Past

Inside a huge vast underground cavern, a man looked up at the the glowing rocks lifelessly, pondering over what was to come.

He was the true ruler of humanity within the walls - Rod Reiss. However, this position was now facing its gravest challenge since the founding of the walls with the success of the coup.

At Kenny's suggestion, Rod had painstakingly lured the boy before him by holding his beloved girlfriend hostage. The fact that the girl was still injured was a sign the gods were truly smiling upon him. From his intelligence, the abilities of Mikasa Ackerman were quite the real deal; taking her down in normal circumstances would have proven costly.

"To think we would meet again in such circumstances, how unfortunate." He turned his back to finally face Eren.

Eren had followed the demands of the letter, leading himself to a certain location and allowing himself to be restrained. All he recalled after was black and darkness and when he awoke. He found himself here.

Much to Eren's surprise, was the fact he was free to talk - there was no gag on him. Given the prowess shown by his enemies, Eren wasn't foolish enough to think they had forgotten something so important. They definitely have taken into account a way to deal with his titan transformation.

No matter how he racked his brains, Eren couldn't think of a reason why. Nonetheless, it was better to be calm for now. Given the size of the cavern, he wouldn't want to …

… his eyes immediately caught sight of a girl lying unconscious, bound in ropes not far from where Rod stood. 

"Mikasa!" 

Seeing that she was unharmed, a cold weight lifted off Eren's shoulders.

"The ability of Kenny's brigade to gather intelligence astounds me as always. It seems the girl is truly important to you." The plump noble chuckled, his ominous laughter reverberating through the vast and endless cavern. He was inwardly pleased with how easy it had been to lure the boy before him here.

Love was something truly beautiful, but blind at the same time. His thoughts drifted to that of his deceased daughter for a moment, eliciting a sorrow that he suppressed immediately.

Eren glared at him. "Don't you dare touch her, bastard."

"Look who's talking." The noble walked up the flight of steps until he was beside the chained-up boy. "Compared to the unforgivable deeds your father has done, this is but child's play."

Eren thought about the vague parts of his father's history: his uncanny skills as a doctor, the strange memory of him being addressed about the founding titan during his time at the gala, what exactly lay in the basement. 

If there was one thing Eren was certain, it was that his dad was shrouded in mystery. He had a sense that coming to the bottom of this mystery would be key to defeating the titans.

"My father? What do you mean!" 

"You seemed perplexed. No matter. Let me show you."

Rod strode forward and pressed a hand on his shoulder … 

… a sharp jab of pain struck Eren. Fragments of memories regarding this place flooded his mind : Rod Reiss and his family members standing in the cavern, a fight between the founding titan and his dad's titan, and how he crushed almost all of the Reiss family to death . The chapel was set on fire, a conversation with Instructor Keith, his dad giving him an injection, which caused him to turn into a pure titan, And him … eating his father, who left him with the key to the basement.

Eren's body slumped, letting the chains pull against his wrists. Did He actually eat his own father? This can't be real … it can't be … it can't …

"So, now do you remember?" Rod whispered, every single word heavier than the last. "Your father's sins."

Eren didn't answer, he couldn't. The tears that flowed down his neck were freezing to his cheeks and blurred his vision. Beyond what his father has done, the idea of him being his dad's murderer was just too much for a boy like him to bear. 

The final hope of his father being alive was snuffed out, because of him. 

Bitter sobs and pain gnawed at Eren's heart, and his lungs felt like they were refusing to suck in the air. 

Eren's thoughts began to drift: If only the world didn't have titans, this would have never happened. He would have lived a happy life with his family, enjoying the freedom outside. A world without walls and titans, a beautiful paradise.

"King , ya should hurry up. The military's coup d'etat has been a huge success for them . It's only a matter of time before they find this place."

Kenny had landed beside Rod, the thud from his boots echoing off the huge glowing pillars. 

The man was wearing the ODM gear that the survey corps usually wear. He had opted out for a different set of gear this time from the first time they had fought. 

"Where's Historia?" Rod asked. His tone betrayed the worry inside him.

"It's a failure. They've hidden themselves too well once my squad lost them. Those brats will be even more alert than before. I said that ya were too anxious. Didn't even let me plan the ambushes carefully, Tch. With the new government now working against us, we don't have the resources to hunt her down."

The calm demeanor around Rod evaporated at once into thin air and his body trembled. 

"What!" Rod pressed his hands on Kenny's shoulder and shook him. "T-This is bad. I need Historia for my plan to work … only those of the royal family can wield the Founding Titan's power once they turn into a titan. N-no w-way"

Kenny's eyes widened in realization and punched Rod's in the ribs viciously, causing the noble to yelp in pain. 

"Ya knew my intentions all this while, deceived me and used me!"

"I always wondered what Uri saw in a trash like you. It seemed like taking you off the streets was truly another one his craz-"

Kenny's glare intensified, thick with bloodlust. He gave a roundhouse kick right at Rod, smacking him in the arm. The poor noble could only yelp in pain, clutching his stomach as patches of blood began to show up in his clothes. 

"I won't stand for ya insults to Uri."

He aimed another kick at Rod - his face this time, smacking a few teeth off for good measure and leaving a bloody face and shoe mark.

"Ya can go kill that bastard and have ya revenge. I'm done and taking my guys outta ere. "'

Kenny released Eren from the chains and tossed a blade on the ground before him, then flew away, leaving the two of them in the cavern. There was a blankness on his face that reflected one drained of hope - the only thing the people left in the cave had in common.

"I-in the end. I have to do it myself." Rod stood up, holding up a syringe filled with liquid from his pocket. "Freida … Uri … t-this time I will be brave. The ghosts of our ancestors, I won't bow to the ghosts of our ancestors … not this time. I won't be like that coward Karl …"

Eren didn't understand most of the things Rod was mumbling about but recalled from glimpses of his memory what the syringe would do. 

"Rod. Have you gone crazy? You will turn into a titan!" He yelled while sprinting towards the unconscious Mikasa on the other side of the cave.

"As long as I eat you, I will be able to turn back into a human. I will then ingest the Armor serum and gain titan abilities, with that - no one will be able to defeat me ever …yes!" Rod gave a deranged laugh as he lifted the syringe high. "HAHAHA! KARL FRITZ! I CURSE YOU AND VICTOR TYBUR FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

The noble stabbed the syringe into his arm, pushing the plunger fully.

A deafening boom and blinding light filled the cavern. 

Eren had just reached Mikasa and was trying to untie her. He turned behind to see a tall titan emerge where Rod once was. The titan had a huge torso and its face was weirdly tiled to its right. It ran towards him at astonishing speed.

With no hesitation, he bit down on his arm. 

The transformation did not come. He half-expected it - Rod must have done something to him while he was unconscious.

It was over at that moment. There was no way he could escape. 

Eren closed his eyes and hugged the girl in his arms. If he had to die, he would die together with Mikasa; he wasn't going to be a coward and run away to save himself.

In the face of certain death, the moments he had spent together with her flashed before his eyes.

From this first time, he clumsily wrapped her in a scarf.

The countless times she had to get him out of fights as a kid.

How he gave her a gift for her birthday.

Eren's only regret was that he wasn't able to fulfill his desire to wipe out every titan in this world. He had sworn it from the day his mom was eaten. He was still powerless … powerless.

"Stop, please … stop."

While Eren was thinking of these very thoughts, it was at this exact moment the titan grasped him with its hand and came into contact with him.

Eren immediately recognized the familiar voice sounded.

[Unlock conditions satisfied]

[Limited Coordinate powers unlocked for a fixed period]

The titan which was about to crush him and Mikasa in its hands stopped, completely unmoving. 

Eren recalled what happened at the fields previously. When he punched the Smiling Titan, he heard the exact same words; then right after the Titans in the area appeared to follow his commands. Armin's assessment was that something occurred during then which allowed him to control the Titans. But unfortunately in the little time they had, they still couldn't figure out what the trigger to activate the power was.

He gave the first command.

"Release us." 

The ugly titan immediately loosened his grip.

"Take 10 steps back."

And the titan immediately complied without missing a beat.

"Kneel."

The titan prostrated itself on the ground.

Eren's mind was a mess. Whatever this Coordinate power was, it was too powerful. The key to the secret appeared to lay with the titan Rod had transformed into. He would definitely have to keep this titan alive and let the Survey Corps know about its importance. The Cavern served as a natural prison - a perfect place to keep it confined for future tests.

He carried Mikasa in his arms carefully and headed towards the exit. 

Just as he was about to do so, a bag caught his eye.

Eren couldn't resist his curiosity. He reached for it and pulled out a test tube.

"Armor?"

He read out the label on it.

This was the item Rod talked about earlier that was supposed to give him a new ability. There was no reason for him to lie to him at that point.

There was also a hunch that this was an opportunity not to be missed.

After a few more seconds, he gulped down the contents.

[Congratulations, you have acquired Hardening Ability for your Titan Form]