Chapter 122: Eren… Is He from the Future?
Trost District, the breach in the Wall.
The Titan steam slowly dissipated, revealing the ravaged battlefield. Broken walls, scorched earth, dark red bloodstains. The acrid smell of smoke had not yet cleared. The battle was over, but the aura of death still hung in the air.
The surviving soldiers, both Garrison and cadets, all focused their gaze on one figure.
Eren Jaeger.
He had deactivated his transformation and was back in his cadet uniform, the emerald Soul Gem hidden from view. He stood on a rooftop, silent and calm.
"That new recruit…"
"He held back so many… all by himself…"
"A god…"
Whispers spread among the soldiers. Awe, fear, and adoration. A complex mix of emotions. In their eyes, that "abnormally strong" recruit was now something different.
"Eren…" Mikasa stood not far away, watching him silently. She felt a slight distance, as if a barrier stood between him and the rest of the world.
…
At the breach, the Survey Corps took command. Clearing Titan remains, moving the wounded, reinforcing the temporary defenses. Cannons were dragged back into position. Their efficiency was astounding, almost numb. This was a rhythm they were used to—rebuilding order atop corpses.
…
A temporarily reinforced basement.
Heavily guarded. It held special prisoners: Reiner, Annie, Bertolt, and Ymir. They had been cut from their Titan napes, unconscious or semi-conscious, and were now fixed to chairs with special restraints, their mouths gagged.
Section Commander Hange and her team were recording the four's physiological data, her expression one of extreme excitement. "Body temperature… heart rate… muscle response… Rapid self-healing is present…" Hange's eyes gleamed.
…
In a dim corner of the basement, Armin stood before Annie. The girl's eyes were closed, her face pale, her body still bearing the wounds of battle. Memories of their cadet days flooded his mind. Annie, always keeping others at a distance, yet occasionally showing a clumsy loneliness. He was sure she was kind, not a born monster. Also, he needed to get intel.
"Annie…" Armin began, his voice trembling slightly. "Why? Why did you do it? Breach the Walls… kill so many people… Why couldn't we just talk?"
Annie's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't open her eyes or respond. Armin knew he wouldn't get an answer, but he had to ask.
…
In another area, Historia Reiss stood before Ymir's restraint chair, her small body held ramrod straight.
"Commander Erwin, Captain Levi." She turned to the two officers, her voice clear and firm. "Could you… please be gentle with Ymir?"
Levi frowned, his face impassive. "Gentle? She's a human-Titan. The moment she stood with them, she became an enemy."
Historia looked as if she had made a momentous decision. "And… there's something I must tell you. My real name is Historia Reiss. I am a true heir to the royal family that rules these Walls. You can verify this for yourselves."
Her words dropped. Surprise flashed in Erwin's eyes. Levi looked at her, confused. Erwin and Hange exchanged a few whispered words; Hange nodded.
Historia ignored them, turning back to the barely-conscious Ymir. "Ymir, did you hear me? You were right. I shouldn't play 'Krista' anymore. From today on, I am Historia Reiss. I will live by my own will. So, you have to live for yourself, too!"
Ymir's hazy gaze focused for a moment, afraid for what would happen to the girl.
Erwin looked at the young woman, his mind racing. Royal blood. A huge bargaining chip.
"Levi," Erwin said, his voice calm but suppressing an excitement—an excitement at getting closer to the truth. "Grant her request. Ensure Ymir's safety."
"Hah?"
"I'll explain later."
Just then, Ymir spoke, her voice weak but clear. "Want to… neutralize them… temporarily? It's simple… Destroy… critical body parts… like the spine… limbs… A mangled body… cannot transform…"
Hange's eyes lit up. "Ohh! I see!" She immediately took out her notebook. "Damage level and recovery cycle will require experimentation… We can start with non-lethal but mobility-impairing areas! Like the ankle and wrist joints! We can keep them alive for intelligence, and minimize the risk! Brilliant!"
"Then do it," Erwin ordered decisively. "Be careful. We need them alive."
Hange immediately directed her team to "process" the prisoners. The cold sound of medical tools was followed by muffled, unconscious groans. Historia turned her head away. Armin, too, silently left the basement, his heart heavy.
…
Inside the temporary command tent.
The atmosphere was tense. Erwin, Levi, and Hange sat opposite Eren.
"Eren Jaeger. We need an explanation. Your power… that form… what is it?"
"Just a power-up."
"How? And why does it look like the Survey Corps uniform?"
"Sorry, Section Commander Hange. The specific details… I can't say right now. I can only tell you that I'm not the enemy. My actions—to fight the Titans and protect the people of the Walls—have already proven that."
He'd said everything, and nothing.
Levi scrutinized him. "Your transformation—those clothes. They resemble our uniform. Especially the 'Wings of Freedom'."
Eren was silent for a moment. "Perhaps… it's not a coincidence." Another ambiguous answer.
Hange didn't care. She circled Eren, nearly pressing her face against him. "Regardless! Eren! Your power is astonishing! You're a walking Titan-slicer! And that outfit—the skirt is a little weird, but it totally fits the Survey Corps style!" She clapped him on the shoulder. "So? What do you say? Want to join us? With you, our chances of retaking Wall Maria increase immensely! Plus, I have so much research I want to conduct with you!"
Erwin didn't stop her. This was clearly his intention as well.
Eren looked at the three of them. Joining the Survey Corps was already part of his plan. "I will join the Survey Corps," he answered simply.
"Wonderful!" Hange cheered.
Erwin and Hange exchanged a look. They knew Eren was hiding the core secret. His power source was unknown, his motives not entirely clear. But for now, his demonstrated power and his allegiance were beneficial to humanity. That was enough. For now.
…
Outside the tent.
Armin leaned against a crate, staring at the sky. Eren's behavior… he had seen it all. The early evacuation of Shiganshina. The advanced training he'd insisted on. His "prediction" of Bertolt's transformation. And that power, which defied all logic. The clues connected, pointing to one guess. A guess that even he found unbelievable.
Eren… is it possible… he's from the future?
Once the thought took root, it couldn't be dismissed. Armin decided to bury the suspicion for now. He would watch silently. He believed that if Eren truly was from the future, he must be carrying a heavy burden. If he wasn't ready to talk about it, Armin wouldn't force it. He would just find the right time to understand him, and to help.
…
Inside the command tent, after Eren had left.
Erwin began to explain why Historia was important, about what his father had told him as a child—that the Royal Government had indoctrinated the populace and silenced anyone who knew, or tried to find, the truth. Including his own father. He had long suspected the Royal Government's true allegiance. Were they really for humanity? Or for their own power and greed? Just in case, he, and humanity, needed Historia.
Then, they got to the main point. Erwin and Hange spread out Eren's file.
"From his records, his father, Grisha, has a… questionable background," Erwin said.
"And Eren's performance before the fall of Shiganshina was only average. Then he and Mikasa killed two adult murderers," Hange pointed to the file. "But he was never this outstanding."
"Did his power awaken after his hometown fell? Or… earlier?"
Erwin's fingers tapped the table. "Two possibilities. One, he's another spy sent by the Titans, with a deeper cover and power. He knew the plan in advance and used the opportunity to infiltrate."
"Highly unlikely," Hange interjected. "If he had the power to instantly suppress Reiner and Annie, he wouldn't need to infiltrate like this. Cooperating with their attack would have been far more effective."
Erwin nodded. "Which leaves the second possibility—"
"Combining all his abnormal actions—the early evacuation of Shiganshina, his complete mastery of the ODM gear, his insight into human-Titans… right down to a specific person."
"It's as if… he's already lived through this."
"He might be from the future? Or, possesses memories of the future?" Erwin added.
"Regardless, he's hiding the truth, probably for a good reason. But what's important is that he's currently on our side. We need his power."
"As for what he's hiding…" At this, Erwin's eyes lit up. He felt he was getting closer to the truth of the world. The path he had walked, built on aspiration and corpses, was finally about to yield results.
"I believe… he will tell us 'voluntarily' soon enough."