Leo Simon
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The Empire Returns Chapter 9
🕑 Added 2023-05-02 06:36:00 +0000 UTCThe newly graduated Cadets were all stood in front of a stage that made them feel nothing but dread under the moonlit night.
The Cadets of the one hundred and fourth Cadet Corps were far more undecided than in previous years with many mentally cursing the man responsible for swaying their minds.
Eren was a charismatic and passionate boy, they all knew that, but the final nail in the coffin for them was seeing the Rogue Titan sealing the gate, many of them originated from Trost and watching on as the Titans came so close to laying waste to their hometown was an experience that none of them wish to relive, but they know that trying to make a change will likely kill them.
It all comes down to what kind of men and women they are. A bunch of self serving bastards, or selfless soldiers who will give their all for humanity. How do they decide?
"Good evening, soldiers-" they straightened their spines at the sight of one of the Militarys three Commanders, the leader of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith.
Many could tell just by being near him that he was a capable leader with his face being the image of composure and seriousness."- I am the Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith. Tonight you are going to be picking which of the three military branches you are going to be joining. It's my job to convince you to join the Survey Corps."
The recruits were expecting a sugar coated speech about 'freedom', 'taking back the outside world' or 'honoring the fallen'.
They weren't expecting to hear what the man spoke next.
"I'm going to be incredibly blunt here, we need new members. When Trosts gate was breached us Scouts lost our route to the south. That's four years of effort gone in an instant. During those four years sixty percent of our forces have perished in battle. Sixty percent in four years, that's a horrifying figure."
Many Cadets visibly grimaced at the news, they knew that the Scouts lose many lives on their expeditions but even after Eren drilled it into their heads dozens of times the information was still hard to swallow.
Erwin gestured for two soldiers behind him to hold a large document out behind him and open it in order to reveal what the Cadets recognised as a map of the Walls.
"Because we lost the road that we spent so long building we Scouts must begin pathing the way for a new one. We will go from Karanese in the East."
The Commander spoke loud and clearly to them in a tone that demanded all or nothing." Most of you will end up dead in four years time, if humanity has four years left, we estimate that several of you will not survive past the first expedition. However those of you left standing will be among the best soldiers alive. So I ask you. Can you give your hearts, your souls! And everything for humanity?!"
His words leave practically ever new soldier in the ceremony in a cold sweat with only a handful maintaining their composure.
Even the veteran Scouts were concerned with their blonde Commanders words and wondered if after... that any of the new recruits would even bother sticking around.
"Those of you who wish to join other branches are dismissed."
At his verdict for a moment many Cadets paused for a moment... and a wave of the new recruits began to pile out with several men and women cracking under the pressure and finding themselves washed away in the crowd.
However much to the Scouts surprise a large number of the Cadets were staying behind.
Among those Cadets were: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Annie, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Marco, Christa, Ymir, Mina, Thomas, Mylius, Nack, Samuel, and surprisingly Daz. Though the last one couldn't stop shaking and tears were in his eyes.
By the time all two hundred and eight Cadets of the one hundred and fourths southern division were done picking whether or not they were going to join the Survey Corps the leftover result was thirty two soldiers deciding to remain.
Even Erwin was shocked at the number of new recruits that decided to stay, but he his how he really felt behind his eternally stoic mask that he calls a face.
Looking at the soldiers who decided to stay and fight the Titans Erwin asked his final question for the evening." If you were asked to die would you do it?"
At the question many of the recruits paled but a green eyed boy from within the crowd yelled out." Yes sir!"
Many looked at him as though he were crazy and an oriental girl even looked at him with concern, he'd joked about his possible death before but he's never spoke so seriously.
Erwin smiled, mildly amused by the words." Well let's hope you do not-" He raised his hand and saluted all of the Cadets that chose to stay."- this is a genuine salute soldiers! Together we give our hearts!"
The remaining Cadets returned the salute with many breathing heavily to stop themselves from crying.
The green eyed boy turned his gaze to Annies back for a moment and had to withhold an evil grin at the opportunity in front of him.
Jackpot.
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Rod Reiss allowed the exhaustion from working in his office as the unofficial ruler of the Walls overtake his mind. All he seemed to do these days was stay in his office and write pointless paper work that could be taken care of by someone far more qualified. He should retire, he should throw in the towel and go back to his mansion within the safety of Wall Sina.
But he can't. What would he even do all day? Walk around his massive house with nothing but him inside? Lay in bed all day and stare up at the white ceiling contemplating and regretting his mistakes?
He can't stop working because the moment he does all he can think about his dead family, his own loneliness. He has no family. And it's all because of him.
Suddenly the door of his office swung open so fast that it left a dent in the wall behind it, much to his annoyance, and walking into his office was a familiar lanky man.
"Hey hey hey Rod you gotta minute?" Kenny speaks in his usual idiotic tone and Rod has to take a moment to really contemplate if having the old Ackerman around like his dog is worth the headache he gets every time the man comes into contact with him.
In the end though Rod has to, begrudgingly, admit that as irritating as Kenny is the man does have his uses, plus his undying loyalty to Uri keeps him around, even after the grave.
Purging his thoughts about his deceased brother Rod tries to answer Kenny in as even a tone as possible." Why might you be here Kenny?"
At the question the aging Ackerman grins." Awww come on ya fat bastard you don't have to act like ya miss me. Besides why do I need a reason to visit an old buddy?"
Growing tired of Kennys antics Rod asks with an annoyed glare." Why are you here Kenny?" His actions have the desired effect as Kenny simply throws him a rolled up news paper. He fails to catch and it drops to the floor.
"Why don't cha check out for ya self Roddy, the one who took the Founder returned."
Rods eyes widened and suddenly he feels a much greater sense of urgency as he scrambles to the newspaper on the ground.
'Unexpected savior of Trost: The Rogue Titan'
He briefly skimmed over the paper and only got its main points, however he had to stop his blood from boiling over when he layed his eyes on a rough sketch of what is undoubtedly the Attack Titan.
The paper crumpled in his hands as the his rage reached a breaking point.
Savior?! Frieda was the savior! This usurper has no right to decide the fate of the Walls! That damn Grisha!!
Seeing his face Kenny chuckled." Now, now there's no reason to get your panties in a twist, the Walls are safe and all, plus now we actually have a lead on who has the Founder."
Rod tried to rein in his righteous anger at the one who possesses his daughters stolen Titan and had to concede that Kenny did have a point, they finally have a lead on who the Founding Titan could be.
Though once they get it back who will inherit the Titan?
His mind suddenly flashes to his bastard child. Illegitimate ahead may be the blood of the gods does flow through her veins, she will be the vessel of this new power. He's never been more thankful that he didn't kill her.
His eyes turned to Kenny." Track the Attack Titan down and get Historia back, this power must be returned to where it rightfully belongs." He's already lost his family but at least the power of the gods will be his again.
Kenny pauses, almost as though contemplating something, but ultimately just responds." Of course your grace." Though walking away he scowls at being ordered around by a fat pig.
Rod sets his eyes on the newspaper in front of him and tears it apart across the section containing the Attack Titans face.
The power of the Reiss family will be returned.
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Historia felt a shiver go up her neck all of a sudden as she gets goosebumps.
Noticing her sudden discomfort after the ceremony her lanky girlfriend besides her looks at the blonde with concern." You alright? You suddenly regretting joining the Scouts?"
They were leaving the ceremony hall to turn in for the night and were walking near a few other people like Connie and the others.
She shook her head in denial." No I just had a weird feeling in the back of my neck." She spoke trying to sound reassuring. Ymir didn't seem to buy it but decided to drop whatever her tiny girlfriend just did.
They've been in a relationship for nearly a year now after the incident in the mountains. They've been talking a lot and Historia even confessed her real name to Ymir, which the freckled girl called her whenever the two were alone. Whilst Historia knows that Ymir is keeping her own secrets she is alright with being patient.
Historia has also grown a lot closer with Eren since that incident in the mountain. His strange behavior aside he is a reliable guy who- wait where is Eren?
Stopping and looking around she spotted Eren who was walking off into the back of the stage with Commander Erwin.
Her eyes narrowed at the sight. Eren is a mystery to her, he's like a puzzle of secrets where every time she thinks she's cracked a piece the board changes.
Noticing where her girlfriends eyes wandered Ymir smirked at her girlfriend like she always does." What ya doing spying on Eren sweetie? Your not planning on cheating with him are you?"
The question instantly snaps Historia out of her daze, analysing what the tan skinned girl just said her face suddenly warmed up. She's been asked this too many times and she has to question if Ymir I'd truly joking.
Shaking her head hastily she answered." It's not like that. He's just going off with the Commander, I wonder why he-"
"Christa, Ymir. You guys are joining too." The local idiot Connie butted into their conversation with anyone with him deciding that now was a good time to merge their two groups.
She was surprised to see Marco and Jean since they claimed that they were going to join the Military Police.
"Hey why did you two join the Scouts?" She suddenly asked the freckled and long faced boys respectively. At the question the two boys rubbed the back of their heads in unison.
Marco spoke up first." Well I guess Eren just swayed me over time, whilst I'd love to serve the king he's probably well guarded enough in the capital, plus I figured it'd be best if the Titans never got the chance to get inside the Walls in the first place." Marco reasoned in his usual polite and kind manner.
Jean surprised her more that Marco honestly, the long faced boy was extremely open about him wanting to join the MP's for selfish reasons, why would the guy who claimed he was all about number one have chosen the death branch.
Jean took his turn to answer and simply said." The Titans will get us eventually, better we take the fight to them than they take the fight to us." He reasoned, trying to make his reason sound rational and not idealistic, like it probably is.
His words seemed to make Ymir tense up for a moment, a fact that only her girlfriend seemed to notice.
The others had similiar reasons and the blonde couldn't help but be impressed by the green eyed boys work, it seems that 'the suicidal maniac' of the one hundred and fourth was quite the charismatic leader.
Thinking about the classes second best makes her think back to the Titan in Trost, it appeared in a flash of light didn't it? That flash reminded her so much of that time in the mountains that she can't help but wonder, is Eren able to turn into a Ti-
She immediately shot those thoughts down. A person can't turn into a Titan, it just happened to look a little like Eren, that's all.
Though her mind keeps flashing back to those shining green eyes that both Eren and that Titan wore and showed to the world, plus that aura of hatred and anger that seemed to shroud both the Titan and the devil they belong to.
As unlikely as it is she has a feeling that she has a feeling won't go away until she has her answers, she'll just ask Eren herself later.
She would end up learning more than she bargained for.
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Erwins ears rung and the world around him seemed to dissolve and evaporate as one of the new recruits told him about the outside world.
The outside world. He was hoping that soon enough he'd learn if he was right, but as desperately as he was seeking those answers, seeking them enough to put everything below that single objective, nothing could have prepared him for the truth.
The second place recruit of the one hundred and fourth asked him to talk privately, Erwin saw no reason to refuse the offer, given that if the notes Shadis gave him were correct then Eren Yeager wasn't someone that would try anything against him, and allowed the two to enter a private space with little chance of being overheard.
Humanity is alive outside the Walls, they're thriving in fact, if what Erens saying is true, and they hate everyone inside the Walls, they want to kill them all.
"But why?" Erwin does his best to remain stoic and Eren obliges by answering." To know that I need to tell you a story, one that isn't exactly easy to explain. Can you follow, sir?"
Erwin could only nod, hiding his eagerness to learn about the outside world. This Cadet might be lying, however Erwin is no fool, he can spot a liar when he sees one. So far the Cadet doesn't seem to be lying.
Eren look a deep breath and began his tale of the outside world." Two thousand years ago there was a girl named Ymir Fritz, Ymir was a slave girl who was subservient to the Fritz family, one day she decided to let an animal from the livestock leave the pen, why I cannot tell you. However her action enraged her village's chief so she was set free to be hunted down like an animal, hunted for sport. She tried to hide in a massive tree one day and inside that tree lurked a strange spine-like creature, she made contact with that creature and gained the Power Of The Titans. The power to transform into a Titan."
Erwin retained his shock from showing at the confirmation that there are humans that can turn into Titans. However knowing that he narrowed his eyes and felt compelled to ask." It was you, your the one that sealed Trosts gate."
At the question Eren paused for a second and simply nodded.
Erwins eyes actually widened in a show of surprise at the knowledge that he was standing in front of the one who saved Trost. What were his motivations? His goals? To save huma- the walled people, Erwin forcefully reminded himself, or was it his own motives?
Eren continued with his story." Though despite holding the power of a god Ymir remained subservient to King Fritz, and through her the Eldian tribe became the Eldian Empire, once she died her power was split into three when Ymirs daughters were forced to eat their mother's spine. Each one of them had three children who did the same, that is how the Titans split into nine."
Nine different Titan Shifters. That is both good and bad news to Erwin. That means that whilst only nine Titan powers exist, that means more than just the Armoured and Colossal are going to be their foes in the future.
"How many of the Titans powers belong to the enemy?"
Eren grimaced." Seven."
That was not exactly a reassuring figure but at the very least he knew how many Titans they could end up facing.
Erwin had to hear the end though." Please continue."
Answering his plea Eren resumed where he left off." The nine Titans that exist in the world are the following. The Attack Titan, the Founding, the Colossal, the Armoured, the Female, the Jaws, the Beast, the Cart and the Warhammer. They each have a different set of abilities that are unique to them. The Founding Titan is the most powerful, if unlocked to its full potential then the user is functionally omnipotent when it comes to the Eldians, it can rewrite their memories, turn them into and back from Titans to hearts content and even alter the anatomy of the entire race. Yes Titans are humans, all of them, they were all once just people."
Erens words actually took Erwins breath away. Erwin actually wanted to laugh at the cruelty of it all, they weren't even fighting the real enemy this entire time, they were just blindly fighting what was in front of them. Ignorance.
Wait did he say rewrite memories?!
"Did the Founding Titan erase the people of the Walls memories?!" He doesn't even care that his stoic mask fell for a second, if the king of the Walls really did erase their memories using the Founding Titan then-
Eren nodded." Yes, he wanted to keep the people in the dark, keep them nice and ignorant so that they couldn't fight back when Marley came to destroy the Walls eventually."
Erwins breath hitches at the news and for once he let's a mad smile creep onto his features.
His father was right, every person who told him that he was over analysing the situation, everyone who said he was delusional, was wrong. He can finally let go of his father's dream. It feels so nice to be unburdened.
Quickly regaining his composure Eren continues." One hundred years ago the Eldian Empire was brought down, the one responsible was king Karl Fritz, he lamented the cruel history of the eldians, but instead of doing the right thing and putting his people and kingdom on the right path, he deemed us all a lost cause and gave Marley all Eldias power before fleeing to this island like a coward."
The way that Eren spoke of what Karl Fritz did it's clear that the teen holds a large amount of hatred for what the king decided to do. Erwin feels quite similarly to be honest, the man was clearly just looking for the easiest way out.
Eren visually suppressed his rage and continued." After moving to this island with a large number of Eldians, and leaving the rest on the continent of Marley, a race of people that the Eldians suppressed, to feel the consequences of his actions, he forcefully turned many of then into Colossal type Titans which he used to create the Walls by having them harden themselves, he then turned tens of thousands of his people into regular Titans to leave outside the Walls to cage the people inside." His rage was now clearly burning in those emerald eyes at the injustice that the Subjects of Ymir are facing in the modern world.
Erwin meanwhile paled at the knowledge that inside the Walls are, at the very least, hundreds of thousands of sixty meter tall Titans. However he was immediately sickened by the implications of what Eren just spoke. Did- did the king turn all those people into Titans just to turn them into the Walls?! What kind of kin- what kind of man could commit such an act, dooming his people in so many ways!
But Eren still wasn't done." When he left Marley brought seven of the nine Titans under their control, with only the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan, the Titans I possess, remaining out of their hands." At that last piece of information Erwin actually froze up.
If the Founding Titan really can do everything that Eren just described then why didn't he just eradicate the Titans for good and stop Matley himself.
Eren grimaced as he explained himself." Five years ago, when I inherited my Titans, the last holder of my power stole the Founding Titan from the Reiss family, the true royal family, and murdered all of its members except for Rod Reiss. Only someone of royal blood can use the Founders power, as just a regular Eldian without royal blood I can only use its power if certain conditions are met. However the coward king Karl made a vow renouncing war through the Founding Titan so anyone who does inherit the Founder who does have royal blood will be overcome by his ideology and continue down the path of destruction that he set for us." Erens voice was grim at the information.
Erwin frowned, if everything that Eren is saying is true then the Founding Titan is the only card that they have over Marley and without it they are likely done for. But Eren didn't explain one thing-
"What do you mean by certain conditions?"
Eren looked contemplative, as though he were wondering I'd he should tell the blonde Commander, for a second but ultimately relented." If I make contact with a Pure Titan or a Titan Shifter with royal blood I can temporarily bypass the restrictions set by the Founder and bring out its full power."
Those words gave Erwin some hope but wondered who of royal blood would be willing to help, every Reiss family member except Rod Reiss will be dead, so how can they access the Founder?
Eren smiled knowingly, seemingly having an answer already." If your wondering where we can find a Titan of royal blood then I know one. Dina Fritz, my father's first wife, she's currently a Pure Titan that's roaming around Wall Maria. She's already a Titan and by making contact with her the Founders mine to use."
That certainly was a useful pieced of information to have. Erwin has had a lot of information dumped on him today, and he's grateful for it, but one last thing just doesn't add up.
"How do you know all this?" The Commander had to ask. If everything he's said is true then shouldn't Eren be in the dark like the rest of them?
Eren stayed calm at the question and answered evenly." My father's memories. When a user of the nine inherits their Titan from their last user they can receive memories from that past wielder, this is made marginally easier by blood relation, I've seen my fathers memories and many other of the past Attack Titans memories as though they were my own."
The explanation was a bit farfetched but then again so is the idea of people turning into Titans, so Erwin found himself believing Eren, as crazy as this all sounds.
Eren had one final thing to say." The final thing that I have to tell you is the identities of Marleys Titan spies, they are among the new recruits this year and one of them chose to join the Survey Corps."
Erwin doesn't think he's been this surprised in all his thirty three years of life." You do?!" His mind immediately thought of the possibility of getting more of these Titan powers on their side.
Erens face again contorted in rage." Reiner Braun, the Armoured Titan, Annie Leonhart, unknown, Bertolt Hoover, the Colossal Titan. These three are the pieces of shit that destroyed Shiganshina." Eren clearly wasn't going to shy away when it came to fighting the Shifters is he?
Erwin recognises the new recruits as the third, fourth and fifth in their class. Annie Leonhart joined the Scouts alone, she'll hopefully be apprehended quite easily.
Erwin can't help the smile that stretched across his face. Whilst yes their future was going to be filled with fighting other humans, yes the outside world is full of hatred for the Walls, they know who the real enemy is now. They know the truth.
"Thatnk you Eren, you've told me more than I hoped to hear. Since Trost fell I've had my suspicious about Titan Shifters existing, by coming to me and telling me what you know you've made this much easier for me." Erwins words were genuine. They actually have hope for a future where they aren't contained in the Walls anymore. They can defeat this 'Marley' now.
Eren grinned in return, clearly grateful for the formation of an ally." It's fine, Marley is a corrupt and arrogant nation that deserve to be brought down. How about we show them that people of the Walls won't go down without a fight. That we aren't easy pickings like they think we are?" Eren reached out his hand for a shake, to symbolise their new partnership.
Erwin takes the hand in his own and can't help but feel his blood boil in anticipation for the future. The outside world didn't know it but that day two Devils made an alliance.
