeed. And there's something else."
Erwin leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
Galene pondered her words; she wasn't about to reveal what she had done in the past, what those monsters had put her through. But there were things she could say.
"Long story short, I stole a vital piece of their puzzle and destroyed their way outside. They had a tunnel that connected the underground with what we call now Titan Forest," she added. "The First Nine had already been taken outside, but the descendants of the Devil of All were locked in the underground. That left them without a ruler to lead their warriors, and it's the reason why it took them longer to plan the assault to Wall Maria."
The revelations hung in the air as she let them mull over them in silence, before Hange suddenly spoke. "How do you know so much, Galene?"
It wasn't her who replied.
"Because she's one of them — a descendant of the Devil of All." Historia lifted her head and looked straight at her while handing the files to Erwin. "That's what Everharts are."
Galene closed her eyes and leaned back, ignoring the shocked expressions on their faces.
"What did you steal from them?" Farlan asked after a few seconds of frozen silence.
Relief filled her briefly as she was reminded of the open minds that led the Scouting Legion. She was certain the Military Police would have had a different reaction, a more cynical one.
"The Hammer Titan." She sighed and found Levi's eyes. "He was a friend, someone who decided to follow me to Hell and back. Johan was the reason we could take down my father. But... I don't know what happened to him."
"I thought that bitch Cornelia killed him," Levi chimed in with an arched brow.
Galene clicked her tongue. "Yes, but his body wasn't there when I went to look for it. My mother is alive as well, in case you were wondering."
His eyes widened slightly, but she pursed her lips.
"So there is only one Everhart left, apart from you?" Hange inquired. "Are you certain she's alive?"
Running a hand through her hair, Galene began feeling the first hints of exhaustion kicking in. "I have a source that confirms it. She's somehow found the way to sneak out and is outside the Walls."
Before another comment or question could be made, a knock on the door rang in the room. Frowning, Galene watched as a man from the Military Police stepped in after lamely apologizing for the intrusion.
"Get to the point, damn it."
The man narrowed his eyes at Levi, but obliged while looking at Historia. "My Queen, Rod Reiss has been found dead in an alleyway in Trost. Indications show that he was tortured, and sources affirm they saw Kenny the Ripper in the area around the time of death."
After a pregnant pause, Erwin stood from his chair and motioned for everyone to do the same. Galene was the last one to abandon the room, leaving Historia alone with her thoughts. However, she was stopped.
"Galene," the queen called, but Galene remained with her back facing her. "I never thought of him as my father. He wasn't a good man; he was cruel and destroyed the lives of many. After knowing how far his methods went, how he only cared about power... I honestly don't blame whoever did it."
Tilting her head, Galene glanced at her with a secret smirk. "Family isn't always about blood; it's about those that are willing to bleed for you."