"I'm going to kill them all..."
What an idiot... You couldn't have chosen worse words for a moment like this.
"Eh... Eren?"
"EHHHHHHHH!"
seems he's finally opened his eyes.
Around us, at least a few dozen soldiers surround us. In front of Armin and the now-awake Eren, Mikasa and I stand, both with swords in hand, ready for anything.
"EREN!" Mikasa shouts, a mixture of relief and desperation in her voice upon realizing he's awake.
Armin shakes him urgently. "EREN! Can you move? Can you think clearly?" His voice is filled with panic. "We told them everything we know, they'll understand!"
The soldiers' faces grow even darker, marked by their evident fear of the abomination that is Eren. His statement about killing them didn't help either.
"Did you guys hear that?!"
"He said he'd kill us all!"
"Yeah, yeah! I think he meant us..."
"He wants to eat us!"
"Wait, no... stop..." says Eren, his voice breaking as if he finally remembers something. He looks at his fully regenerated arm and the terrified faces of his former comrades.
Do you understand your situation now, Eren?
"SOLDIER JAEGER! It seems you've woken up."
A mustached man steps forward, his dark, severe gaze cutting through the air. His authoritative tone rumbles through the scene.
"YOUR BEHAVIOR IS NOTHING LESS THAN A REBELLION AGAINST HUMANITY!" His voice grows harsher, angrier. "I'LL ASK YOU SOMETHING, AND DEPENDING ON YOUR ANSWER, WE WILL DECIDE YOUR FATE."
The tension grows like an unstoppable tide. The soldiers, though trained, barely contain the tremble of their fingers on the triggers.
"IF YOU TRY TO DECEIVE US, WE WILL FIRE THE CANNONS WITHOUT HESITATION!"
"Huh?"
"I'LL ASK STRAIGHT!"
"EREN JAEGER, ARE YOU HUMAN OR TITAN?"
...
This commander is a true idiot. None of his decisions, no matter the perspective, make any sense.
If it were up to me, I would have thrown him into a pit or any underground place for precaution. Regardless of who Eren is, it's vital for humanity to study him thoroughly. But here we are, facing an absurd execution.
Eren tries to speak, but his voice wavers.
"I... I don't understand what you mean by that question!" he shouts desperately, his eyes wild.
"ARE YOU PLAYING DUMB?! DAMN MONSTER!" roars the commander. "TRY THAT AGAIN, AND WE'LL TURN YOU TO DUST IN SECONDS! WE WON'T GIVE YOU TIME TO SHOW YOUR TRUE FORM!"
The commander's fury reaches its peak.
"MANY WITNESSED YOU EMERGING FROM THE BODY OF A TITAN!"
The man breathes heavily, his words laden with paranoia.
"WE, HUMANITY, MADE THE MISTAKE OF LETTING PEOPLE LIKE YOU INFILTRATE INSIDE WALL ROSE!"
His finger points accusingly at Eren.
"EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE A RECRUIT SELECTED BY THE KING, I AM NOT WRONG IN SAYING IT'S APPROPRIATE TO ELIMINATE THIS RISK EARLY!"
The air becomes heavy, suffocating.
"THE ARMORED TITAN THAT DESTROYED WALL MARIA COULD STILL APPEAR! WE ARE IN A CRISIS OF SURVIVAL OR ANNIHILATION!"
The commander's voice reverberates through the space.
"WE CAN'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AS FIVE YEARS AGO! UNDERSTAND?! WE HAVE NO MORE TIME TO WASTE ON YOU! WE'LL PUMP YOU FULL OF LEAD WITHOUT HESITATION!"
Beside him, a young woman with silver hair steps forward. "Their insubordination is clear," she speaks with insecurity, thinly veiled by fear in her tone. "It doesn't seem like we can get any information from them, so it's just as you say... a waste of soldiers and time."
"NOW THEY'RE EASY TARGETS! WE CAN KILL HIM WHILE HE'S STILL IN HUMAN FORM!"
"LEADER!" I say, walking slowly and deliberately to the front, showing confidence without arrogance. My tone serious and indifferent. "I'm not a fan of wasting lives—neither yours nor ours. So please listen carefully."
I position myself with several meters between us.
"The enemy is still out there, and we know nothing about it. If you kill us now, you'll be eliminating the only soldiers here who have demonstrated any strategic value. Eren, regardless of what he is, just eliminated dozens of Titans by himself, and thanks to him, more than 30 soldiers were saved. If you're really afraid of him, wouldn't it make more sense to capture him alive to study and learn how to use his power to our advantage?"
I pause briefly, letting him process my words. "And if you're still thinking of shooting us... do you really think you'll survive that?" I motion toward Mikasa with a nod, without raising my voice. "If you decide to pull the trigger, I'm sure we'll take at least a dozen of you with us."
The man's face contorts in dark fury.
"Leader... those two are the Ackerman siblings. The older one accompanied me in the elite rear guard, and the younger one was personally requested by Captain Erwin. He's the youngest graduate in history," an officer steps forward, attempting to defend us. "They're comparable to nearly 500 soldiers combined. Losing them would be a great blow to humanity."
The commander grits his teeth and growls, "Damn it..."
I suppose I have something to gain ground with here...
Here's an extended and slightly refined version while maintaining the original tone:
"HEY, YOU GUYS... what are you...? WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!!!" Eren shouts, desperation lacing his voice.
"What will you do... fighting against humans...?" Armin asks, trembling.
"Whoever my enemy is... wherever it may be... I won't let anyone from my family die. There's no other reason," Mikasa responds with unwavering determination.
"WE CAN REASON WITH THEM! NOBODY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON! IT'S JUST FEAR SPREADING BETWEEN US!"
...
"I'LL ASK ONE MORE TIME... WHAT ARE YOU, EREN JAEGER?"
"I-I... I'm... I'M HUMAN!"
I see... what a real shame...
Don't think ill of me...
It's inevitable...
Nobody can prove...
They're not the devil...
The enemy leader raises his arm, signaling to fire.
Mikasa reacts instantly, running toward Eren and taking him in her arms.
"LET'S ESCAPE THROUGH THE AIR!" she shouts, ignoring her companion's protests.
"FORGET ABOUT ME!"
"DON'T WORRY!"
"IDIOTS, LEAVE ME BE!"
"DAMN IT... if nothing changes..." Armin mutters in helplessness.
"They're up there too..." Mikasa warns as she quickly scans the enemy formation.
"PLEASE LISTEN! WE SAID EVERYTHING WE KNOW!" Armin pleads desperately.
------
Eren...
When I return, I'll show you that basement room that's always been locked...
And you, Kiyotaka... everything you believe is true, you're right...
-----
"I've always had this key with me... everywhere... Every time you see it... remember...
You must go to the basement of our house...
This injection will damage your memory from now on...
So there's no point in explaining it to you...
However, if you go to that basement... you'll understand everything...
Even though it will be a harsh and painful path... you'll have to retake Wall Maria and reach that place...
This power will help you in those moments...
How to use it will be dictated by your memories of them...
Kiyotaka will tell you what you need...
If you want to save the people you care about...
You must master this very power..."
-----
At that moment, Eren bites his hand as the enemy cannon fires.
A lightning bolt falls in an instant, with bones, muscles, and flesh violently emerging around him, completely shielding them and blocking the shot.
A few seconds later, Eren tears himself out of the nape of the titan, letting out a guttural scream.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!"
Armin watches in horror "I remember... hearing the cannon fire... then a horrible sound of impact... It's so hot! What are we doing inside this giant skeleton?"
"Eren is protecting us... that's all we need to know," Mikasa responds resolutely.
A piece of flesh opens behind them, and Eren emerges, panting "Guys! Are you okay?!"
"... ..." Mikasa and I remain silent while Armin asks "Eren!? What is this?!"
"I have no idea! But it'll evaporate at any second! We need to get out! They'll attack again... and I doubt they'll listen to me after this..."
He shows us the key around his neck.
"I remembered something... The basement at home! Dad said everything would make sense if I went there... Whatever I've become... he's responsible for it. If I go... I'll find the truth about the titans... Damn it!"
"Eren?" Mikasa watches him with concern.
"If he knew something so important... why hide it? Thousands in the Scout Regiment died for that information! And it was hidden in our basement this whole time? What the hell was he thinking?!"
Even for me, understanding Grisha Jaeger is impossible. Most of his actions since the attack on Shiganshina seem completely contrary to what should be logical, as if he were forced to act that way from the beginning.
"And while all that was happening... where did he go five years ago? Why did he leave us? To do what?"
Eren grabs me roughly by the shoulders.
"In my memories, Dad said you would tell me something!"
"Huh?" I blink, confused.
"Whatever it is, just say it!"
I sigh uncomfortably and respond in a monotone, thoughtful voice:
"I have no proof... but I think Grisha Jaeger comes from outside the walls... from something beyond."
I take a step back.
"It's the only thing I find remotely plausible."
"At least it's better than nothing..." Eren punches the ground, frustrated.
"Guys... we have something more important right now..." Mikasa intervenes.
"Right..." The titan visibly begins to crumble as Eren raises a hand to his mouth.
"I'm getting out of here..."
"Where... and how?" Armin asks worriedly.
"For now, anywhere. From there, I'll pass the wall and go to the basement... I just need to become a titan again."
"I don't know how I do it... but I think I can. That skeleton came to me unconsciously... I just wanted to protect you from the cannon, so it limited itself to what I could do. It ended really fast..."
He smiles carelessly, but we can clearly see his exhaustion.
"This time... I'll go for something much more powerful... like the fifteen-meter form I used to kill those titans..."
"Eren!" Mikasa interrupts, alarmed. "You're bleeding from your nose!"
"You don't look good... Your skin is pale, and it seems like you can barely breathe properly," I add coldly.
"It's obvious transforming takes much more of a toll than you think!" Armin continues.
"It doesn't matter how bad I am... I still have a couple of ideas..." Eren breathes heavily as he wipes the blood with his forearm. "If they stop defending themselves, they could escape alive... I've caused too many problems... From now on, I'll go alone."
"You can't!" Armin protests.
"Eren..." Mikasa grips my arm tightly. "We're coming with you."
Girls in love are truly a nuisance.
"NO, you must stay."
"If we can't keep up with you, you don't need to worry about us... But I don't need your orders either."
"Stop saying nonsense! Why don't you really care about your family?!"
"Eren, I—!"
"Wait a second... I said I had a couple of ideas. I'll use the first as a last resort, but... What we do is Armin's decision."
I suppose, after my introduction to the training squad on the first day, it's normal for them to think convincing the leader is impossible...
—
"Ehh... uh... I'm Kiyotaka Ackerman... uh... Nice to meet you... uh... I'm not really good at anything special... uh, and I guess... I like spending time with Nee-san... uh... I hope we get along well..."
"... ..."
"... ..."
"... ..."
I messed it up...
The next is the last one before the counterattack of Trost.