After that, the Survey Corps and the Garrison's engineers came rushing in, and Wall Rosé was freed once again from the titan threat.

It took an entire day to get rid of all the titans trapped inside Trost.

During that time, the fixed artillery was constantly spitting fire.

While the high-explosives shells eliminated most of the titans, the Survey Corps mopped up the leftovers.

They even successfully captured a 4-meter titan and a 7-meter titan.

However, 207 soldiers were dead or missing in action, and 897 were wounded in battle.

Though it was mankind's first victory against the titans, far too many lives were paid in exchange.

You walked around Trost with droopy eyes. Even though you won, you had lost a lot of dear friends on the way.

I wonder how Eren's doing...

Your thoughts continued to race until you passed by an all too familiar corpse.

"M-Marco?" you choked out, looking with scared eyes on the corpse that definitely belonged to your friend. A sob escaped your mouth as everything came back.

Those traitors, you grimly thought. Marco didn't deserve any of this.

"H-hey..." a voice croaked out. "Is that you... Marco?"

You turned around, only to be met with the depressing sight of a boy who had lost too much. "Jean, I'm sorry..."

"Do you know his name, cadets?" another completely new voice asked.

A woman, no less than 25, walked a straight line towards you and Jean. The eyes that she had reminded almost that of Marco's, a dead soldier.

"I wasn't going to look, but... I can't believe it, not him... Marco? What happened?" Jean muttered, each word breaking his and your heart.

"S-someone... must have seen his last moments," he whimpered suddenly, and suddenly a huge lump formed in your throat, and you were unable to swallow it away.

Guilt, perhaps?

"Who is he? If you know, tell me now," the woman demanded, with a voice matching her eyes. Dead and dull.

You clicked your tongue in utter annoyance, yet decided to see how far you would be able to contain your anger.

"Don't you understand, cadet?" she looked at you dead in the eye, as if to challenge you to go further. "Two days have passed since the gate was blocked. Yet, we're still collecting the corpses. There's a risk of an epidemic breaking out. We must prevent secondary catastrophe. We don't have time to mourn over our fallen comrades just yet. Do you understand?"

"Hey, you dead lead," you hissed. She looked at you, unfazed by the venomous tone in your voice.

"I get it," you croaked. "200 lives were lost, and that is a lot of corpses, but amongst them stands our friends. We owe it to them to pay a few seconds of silence because, without them, we'd never have gotten this far, and you might have been in the stomach of a titan right this second."

Jean looked at you with sadness in his eyes. He knew that the only reason you were standing up to this woman was for his sake.

"If you know his name, tell me now."

"You little╴!" you lashed out at the bitch, but Jean's arms wrapped around you and stopped you in your place.

"Y/N, don't," he whispered into your ear.

The guy lost his best friend. The least you could do is respect his wishes on your actions.

After you calmed down, Jean let go of you and sat you down and turned towards the woman. "104th Training Corps, leader of squad 19, Marco Bodt..." Jean's voice wavered at every word, cracking at the end.

"Marco, huh? Glad we know his name. Let's move on." the woman wrote down the information and turned around, walking away from you.

You glared daggers at the back of her head.

"You know, staring at the body won't make it disappear."

You turned around, only to meet the eyes of your savior, Lance-Corporal Levi.

You sighed, shoulders slouched and eyes cast downwards. No matter what, you couldn't be mad at him. The man did save your life.

"It doesn't make it easier, saying that, I mean..." you whimpered. Before you saw the corpse one more, one of which you instantly recognized as a girl from Shiganshina district.

Footsteps sauntered over to you, and a big hand squeezed your shoulder in empathy.

Though you couldn't see it, Levi's face distorted into one of sympathy. When it came to you, there were no boundaries for him. You had shown him that.

Long ago.

And so, as you stood there weeping silently, Levi wasted no time in taking off his cape and draping it over your shoulders, walking you to a quiet place to get some privacy for your tears and some very much-needed rest.

And a very needed hug.

Eren bolted awake in an unfamiliar bed.

What happened to him? Last time, he remembered being inside the titan and dropping down, now he's here?

Not even five meters away from Eren were two figures. One was standing, leaning on the wall, while the other sat down on a chair.

"Do you have any questions?" a deep voice asked, and Eren knew he knew that voice from somewhere.

But where?

Suddenly, as his vision became more clear, he could make out the face of the one sitting down. His eyes became as wide as saucers.

Commander Erwin, the top leader of the Survey Corps sat down, along with Lance-Corporal Levi next to him.

After he recovered from his shock, Eren decided that the question he needed the answer to the most was where the fuck he was.

"As you can see, you're in an underground dungeon," the Commander said. "You're currently in custody of the Military Police, but we finally got permission to see you just a while ago."

Eren, not paying any attention to the Commander, tried to yank off the chains that held him to the bed.

Something shiny caught Eren's attention immediately, as he turned to the Commander with a gasp. He was holding the key that his father had given him. "That key!"

"Yes, it's yours. I'll give it back later. Now, the basement of your house," the Commander continued. "Dr. Jaeger's house in Shiganshina holds the secret of the titans. Am I right?"

"Yes, probably," Eren croaked. "That's what my father said.

The Corporal decided to butt into the conversation. "You have amnesia and your father is missing. Awfully convenient, don't you think?" he said, face ridden of any emotions.

It was impossible for Eren to read him.

"Levi," Erwin sighed. "We already concluded that he has no reason to lie," he said, looking sternly at the Lance-Corporal. "There is still so much that we don't know yet, but for now, I think the most important thing to inquire about is your intentions."

"My... intentions?" Eren questioned with a scowl.

"To return to your house, we must retake the Shiganshina District in Wall Maria. It would take drastic measures to seal the broken gate. We'd need your titan strength. Our fate rides on a titan, it seems," Erwin smirked, finding it ironic. "The Colossal Titan, The Armored Titan... they are probably just like you."

Eren gasped and scooted a bit forward, urging the Commander to continue.

"Your intentions are the key here. The key to free mankind from this despair," he said, holding up the key once more. Eren pondered for a second, his eyes boring into the sheets that covered him.

The Lance-Corporal got tired of waiting for Eren. "Oi, answer the man, scum," Levi spat. "What do you want to do?"

Eren began panting furiously as he looked up, with a look so crazy that it put the joker to shame. "I want to join the Survey Corps, and kill as many titans as I can, sir!"

This sparked both interest and slight discomfort in Levi. This boy was definitely something else, and as Eren kept breathing deeply insanely, he wondered...

How could someone so monstrous be so close to someone such as you?

"Oh?" Levi hummed. "Not bad."

A moment of silence passed before Levi perked up once again. He had gotten a good idea.

"Erwin. I'll take responsibility for him," Levi suggested, taking one long step towards Eren. He gripped the bars that separated them harshly, startling Eren in the process.

"Tell that to the higher-ups. And don't get me wrong, it's not like I trust him. If he betrays us or goes berserk, I'll put him down without hesitation."

That earned a gasp from Eren, who was now fearing for his life.

"Upstairs shouldn't have a problem with that. Nobody except me is suited for the job," he continued.

That, and he needed to keep an eye on Eren for separate reasons. Reasons of his own.

"I'll accept your application for the Survey Corps."

You sat in the mess hall with Armin and Mikasa, all of you staring at the food that littered your trays. Not one crumb or drop touched.

No words exchanged between you three. You knew that they were still in shock over the while titan ending-episode, and you were exhausted from crying your heart out.

"Mikasa Ackerman! Armin Arlert! Y/N L/N! Are you here?" a voice questioned, followed by a soldier strutting into the mess hall.

You each looked at him confused, letting out sounds of confirmation.

"You've been ordered to appear as witnesses at this afternoon's inquiry," the soldier looked at your trio, gave you the stink eye, then left.

"Well then..." you muttered, standing up with a depressed Armin and stoic Mikasa.

And so, you left.

You stood glued to your spot as the Military Police came in with Eren contained.

They sat him down and chained him to a wooden pole.

He wiggled his chains in curiosity. Solid as a rock.

Eren looked around, seemingly deep in thought, till his eyes landed on you three. His facial expression changed from a neutral one to dear. Clearly, he hadn't expected you three, of all people, to be here.

The door opened once again, and in walked the judge as he sat down and rolled up his sleeves.

"Well then, let us begin," he hummed, picking up some documents.

Eren stared at him.

"Eren Jaeger, yes?" he asked, yet Eren remained silent. "You are a soldier, sworn to sacrifice your life for the public good. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Eren finally answered.

The judge nodded. "This is an exceptional situation. This tribunal will be held under military, not civilian law. The final decision rests entirely in my hands. Your fate will be decided here."

Armin looked very worried, Mikasa focused on the situation, and you looked confusedly around the big courtroom.

"Do you have any objections?"

"No, sir."

"I appreciate your perception. I will be direct. As anticipated, concealing your existence has proved impossible. We must make your existence public in some form, or a threat for humanity other than titans may arise. What I will decide today is which force will have custody of you. The Military Police? Or the Survey Corps?"

The mention of the Military Police to have custody over Eren, of all people, made your body form a lump in your throat.

"Military Police over my dead body," you whispered in anger, squinting your eyes and looking at Eren. But as you felt another pair of eyes on you, you looked up the tiniest bit.

Then you made eye contact with Levi.

He stared at you dead in the eyes, and you gladly returned the favor until an almost unnoticeable smirk played on his lips, catching you off guard at the last second.

You attempted to look away and successfully did so, ignoring him.

"Then, I ask the Military Police for their proposal."

"Yes, sir."

The Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, came with various points and objections about why Eren should be contaminated within their reach, even going so far as to bring up not only Eren's but Mikasa's past as well.

"We believe that Eren's existence could cause a civil war within the walls, which is why we ask of Eren Jaeger to die honorably for humanity, leaving any and all information behind that he has contained within himself," he ended with a nod.

"No!" someone within the crowd shouted.

You saw a priest that went on and on about Eren as if he was a pest.

The judge merely shrugged off the priest. "Then we'll hear the Survey Corps' proposal next." the judge gave the signal to Commander Erwin.

"Yes, sir. I, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, will present my proposal."

Erwin stepped forward a tiny bit, staring into space as he said, clear as day; "We would welcome Eren as an official member of our forces, and use his power to retake Wall Maria."

Your pupils shrank and your eyes widened. You had expected something along the lines of Eren getting into the Survey Corps, but to have him retake Wall Maria was something you only assumed ran through the head of a maniac.

"That is all."

Murmurs erupted in the courtroom.

"Hm?" the judge hummed. "That's all?"

"Yes, sir. With his power, we can retake Wall Maria. We believe it is clear what our priorities should be."

"I see. And where do you plan to begin this mission?" the judge asked, turning to Pixis. "Pixis, the Trost wall has been completely sealed, correct?" Said man answered;

"Yes. It can never be opened again."

"We would like to set out from Karanes in the east. From there, we will proceed to Shiganshina. We will determine the route as we go." the Commander said.

"Wait! Shouldn't we seal all the wall gates once and for all?! The Colossal Titan can only destroy the gates! If we can strengthen them, we needn't endure further attacks!" someone shouted. All eyes were on him.

"Shut up, merchant dog! With that titan's power, we can return to Wall Maria!" someone else shouted.

"We can no longer indulge your delusions of grandeur!" another man screamed. It was utter chaos.

"You sure do talk a lot, pig." a familiar voice said. Your eyes landed on the man who walked forward, which was no one other than Lance-Corporal Levi.

"Where is your proof that the titans will wait while we seal the gates? The 'we' you speak of are only those you wish to protect, your 'friends' who help line up your pockets. The people who starve because there isn't enough land to sow don't even figure into the thoughts of you pigs." Levi inquired.

The man who had caused a scene shuddered, not daring to look Levi in his eyes. "W-we just thought that we could survive by sealing the wall gates-"

"Silence!" the priest said, slamming his arm down. "Impious traitor! Mere humans altering Wall Rose, walls that were a gift from God?! Can you truly see those walls, God's work far beyond human capabilities, and not understand?!"

He continued ranting, luckily you blocked it out when Armin whispered to you and Mikasa; "Thanks to them, it took ages before we could even mount weaponry on the walls."

"They have a lot of support and power, which makes them difficult," Rico butted into the conversation.

The judge slammed his hand down on the table several times, gaining the attention he needed.

"Silence. You may discuss your personal philosophies and opinions elsewhere," he said, then turned to Eren. "Jaeger, I wish to confirm something. Can you continued to serve as a soldier, using your titan powers to benefit humanity?"

Eren immediately answered. "Yes, I can!"

"But the report on Trost's defense says this; 'Immediately after turning into a titan, he swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman. Had she not dodged in time, we fear the worst."

Eren gasped, jerking his head to look at Mikasa, who was discreetly trying to hide the scar on her cheek under her eye.

Oh god, he felt so bad. He doesn't remember a thing about not being able to control it.

Mikasa glared at Rico, a superior of yours, and clicked her tongue at her.

"You want me to lie in a report? Hiding the trust wouldn't help humanity." Rico immediately retorted because she had to admit that Mikasa sparked a tiny sliver of fear in her.

"Is Mikasa Ackerman present?"

"Yes, sir." Mikasa stepped forward.

"So you're Ackerman," the judge hummed. "Is it true that after transforming into a titan, Jaeger attacked you?"

You scowled and turned to look at Mikasa, who was busy holding eye contact with Eren. "Lying isn't gonna help one bit," Rico whispered harshly, reminding Mikasa of the grim fate that awaited her if she lied.

"Yes, it true." she finally said after a few seconds of silence.

Instantly, murmurs and whispers erupted, and Eren's eyes went wide.

"I knew it, he's just another titan."

Mikasa took immediate action upon that comment. "But on two previous occasions, Eren saved my life in his titan form. The first time, mere seconds before a titan would have had me in its grasp, he stood between us, protecting me. The second time, he saved Armin, Y/N, and me from a HE shell. I would like these facts to be considered as well."

You gazed proudly at Mikasa. Her quick-thinking has always come in handy in situations like these.

"I object," Nile Dawk sputtered. "I believe these comments are greatly colored by her personal feelings. At an early age, Mikasa Ackerman lost her parents and was taken in by the Jaeger household. Our investigation has also revealed a surprising fact about the underlying events. At age nine, Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman killed three robbers who tried to kidnap her. Even if it was self-defense, I must question their fundamental humanity. Is it right to entrust humanity's fate, resources, and lives to him?"

Agreements upon agreements and distrust spilled from the mouths of the citizens.

One comment made you snap your glare to a certain man in the crowd, as he uttered nonsense about dissection. "Just to be safe, we should dissect them!"

The man immediately cowered from your intense glare.

"I object."

The judge sighed and looked at you, waving his hand. "Y/N L/N, correct? I do not believe you have the authorization to speak╴"

"Listen," you hissed at the judge, causing him to sneer back at you with surprise. You made brief eye contact with Levi's curious ones. "Hear me out, your honor. Everyone's ignoring the fact that even in titan form on the two first occasions, Eren still remained loyal to humanity in an unconscious state. He slaughtered the titans that littered around HQ during the battle of Trost, which was our only escape at the time. Without him, we wouldn't be alive."

You smiled at Eren, who visibly relaxed seeing you so confident about your thesis.

You turned sharply towards the crowd. "I don't know what happened on this mission, but I know that Eren completed it, and he blocked the hole that's keeping all of your asses safe this very instant. Be thankful."

"That's enough╴" Nile Dawk tried to say, but you cut his ass off with a deadly and venomous glare.

"Shut it, coward."

Dawk looked taken aback and offended by your choice of words, which was what fueled him to take long strides towards where you stood ready to give him a smack.

"Nile Dawk, you do know that harming a cadet that has yet to be affiliated within a branch is a violation against