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Chapter 2

He doesn't know how long he held onto her. He never noticed Mikasa slowly bringing her arms up and wrapping them around him. All that matters is that she is here. She is alive. The tears continue to stream down his face.

After what feels like hours, he finally opens his eyes. He is shocked to see the sight before him. He doesn't see Armin and Jean's confused and concerned faces. No, Eren sees another man, a mirror image of himself. The only difference is the hair length. The man does not take notice of him. Instead, he is staring at Mikasa. He looks at her as if he hasn't seen her in years. As if she is a sight to behold. Finally, he looks at Eren, who is struck by his vibrant green eyes, same as his own.

There is pleading in his eyes when he says, "Save her. Save them all."

The man fades away and Eren is left confused.

"Eren?" Mikasa asks.

He slowly lets go of her and sits back on the bed. Despite her confusion, she notices the tears and takes out a cloth. She leans over to him and wipes them off. While she does so, Eren gets a good look at her. The evening sun shines through the window. Her skin glows in the light, making her look ethereal. So otherworldly. There is a gentleness in her grey eyes. He realizes he never truly seen such a thing before during all the years he had known her. Or maybe he just never noticed…

Suddenly, Eren sees another image of her. In this one, she is staring up at him, holding onto the red scarf wrapped around her neck. Despite the chaos around them, she is smiling with tears at the corner of her eyes.

You wrapped this scarf around me. Thank you.

At this moment, Eren doesn't question what he sees. It doesn't occur to him that this moment has never happened in his life. Instead, he continues to stare at her. He thinks to himself about what a fool he has been this whole time.

Later that night, he finally gets the chance to mull over what he had seen earlier. He realizes that everything he had seen have never happened in his life. He remembers the man from before. The one who begged him to save her. He had the same green eyes as Eren. His face structure was the same. And if he had cut his hair to the same length as Eren's…

The man is himself. Everything he had seen are memories from the future. Eren remembers the image of Mikasa lying in that pool of blood. Despite the blanket covering his body, he starts to feel cold. He now knows what the man meant.

Mikasa will die in five years and it will be all his fault, but there is a reason why his future self sent these memories. He won't make the same mistakes as his older self did. It's not an option.

He thinks of the other details that these memories provide. They shock him as well, though not to the same degree as Mikasa's death.

Bertholdt and Reiner were working with Annie, who had encased herself in crystal earlier. They were the ones who broke through Wall Maria that day. The ones who killed his mother. If he didn't have the memories, Eren would have gotten out of bed and gone straight for them. He would have make them pay. However, the memories of their circumstances stop him.

They didn't know any better. They thought that the people on this island were devils that needed to be exterminated. They believed the propaganda that Marley fed them. Eren sees a memory of Reiner on the floor in tears with a boy named Falco watching from the background. He can see how affected Reiner's psyche will be in the future. Instead of the outrage he would have felt, Eren feels pity.

There is a whole world beyond the Walls and it wants to invade his home. They only see the Eldians as demons. The fact gives Eren a heavy heart, knowing that they are not much different as the ones on Paradis.

And then there is the Curse of Ymir. He only has eight years left to live. That is such little time with so much to do. He can imagine the heartbreak Mikasa will feel if she ever finds out. He couldn't allow himself to think about it. Not yet. Ensuring Mikasa's survival is what takes priority.

His future self and Zeke had set up plans for him to follow and he intends on doing that. Eren thinks back on the first thing he must do.

Five Years in the Future

"We can't do this alone. We have to get help from people we can trust from the start," Zeke said.

"I'm assuming you will choose Yelena," Eren responded.

"Yes, of course. She will undoubtedly be loyal. And what about you? Who do you choose?"

Eren thought over the possibilities. Hange and Levi would definitely be willing to help. Wait, they are sending the memories five years back. That means…

"Erwin Smith."

Armin, Jean, and Connie looked at him, realizing as well that their old commander will be alive.

"I agree. Erwin can be trusted," Armin said.

"Erwin Smith? Who is he?" Zeke asked. Oh right, he never met him…

Jean explained, "He was our commander before Hange. He was the one who led the charge back in the Battle of Shiganshina."

Zeke, knowing what Jean meant, can only say, "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh," Connie retorted.

Feeling the tension starting to rise, Armin quickly cuts in, "We should get Hange and Levi in as well. And you should let Jean, Connie, and I know too."

Eren opened his mouth to say no, but then he remembered Jean's plea to trust them. Thinking about it, he relented, "Okay, I'll do that."

Armin gave a smile, one that is almost bright as it used to be back in their youth.

The next day, Eren requests to speak with Erwin, Hange, and Levi. He also asks to have Armin, Jean, and Connie to be brought in.

"What do you wish to speak about, Eren?" Erwin asks, gazing steadily at him from his desk. The others in the room look to Eren, waiting for him to start.

Eren takes a deep breath before he begins, "When I was recovering from the fight with Annie, I had what I thought was a dream. A vision."

"Was that why you screamed all of the sudden yesterday?" Armin asks.

"Yes, and I noticed that these visions were too real. They showed events that never happened in my life. Eventually, I finally realized what they were. There are memories from the future. They were sent from myself five years from now."

Everyone is stunned into silence. For several minutes, no one dares to say anything as they process the information. Finally, Levi expresses his suspicion, "Future? What are you going on about, brat? That is far off."

Hange agrees with him, "He's got a point, Eren. Even for me, it's a little far-fetched."

"Kenny," Eren says.

Levi's eyes harden at the name, "What did you just say?"

"Kenny was the one who taught you how to survive after your mother died. You told me in the memories."

Levi stands shocked, his eyes slightly widened. He never told anyone other than Erwin. Knowing this too, Erwin raises his brows, surprised as well. The others look at Levi, wondering if it is true.

He concedes, "He's right. The brat has memories from the future."

The confirmation leaves them reeling. Erwin is the only who remains calm, "Then you have information that will be helpful to us."

"Yes, everything about the Walls, the Titans, and the world."

At the prospect of finally finding the answers he looked for, Erwin leans forward and rests his chin on his crossed hands.

Eren continues, "Humanity beyond the Walls is not gone. We are not the last of it. It all began when a girl named Ymir found the power of the Titans. After she passed away, her power was split into nine Titan powers, each with their own unique ability. Her descendants, the Eldians, used them to create the Eldian Empire. However, they used the powers to conquer other nations. It got to a point that they began to fight amongst themselves. One nation, Marley, took advantage of this. With the help of the Tybur family, who have the Warhammer Titan, they overthrew the Empire and took possession of seven of the Titans. One of the two that was not taken is the Founding Titan, which allows the user to create and control Titans. However, it only works if the user is from the royal family."

He pauses to see if anyone has a question. They do not so he keeps going, "The 145th King, Karl Fritz, fled to this island with other Eldians. Here, he created Colossal Titans and commanded them to form the Walls."

Hange widens her eyes, "So that's why there was a Titan in the Walls, but how do the Church of the Walls know about this when no one else does?"

"Because he used the Founding Titan to erase the memories of the people within the Walls, making us think we are the last of humanity."

With his theory finally confirmed, Erwin presses, "Then why keep us ignorant?"

"There is more to this story. It turns out that Karl Fritz, along with the Tybur family, orchestrated the war. They were disgusted with the Eldians and their methods. King Fritz believed that their sins could not be atoned for. So he announced to the other nations that if they disturb the peace he established, he would unleash the Colossal Titans in the Walls upon the world. However, that was never his intention. He made a renunciation of war, one that is passed onto his descendants. Anyone from the royal family who inherits the Founding Power cannot use it. By erasing the people's memories, he kept us subservient and isolated. His intention was to have us slowly die off as a way to atone for our ancestors' sins."

Levi retorts, "That's idiotic. How can we atone for something our ancestors did? Especially if we don't even know about it?"

Hange questions, "Then what about the Titans outside the Walls? Where do they come from?"

"The Eldians that remained with Marley became second-class citizens and were forced to live in internment zones. They are taught to believe that they are devils on earth and must be punished. Marley keeps them alive to maintain a supply of potential holders of the seven Titans. However, if any Eldian is caught committing supposed wrongdoing, they are turned into Pure Titans outside the Walls on this island. This is done by injecting them with Titan spinal fluid."

Erwin remains neutral while everyone else is shocked at this reveal. Horrified, Hange stutters, "So all this time, we've been…"

"Yes, the Titans outside the Walls were once humans."

Hange takes a step back, remembering all the things she had done with Titans. To Sonny and Bean. Eren softens sympathetically, "You didn't know, Hange."

"How does one inherit a Titan power if there are Pure Titans?" Armin asks.

Eren sighs. He dreads this part. "To gain a Titan power, one must be turned into a Pure Titan and then devour a user. However, this comes at a price. After inheriting a power, they only have thirteen years left to live because the Founder Ymir only lived that long after gaining hers. If the holder dies without passing their power, then an Eldian child will inherit it."

Realizing the implication, Jean stutters out, "Then if you can turn into a Titan, then you must have eaten someone to be able to do so."

"Yes," Eren confirms softly.

Armin looks at Eren, whose eyes are downcast. He can only think of one person. Still, he needed to know for sure.

"It was your father, wasn't it? That was why he disappeared that day. It was Grisha," he asks somberly.

Eren exhales and nods. Armin breaths out shakenly, "How? How did he have a Titan power?"

"He once lived in Marley as an Eldian citizen. His younger sister was killed by a Marley officer, which motivated him to join a group called the Eldian Restorationists. Through them, he met Dina Fritz, a member of the royal family who remained. Together, they had a son named Zeke."

"You have a half-brother?!" Connie interrupts. Eren just keeps throwing surprises at their faces.

"Yes, but let me finish first." Connie shuts his mouth and Eren continues, "The Marleyan government decided to start a program to train Eldian children to become Warriors. The reason was to prepare for a mission to infiltrate the Walls and take the Founding Titan. Dad and Dina decided to enter Zeke into the program to act as a spy. However, Zeke realized how dire the situation was becoming because the authorities were starting to gain onto the Restorationists. If he let this go on and they were caught, his entire family would be sent to become Titans on the island. So he made the decision to betray Dad and Dina to protect himself and his grandparents. When Dad and the Restorationists were sent to the island, an informant saved Dad. His name was Eren Kruger and he was a wielder of the Attack Titan. He entrusted Dad with the mission to get to the Walls and take the Founding Titan before passing on the power to him. You can imagine the rest. Dad did get to the Walls, met my mother, and had me. He did succeed in his mission on the day Wall Maria collapsed."

"And he passed his powers onto you. You have both the Attack and Founding Titan," Erwin finishes for him.

"Yes, that is correct."

"You said that Marley started a program to have Warriors infiltrate the Walls. Were they the ones who broke into Wall Maria that day? Was Annie one of them?"

"Both are also true. Bertholdt Hoover is the Colossal Titan. Reiner Braun is the Armored Titan."

Jean, Armin, and Connie startle in shock.

"Bertholdt?! Reiner?!" Jean shouts.

"No, that can't be…" Armin says hoarsely.

"How could they…" Connie whispers.

There is anger in Levi's eyes when he says, "We have to get them into custody right now."

"No," Eren quickly says to stop him.

"No?! We have them within our hands! They have to pay for what they've done!" Jean yells indignantly.

"We will catch them, but I already have a set of plans to do that."

"Oh? And what are these genius plans, you crazy bastard?"

Eren sighs, "Apparently, I'm not the only one who have these future memories. Zeke should have them too. His future self also sent his back. We already formulated a plan for us to follow. I already completed the first part."

"What is it?" Erwin asks. He is the only who looks outwardly calm.

"Letting everyone in this room know about this."

Armin becomes confused, "Why didn't you let Mikasa in on this? You know she would be willing to help."

To his surprise, there is grief in Eren's eyes, "Because we agreed that we needed to protect her as much as we can. She and Sasha are the reasons why these memories were sent to me."

Armin is afraid to know what this reason is. However, curiosity gets the best of him and he asks tentatively, "Why? Did something terrible happen to trigger this?"

"Yes, they will be killed five years from now."

Connie stumbles back, "No, not her. Not Sasha…"

Armin stares at the floor, taking it in. Mikasa? Dead? How could this happen? It could never happen. No, it must never happen. He looks up with resolve, "Then we have to follow whatever you and Zeke had planned out if we have to save them."

"But how do you know if we can trust Zeke? What if he decides to let Marley know about his future memories?" Levi questions.

Eren responds, "I have no way of proving that right now, but he did set up a point where we have to extract him. If he follows through, then we'll know."

"Then I hope that he does. We need as many allies now that we know what the situation is. Everything said in this room is to be kept between us. We are in more danger than ever," Erwin says firmly. His eyes trail to Eren, "And I have a feeling that there are even more details. I trust you'll keep us informed."

"Of course."

"Good, then what are these plans that have been made for us?"

"The next part of it is actually Zeke's extraction and it's coming very soon."

"When?"

"Tomorrow. He'll be sent here on a mission by Marley and he won't be alone. We have to get him out without his escort suspecting him."

"A mission? What is he going to do?"

"He's supposed to turn a village called Ragako into Titans. It's one of his abilities as the Beast Titan."

Hearing the name of his home, Connie becomes panicked, "Ragako?! We have to stop him!"

"I know, Connie. The plan is timed so that we get him out before he can do that," Eren tries to reassure him.

Erwin narrows his eyes, "We're still not sure if we can trust Zeke, so tell us everything about his Titan power. We need to be prepared if he decides to turn on us."

Eren nods. They have a lot of work ahead of them.

After Eren lays out everything, Erwin dismisses them and encourages them to rest. However, after all that he had revealed to them, Eren knows that no one will be able to sleep tonight. He knows he won't.

Armin follows him to his room. He can tell that his best friend wants to talk privately. When he closes the door, he turns to see Armin staring at the floor. After a moment, he looks up. There is pleading in his eyes, "Eren, you mentioned the Curse of Ymir. A wielder only has thirteen years to live. That means you have…"

Eren looks down, "Yes, I have eight years left."

There is devastation on Armin's face as he collapses onto the chair next to the bed, "N-no, that can't be. There has to be a way around it."

"It doesn't matter," Eren whispers.

Armin becomes outraged. He stands up from the chair abruptly, "What do you mean it doesn't matter?! Do you realize what this means?! We can't lose you! And what about Mikasa?!"

"She is what matters the most. I can't lose her. I don't care about the Curse. I just want her to live."

Armin closes his mouth in surprise while Eren goes to sit on his bed. He covers his face with his hands, "Her death is going to be my fault if I don't do something. I can't let that happen. I can't…"

He starts to break down. Unsure of what to do, Armin silently sits back down. The only sound in the room is that of Eren's sobbing.

After several minutes, Armin quietly points out, "Mikasa is going to have to find out about the Curse at some point. You know how she'll take it…"

Eren calms himself down before replying, "I know, but we will cross that bridge later. As I said, Mikasa's survival is our first priority. Promise me something, Armin."

"What is it?"

"After I'm gone, watch after her. Please, promise me."

The answer comes to Armin very easily, "Of course, Eren. I want her to live just as you do."

Pieck tries not to shift uncomfortably. She hasn't been on Paradis very long and already she can tell that the devils were not what she expected. They just seem so… normal.

She is on top of the Wall in her Titan form. A Marleyan soldier surveys the land with his binoculars while the others patiently wait. Zeke keeps to himself, sitting a few feet away from the group while smoking.

She noticed him acting rather strange lately. Two days ago, he woke up screaming. After asking him repeatedly, he said that he was fine noncommittedly. He then spent the past two days staring into space as if he was contemplating. Pieck knows something is bothering him and she doesn't know what to make of it.

One of the soldiers, Yelena, walks to him and taps on his shoulder. Zeke turns and she whispers to him. He nods and goes back to his cigarette. When Yelena rejoins the group, Pieck idly wonders what the female soldier said.

Finally, the soldier with the binoculars reports, "Warrior Zeke, there is a village not too far. We can release the gas there."

Zeke stands up and stamps out his cigarette, "Very well, let's get this done."

An unfamiliar voice comes in, "Who the hell are you people?"

The squad turn to see a group of Eldians dressed in green cloaks. All but one are aiming rifles at them. The one person who does not have a rifle is notably shorter. He is armed with a blade in each hand. Blades? How can he fight against their far superior weaponry?

The Marleyan soldiers immediately aim their weapons back. One screams, "How did you find us, you devils?!"

Zeke raises a hand, signaling them to hold back. He steps in between the two groups, "I'll make this quick."

Realizing what he is about to do, Pieck goes to cover the soldiers as he stabs his hand. Seeing this, the leader of the Eldian group yells, "Fall back!"

Zeke transforms. The smoke clears, revealing his Titan form. The Eldians stare up in shock.

"Another Titan shifter?!" one screams.

"Tch," their leader scoffs. He readies his blades.

Zeke raises an arm, supposedly to swipe them. However, in a split second, the arm is in pieces.

"What?!" Pieck says. She then notices the group leader in the air. How did he do that? Pieck wonders.

She doesn't get a chance to think more on it when he swiftly flies down to Zeke's feet, cutting at his Achilles' heels. Zeke yells as he falls forward like a ragdoll.

"No way…" Yelena says in horror.

"They are truly devils," a soldier comments.

The man then flips onto Zeke's nape and slashes at it, releasing him. Zeke comes out screaming as the man cuts his arms off.

"Zeke!" Pieck screams. All the Marleyan soldiers aim their guns at the man.

"Release him, devil!"

The other Eldian soldiers aim their rifles back at them as the man takes hold of Zeke. He presses a blade against Zeke's neck. Pieck becomes nervous. The man could behead Zeke and cut his spinal cord as a result.

The man threatens, "Back off or I'll take his head off."

A soldier readies to fire his gun, "Prepare to die, devil!"

"Stop!" Zeke screams.

Pieck and the soldiers look at him in surprise. They can see that he is trying to keep calm despite the sword at his throat. He looks at Pieck, "Take the soldiers and retreat. It's obvious that we didn't know what we were getting into."

She looks back in shock, "But—"

"That is an order, Pieck! Our position has been compromised! Now go!"

She freezes, deciding whether she should listen. She could try to attack the man, but she had seen that he is very quick and can easily cut her down too. That'll leave the others exposed. While the Eldians seem to be outgunned, she didn't want to find out any more surprises.

She relents, "Okay."

She leans down for the soldiers to climb onto her back. After making sure they are secured, she climbs down the Wall and flees. She is afraid to report this. How is she going to explain that one of their most powerful Warriors had been captured by these demons?

And what about his grandparents? They lost their son. Now, their grandson is gone as well. What does she say to them?

After watching Pieck disappear, Levi finally takes his blade away from Zeke. He turns to the soldiers, "Scout the Walls. Make sure they are truly gone."

"Yes, Captain!"

He makes sure that they are out of earshot when he speaks, "That was pretty good acting on your part."

Zeke grimaces, "It wasn't really acting. We've had a few confrontations if memory serves."

"Hm. I'm surprised you actually gave the signal." This signal was when Zeke said that he would make things quick.

"I see you weren't too sure about me."

"A Titan shifter from the outside world who is willing to help us? Doesn't that sound too good to be true?"

"I can't refute you there. Is Eren doing his part right now?"

"Yes, and does Yelena know what to do?"

"She'll do what I told her to do when she gets back. Right now, we've got work to do."