With a resounding creak, the door adjacent to the esteemed judge's bench swung open, revealing the entrance of a distinguished figure. As the older man with a regal aura stepped into the room, a hush fell upon the previously bustling space, effectively stifling the murmurs that once permeated the air.
His silver-streaked hair and beard lent him an air of wisdom and authority, commanding the attention of all present. Adorning his resplendent coat were an array of gleaming medals, each one a testament to his illustrious career and unwavering dedication. These symbols of honor and distinction unequivocally designated him as a man of the highest echelon, occupying the pinnacle of the human army's hierarchy. Commander in Chief Darius Zackly.
With a graceful motion, the old man gracefully slipped off his tailored jacket, treating it with utmost care as he meticulously folded it. He placed it delicately upon the grand dais and settled himself into the center chair. As his gaze shifted towards Eren, Annie, and Ymir, his steely eyes bore into them, brimming with a profound seriousness. Rolling up the pristine sleeves of his crisp white shirt, he signaled his readiness.
"Okay, let's get started," the man said in a deep voice before flipping through the papers in his hand. "Your names are Eren Jaeger, Annie Leonhart, and Ymir. Soldiers who swore to give their lives for humanity, am I correct?"
"Yes, sir,"
"This is an exceptional case. As it is not contemplated in the law, we must carry out a special court martial. I will dictate the sentence. In this trial we will decide if we let you all live or kill you. Do you have any objection?"
"No, sir," Eren said in a voice that showed no fear.
"Very well. I will start the trial right now. The ones on the trial are Eren Yeager, Ymir, and Annie Leonhart. You three are a special case; this trial will decide whether you are safe for Humanity and whether we should execute you or not." Zackly spoke calmly as he flipped through pages, his eyes setting on Eren, who looked right back at him.
Mikasa, who was standing beside Armin, looked concerned, as did Armin, but Commander Erwin seemed completely calm and collected; same for Captain Levi and Hange Zoe; Mikasa had a small cut on her little finger, enough to draw blood in case she needed to defend Eren. Still, she was pulled out of her thoughts when Levi spoke with a hushed voice.
"Do not do anything foolish, Ackerman. Turning inside this building will only complicate things for your boyfriend; they say you have the strength of one thousand soldiers, so act like a soldier and watch." Levi spoke with a commanding voice; Mikasa almost scowled at him when Armin gave her a look as if to say not to say anything reckless, so Mikasa swallowed back her ego and decided not to do anything rash; she knew she needed to have more trust on her comrades.
"Yes, Captain," Levi didn't seem to buy her words, but nonetheless, their attention turned back to the Trial.
Unknown to the Duo Ackermans, a certain man wearing a coat was watching from the sidelines, an eager grin on his face, his eyes focused solely on Levi and a little at Mikasa. "Well, the brat hasn't grown at all; what a surprise, if anything, he's shorter than before," Kenny wondered aloud as his eyes slowly settled on the girl beside him.
"But who is the girl," He wondered out loud, the grin not leaving his face; he looked closely at the girl and could see the resemblance right away.
"Well, fuck me, she has the look alright, but where did she come from," Kenny wondered out loud, scratching the top of his head with his index finger. He knew of every Ackerman inside the Walls, yet this one seemed to have escaped his grasp somehow; as far as he knew, his old man and sister had been the only ones left until his sister gave birth to the brat.
Kenny wondered if the girl was a distant cousin, perhaps, but Kenny could tell from the way she stood that she perhaps had already awakened her Ackerman power, which meant completing the mission would prove more difficult than he had thought. Dealing with the little brat would prove difficult on its own, but fighting against two brats would prove way too difficult, even for someone like Kenny.
Back at the trial, Zackly cleared his throat before speaking, his voice booming throughout the large Room.
"Eren Yeager, from the reports I have read, you and your friends beside you possess an ability that allows you to turn into a Titan at will, this ability allows you to control the Titan like you would your own body."
"Yes sir," Eren answered right away.
"From the reports, you used this ability to save over a hundred cadets, kill many Titans, close the gate of the outer wall of Wall Rose, and were able to fight the Armoured and Colossal Titan. What do you think about this Commander Nile?" Zackly questioned as he turned his head to face the commander of the Military Police, who stepped forward once his name was called out; everyone's eyes were on him as he cleared his throat.
"Yes, your honor. I, Nile Dok, Commander of the Military Police. I have personally read all the reports given to me about them and their strange abilities. Thanks to them, we were able to close the gate, save the City of Trost, and defeat the two biggest threats that Humanity has ever seen, but they are still dangerous to us. I think we should examine their bodies as much as possible, to learn as much as we can from them, before executing them so that they could become Martyr for Humanity." Nile spoke; his words earned looks of approval and disapproval from many in the room, especially from Erwin, who stood on the other side while shaking his head disapprovingly.
"There's no need for this," Pastor Nick exclaimed disdainfully while pointing a finger at the three shifters. "They have sullied the Holy Walls by simply being here, they should be executed right at this moment!"
"Pastor Nick, Please keep quiet; this is not a gathering so you can preach about your beliefs," Zackly spoke with a firm but calm voice. Pastor Nick clenched his teeth; he seemed ready to say something else but reluctantly shut his mouth, much to the relief of many.
"Eren Yeager, I want your answer." Zackly suddenly said, his eyes focused solely on Eren, who seemed calm, despite being in a trial where they would decide whether he should live or not.
"From the reports I have read, during the Battle in Trost, you turned into a Titan as if you already knew of your abilities." Zackly questioned as he looked at Eren.
"Did you know of your abilities before the Battle of Trost?"
"I did."
"For how long have you known?"
"Five years; I got the powers right after Wall Maria fell," Eren answered firmly, earning gasps from those who didn't know; many weren't sure what to make of this; some looked at Eren with even more fear than before.
"You got your powers? So you know how these powers work, and you can give them to someone else," Zackly questioned, intrigued, but before Eren could answer, the door burst open, revealing a soldier who looked deeply worried.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but a big group of cadets, Garrison soldiers, Scout Soldiers, and even from the Military Police have gathered outside the buildings, and they are all protesting," the soldier shouted; his words caused many to get uncomfortable; while Zackly still seemed calm.
"What do they want?"
"They want the immediate release of Eren Yeager, Ymir, and Annie Leonhart. As Protectors of Humanity. They should be released." The soldier shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. His words caused Pastor Nick to curse under his breath while Kenny grumbled, having to deal with that many soldiers would prove troublesome, while Nile was trying to devise a solution to make the crowd dissemble.
"I see; well, tell them to keep quiet," Zackly ordered as he turned his attention back to Eren. Zackly knew the danger all of them were already in. It's been only a week, but Eren's name had already earned him a large group of soldiers willing to fight for him. Zackly didn't know the exact number, but he figured there were over 200 soldiers who had already joined 'The Yeagerists' as they were calling themselves.
"Commander Erwin Smith, you said you had a plan on how to use the Titan Shifters as you called them?"
"Yes, your honor." Erwin reaffirmed right away, taking a step forward with a clear of his throat. "Due to the valuable information we have gathered from Lady Leonhart, we have proof that there's a way to transfer the Titan Powers from people to people. With the Colossal Titan and Armoured Titan in cells, I think it is important that we take the powers that Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover possess; their powers will be given to two selected soldiers so they can be used to benefit the Humanity of the Walls." Erwin informed everyone that his words caused various reactions, but Pastor Nick and his followers were the ones who got the most visible reactions; their faces had gone pale, and they seemed ready to faint.
Annie couldn't help but look down slightly, almost with guilt. She knew it would happen sooner or later, but she knew she wouldn't like it. Despite everything that happened, she still considered the two morons as friends in a way, even someone as annoying as Reiner. She knew there was no way the people of the Walls would ever let all Reiner and Bertholdt survive.
"Annie, are you alright?" Eren questioned beside her, placing a supporting hand on her shoulder with a smile adoring his face.
Annie was grateful for Eren's support, but his words and concern reminded her of her sins against him. Sins she knew she could never tell him.
"Erwin, this is not up to you; if these powers can be really transferred to someone else, then all five of them should lose their powers and be given to the best soldiers we have," Nile insisted while pointing a finger at the military police soldiers behind him.
"You're not serious, are you?" Many were shocked to hear that it was Eren who spoke and quite mockingly toward the Commander of the Military Police.
"What did you say, you Brat?" Nile questioned, his voice rising and his face turning red with anger.
"You just said that we should be given to you so you can experiment in our bodies and then execute us. Now you're saying that our powers should be given to your soldiers because you are the 'Best,' tell me, when was the last time any of your soldiers ever saw a Titan?" Eren questioned with a sneer, his green eyes almost glittering menacingly; his question caused Nile to get angry, clenching his teeth as he glared at Eren.
"You said you would lock us up so you can experiment on us with soldiers from the military police. Are we talking about the same soldiers who have never seen a real Titan their entire life, soldiers who have fought humans? But have never actually fought real titans, and instead spend their whole time drinking around," Eren continued questioning with mockery as he looked at Nile, who had turned with anger, but Eren's words were cold and commanding.
"Nile will need some water after this trial," Levi commented as he saw a small movement from the corner of his eyes.
"Are you willing to answer that question, Neil?" Zackly questioned calmly, looking at Neil, who had no answers to that; he knew his men were useless when it came to dealing with Titans. Hell, many of them were useless when it came to dealing with anything that wasn't about drinking alcohol.
"This whole trial is a waste of time, we need to prepare for the True Enemy." Eren suddenly spoke, his words earning the attention of everyone in the room.
"True Enemy? Are you saying there's another enemy out there besides the Titans?" Zackly questioned, looking down at Eren with intrigue; the words caused Pastor Nick to gulp, his face showing even more fear, something Erwin, Pyxis, and Nile noticed.
Eren was tempted to say 'yes,' but he knew better than to say that out loud in front of many people who worked for the King and would never let him talk freely about what was outside the Walls.
"Other Enemy Shifters? How do we know the Colossal and the Armoured Titan were the last? Right now, we know nothing of what is out there. If we decide to keep ourselves in the dark, we will continue living like this, like we have lived for the past century. We have lived like cattle and are too afraid to go out there and see with our own eyes what the world has to offer, but with my ability and the abilities of my friends, we can finally explore more than just what is inside the Walls. We might face more enemies, or maybe even friends; if we face enemies, we will show them our power; if they are friends, we will shake their hands. Now, we hold the power to shape how we live; we no longer live with fear that another attack might happen one day and for what happened five years ago to be repeated. I will not allow it. I was there when the Wall fell, and I'm still willing to fight so we can earn our freedom, so are you all willing to keep staying inside the Walls, or are you all willing to Fight Back?" Eren shouted the last part, his green eyes glittering with determination; his words echoed throughout the whole room like a horn that made many feel shivers down their spine.
Kenny couldn't help but look at the Eren brat with intrigue; it seemed his silver tongue was his second ability, not just being able to turn into a giant ugly bastard. Hmm, I wonder who can make this more interesting, this Eren brat or that pussy Rod, Kenny thought as he licked his lips slightly, making a note to have a meeting with this Eren sometimes.
Zackly couldn't help but look at Eren, impressed. Erwin had told him before the trial started that Eren was quite a determined boy, but Zackly was quite impressed by his words. He had lived long enough to know that Eren wasn't saying empty words, but he meant all of them; Zackly could see that even Nile looked a little impressed but quickly hid it behind a face of disinterest.
"That was quite a speech, Cadet Yeager; despite being young, you are more brave than the majority of people I have known my entire life. Because of your deeds during the Battle of Trost and helping to defeat the two biggest enemies of Humanity. You are allowed to join the Survey Corps and continue fighting for Humanity." Zackly decided before slamming down his gavel, making his decision final; soon, Eren was allowed to walk back to Mikasa, who smiled in relief to see beside her.
It didn't take long for Zackly to come to a similar decision for Ymir since she had helped defeat the Armoured Titan and had saved many soldiers during the Battle for Trost, but when it came to Annie's turn.
"Annie Leonhart, from Cadet Marco Bott's report, and many other cadets. You attacked Reiner Braun when he tried to convince you to remove Marco's ODM Gear, is that correct?" Zackly asked firmly, but he already knew the truth from Erwin. Annie briefly looked at Eren, and he gave her a smile of encouragement, reminding her of his promise to keep her safe; that small gesture was enough to reassure Annie that she wasn't alone in this.
"That is true, during the Battle for Trost, I was in the company of..." Annie explained everything that happened in the Roof with Marco and how she had known beforehand the identities of the Armoured and Colossal Titan; once she finished her explanation, she earned hateful looks from many. A military police soldier even shouted how his little brother was killed when a rock from the gate fell on his head, crushing his head to bits.
"Why did you betray your 'Warriors,' as you called them?" Zackly questioned sharply; he had noticed the way Annie addressed her friends; it sounded like a military rank to him, something noticed by Nile, who couldn't help but wish that it wasn't a military rank.
Annie didn't really want to answer this one question. It was all because of Eren and what she felt; if Eren hadn't existed, then she knew she would have still been in their sides, she wouldn't have betrayed them, but Eren had changed her mind, and the fact that she had no one waiting for her on the other side except Pieck, but she didn't want to reveal such personal information in front of a crowd of people.
"I couldn't handle it anymore. Since the day Wall Maria fell. I have felt guilty, and Marco is a friend, so when I was ordered to take out his ODM Gear, I couldn't bring myself to do it; at that moment, I chose to help humanity inside the Walls." Annie answered, trying to sound as sincere as possible, keeping her head down in shame. The words caused some to rethink, but many still looked at her with hatred. Zackly could tell she was still hiding things from them.
"Annie Leonhart, you promised that you would reveal all you knew; Commander Erwin has confirmed to me that you were cooperative; you have given us valuable information; despite your crimes against humanity, you have proven yourself when you helped Humanity to defeat the Armoured Titan and the Colossal Titan. Annie Leonhart, you will be given to Survey Corps, but you will be watched closely by Captain Levi." Zackly announced as Levi took a step forward.
"Captain Levi, if cadet Leonhart would ever decide to turn a new leaf, can someone as dangerous as her be handled and ensure she doesn't hurt anyone?" Zackly questioned; the moment those words left his mouth, Levi was right in front of Annie with a speed that caught many off guard.
Captain Levi's foot slammed into the defendant's face with such force that one of her teeth flew out of her mouth. Annie looked up in shock to see her assailant, only to be kicked hard in the ribs and then roughly grabbed by the hair to be hit in the face by Levi's knee.
They all watched with their mouths open as the captain was beating the handcuffed cadet. As the sound of banging filled the courtroom, Eren scowled darkly.
Annie gasped in pain, blood dripping from her nose and mouth before Levi roughly stepped on her head and smashed her bloodied face to the ground.
"Personally, I live by the philosophy that actions speak louder than words," Levi said coldly, increasing the pressure on Annie's head. "And the best way to educate is through pain. What you need right now is training and discipline. And now that you're on your knees, it's easy enough for me to kick you to discipline a brat like you."
Without hesitation, Levi kept kicking Annie repeatedly, eliciting groans and pain from the young cadet.
"That is enough, Captain Levi, you have made yourself more than clear," Zackly stopped the beating; the moment he talked, Levi let go of Annie's hair and walked away, knowing the girl was glaring furiously at him, her face emitting steam as her face healed, Eren quickly walked up to her and helped her stand up as they walked away.
"I'm really sorry for this, Annie," Eren apologized sincerely. Annie clenched her teeth, and despite her wounds healing, she could still feel the pain on her face and the feeling of Levi's kicks.
"That midget." Annie growled.
While Erwin was pleased with the results of the Trial, he knew now he had another meeting with Nile, Zackly, Pysix, and a few others to reveal to them about the outside world, the existence of humanity beyond the wall, a little about the Semi Titan Shifters and how to deal with the king inside the walls so they could install a new king, as Erwin thought of the new king and queen, Erwin's eyes went to two individuals, Eren Yeager and Historia Reiss.
Ragako Village
"Well, Zeke, stop wasting more time," Commander Magath ordered as he looked at Zeke, who accepted the sandwich from the kind woman who looked at them confused.
"It will be better this way," Zeke said to the woman, who looked even more confused. Zeke took a deep breath before letting out a scream.
Magath watched as everyone in the village, including the woman near them, glowed yellow. Magath looked away as he heard the sound of houses collapsing while still holding the toy the small boy had given him.
"It's for the best." He murmured under his breath; when he turned his head, the boy had turned into a five-meter ugly Titan.