A/N: Hello, readers! This is the last chapter of season three! Enjoy!

edited on may 27th, 2022 @ 12:18pm

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝚆𝙾,
𝓣𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙸𝙳𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙻.

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THE SOUND OF EREN SCREAMING was what woke Josiah up from his sleep. Him and Armin had stayed in the dungeon while Eren and Mikasa were being contained.

"Where is this?" Eren questioned. "Who... am I?"

"Eren, relax!" Armin told him. "You're in the stockades."

"You and Mikasa are serving time for insubordination." Josiah informed as both Eren and Mikasa walked up to the cell bars.

"Mikasa, your bed hair is horrible." Josiah added on.

"Were you having a nightmare, Eren?" Mikasa asked frantically, ignoring Josiah's comment.

"Yeah... I was..." Eren responded.

"You just said... 'Who am I?'" Armin told him.

"Huh?"

"You did." Josiah agreed.

"Are you crying, Eren?" Mikasa asked.

"I feel like... I just woke up from the longest dream ever." Eren informed as he sat down, holding his head in his hand. "No... Not a dream... Memories... Just now, I was connected to my dad's memories. That Titan..."

Tears began falling down on the ground. "It was you... Dina..." He finished.

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"The Owl called it 'The Curse of Ymir.' The founder Ymir lived that long after her powers awakened, so it's only appropriate we live that long, too." Eren was explaining.

"I've got 13 years left... And you..." Armin looked over at Eren.

"Eight years left... Not even." Eren finished.

"You're wrong. This has to be... a mistake. It's wrong." Mikasa denied.

"If one possessing the power of the Nine Titans dies without passing it on, the power is inherited by a baby yet to be born by a Subject of Ymir. It's as if all the Subjects of Ymir are connected by something we can't see. One inheritor said they saw paths. The blood and bones that form a Titan, and at times, even memories and thoughts are sent through those paths. All the paths cross at a single coordinate. In other words, that's... the Founding Titan." Eren explained.

Later, Josiah was dressed in his green Scouts uniform, walking with Hange, Levi, and Armin.

"The Attack Titan." Eren said, not noticing the four at his cell.

"What are you doing?" Hange questioned, as Eren turned to look at them.

"The Attack Titan." Hange repeated, imitating Eren's pose. "Didn't you just do that?"

"No." Eren denied

"Huh?! He did that, right? Didn't you three see it just now?" Hange asked while Levi unlocked the cells.

"Yeah, but that was..." Armin paused for a moment.

"See?! What was that all about, Eren?" Hange asked.

"No, it's nothing." Eren replied.

"It's the name of your Titan, isn't it? What were you doing talking to yourself?" Hange questioned.

"Enough, Hange. He's 15 years old. Everyone goes through a phase." Levi interrupted.

"Huh? What kind of phase are we talking about?" Hange asked.

"Hange-san, I'll explain to you later. It's not right with him here." Armin answered.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Hange questioned.

"What the hell did you come here for?!" Eren asked in irritation.

Levi opened the cell door. "Get out." He ordered.

"I'm supposed to be disciplined for ten more days." Eren informed.

"It's over. Hange just now was punishment enough." Levi stated.

"We had a talk with Premier Zachary, so don't worry about it. If we jail the heroes who toppled the Armored and Colossal Titan, it kinda sends a bad message, you know?" Hange said. "Plus, you were defying us morons who let the Beast and Armored Titan get away."

"That's not..."

"Did you lose some weight? We had plenty to eat, though." Eren pointed out, seeing Mikasa's frail body. She didn't reply as she held onto her head.

"You seem... good." Mikasa said.

"I guess..." Eren replied.

"Let's go. Get dressed quick." Levi said.

"Where are we going?" Eren questioned.

"To an audience. Her Majesty has come to Trost." Levi answered.

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The Scouts soon sat in the conference room as they were right in front of Historia. Premier Zachary was reading through Grisha's journals.

"The Early Life of Grisha Yeager. The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History. Information About the World Beyond the Walls. The only people who know about the existence of these books are those here in this very room. These were gained by the efforts of ten living Scouts... and the 199 others who are not here today. Today, and in the Queen's presence, I would like to assess our situation... and establish an agreement in terms of our course of action. Scout Regiment Commander Hange Zoë."

"Sir." Hange stood up from where they were sitting. "The Scouts have lost a great deal, including Erwin Smith. But in exchange for the many heroes that we lost, we have retaken Wall Maria and stolen the Colossal Titan's powers. However, humanity that lives within the walls remains in a precarious situation. It would be a relief were Titans the only monsters we had for enemies. However, the true identity of the enemies we've been fighting are humans. A civilization. You could even say... the world." They paused for a second. "According to these, we're a special race called Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good."

"Mr. Yeager later achieved his mission and entrusted the Founding Titan to his son Eren. In order to wield the Founding Titan's full power, it must be possessed by someone with royal blood. However, even if that person possesses the Founding Titan, they're enslaved by the King's ideals, which only leads them down the path to humanity's downfall. That is the vow renouncing war. However, Eren was able to control Pure Titans in the past to escape a dire situation. So it may be possible even without royal blood for Eren to wield that power as well." Hange concluded.

Eren instantly shot up, slamming his hands on the table. "It can't be!" He exclaimed.

Hange slowly turned around to face him. "You scared me. What was that about?" They asked in a quiet tone.

"U-Uh... I-I..." Eren stuttered, standing there stiff.

Zachary gave no reaction. "Please continue, our Titan." He said.

Eren goes to sit down again. "It's... nothing. Sorry for interrupting the meeting." Hange continued to stare at him.

Hange narrowed their eyes. "Oh? I see... Right... It would seem that he is having a phase of sorts. One where he acts up and randomly yells things." They said.

"Ah, I see. That's unfortunate. He's that age, I guess." Zachary said.

"Our enemy is... the world. But if we announce this to the public, the walls will crumble into chaos."

"That's right. We still haven't fully grasped the magnitude of this situation."

"Then will we deceive the people again?" Pixis questioned. "You wish to follow the lead of King Reiss and ensure the people of the walls stay domesticated and ignorant? If so, then by what ideals did we rise to take the crown from King Reiss?"

"Let's announce it. After all, we're just returning the memories along Reiss stole back to the people a century later. We all share the same fate as people of the walls. We must unite as one and bring our entire strength together." Historia announced.

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The truth about the outside world was announced through newspaper and public speaking.

The award ceremony for the remaining Scouts eventually came.

Josiah was with the others, standing with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.

"Hey, you heroes of the Walls."

Everyone glanced up, seeing Hitch coming towards them as she give them a wave.

"Hitch... You came?"

"I just came to see you guys receive your medals." Hitch replied.

"I see." Jean paused as he looked down. "Marlo was... brave all the way till the end."

"Yeah."

Jean placed a hand on Floch's shoulder. "Right, Floch? Tell her." He said.

"Sure..." Floch responded. "Marlo Freudenberg was an urgent recruit, just like me. But he managed to bring us recruits together. The situation was hopeless and the Scouts were on the verge of ruin. We thought all was lost be were stricken with fear. But he... Only he inspired us."

"Yeah?"

"He was an amazing person."

"I know. That's why... That's probably why he never listened to me."

"But in the end... I'm sure he regretted being there." Floch concluded.

Hitch gasped before turning away. "Thanks. I'll laugh if you screw up the ceremony." She said, walking away from the group.

"Hey! Why did you do that?" Jean questioned.

"Because... Someone has to tell the truth." Floch responded, glancing over at Armin.

"I know how desperate you were to revive Commander Erwin." Armin spoke.

"That's right." Floch said, facing him. "It should have been the commander, not you. I'm not the only one who thinks that. We all do. Everyone who read the report thinks the same thing: Why wasn't Erwin the one picked?"

"What the hell do you know about Armin? Tell me!" Eren ordered.

"Nothing at all. I'm not his childhood friend, and we're not chums, either. But I can still tell you why Armin was chosen. It's because you two and Captain Levi brought your emotions into it. You thought the injection was all yours and made a totally irrational decision! Basically, it was too hard for you to let go of someone important."

Eren stepped forward towards Floch. "Hey, you should shut your mouth." He threatened.

"Eren. Deep down inside, I bet you think you're always in the right. That's why you never gave up in the end. Just like a brat that won't listen." Floch claimed as Eren gritted his teeth.

Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Eren, just leave him alone." She told him.

"Seriously, Eren. He's not worth it." Josiah added on.

"Mikasa's the one who behaved like an adult. At least she gave up in the end." Floch stated, causing Mikasa to widen her eyes and take her hand off of Eren's shoulder.

"Hey! What the hell's wrong with you two?!" Jean puts himself in between Eren and Floch, stopping the situation from going any further. "Floch. Let's not do this during a funeral for our fallen comrades, all right?"

"What's done is done, so let's just drop it." Connie added on.

"And you guys... You didn't stand up to your superiors. You didn't even stop Eren and Mikasa. All you could do was watch." Floch accused. "Medals for what? A funeral for who? You guys better start telling the truth when you go to enlist more recruits. That way, you won't get cowards like me joining by accident. What the hell are we supposed to do now without Erwin?! Because... even fodder like me... I get that I'm completely expendable, but... Even fodder like me... has a right to decide if it's worth dying for!"

"Floch is right." Armin spoke up, causing Eren and Mikasa to look towards him. "Commander Erwin is the one who should've lived. I'm not the one who can turn this situation around."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Eren questioned. "I really can't say if it was the right decision or not. None of us know what the future holds. For starters, have you even seen beyond the walls? What is there beyond the walls?"

"The sea." Armin answered.

"That's right. The sea. You haven't seen it, right?" Eren asked. "None of us really know anything! Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields! The possibilities are endless out there! On the other side of the wall, freedom is—"

Eren pauses his words, remembering Grisha's sister who got mauled by dogs. Levi then stepped forward.

"Hey, brats. It's time. Line up." Levi informed.

The ten remaining Scouts kneel and bow in front of Historia for their medals and as their reward for retaking back Wall Maria.

They all took turns receiving their medals and kissing Historia's hand. However, when it was Eren's turn to kiss the Queen's hand, he froze all while having a horrified look on his face.

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《 𝖠 𝖸𝖤𝖠𝖱 𝖫𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖱 》

The Scouts had finally killed every single Titan on the island and they were planning their first expedition outside of the Walls. Refugees returned to their hometowns, roughly a year after the attack on Trost District. After a week of planning, the Scouts once again did an expedition outside Wall Maria for the first time in six years.

"It's just like you thought, Hange. The Titans inside Wall Maria were pretty much all of them. We thinned out the majority in just a single year." Levi informed.

"In that case, let's head straight to our target as planned." Hange replied.

A few hours after riding their horses, they saw a red smoke signal, a Titan was sighted nearby.

"A Titan!" Jean exclaimed.

"One showed up, huh? Be careful!" Connie said.

They arrived to where the smoke signal was from and they saw a Titan that had small limbs, restricting him from moving fast. The Titan was crawling slowly, that nobody would've noticed if not for the trail it left behind.

"This Titan tried crawling to the Wall little by little... with a body like that?" Connie questioned as Eren walks towards the Titan, putting his hand on it.

"H-Hey!" Floch called out to him.

"It was shipped to Paradis. It's a fellow patriot." Eren informed. "Let's go. We're close."

They continued on with their expedition. "Hey! Is it okay to leave him here?! Shouldn't we kill it?!" Floch asked. However, no one answered. "Shit!"

They arrived to an area where there was mountains of sands. When they turned a corner, they saw a wall.

"I'm sure of it. This is the place where Eldians were made into Titans. And... beyond that..." Eren paused.

The group trotted up the sand mountain. When they reached the cliff, they saw a large body of water.

Every single Scout had looks of amazement plastered on their faces, excluding Eren.

They got off their horses, discarding their ODM gear along with their cloaks and jackets before walking along on shore.

"Eyy!" Connie exclaimed, splashing water in Sasha's face.

"My eyes!" Sasha shouted out.

Jean takes a drink of the salt water. "Damn, it's salty!" He shouted.

"Woohoo! Is this thing seriously all salt water?!" Hange exclaimed.

"Huh? What's that?" Hange then questioned, seeing something odd in the water.

"Hey, Hange! It might be poisonous, so don't touch it." Levi scolded them.

Armin picks up something from the water as he stares at it in amazement.

"Eep!" Mikasa squeaked out.

"It's so cold..." Josiah commented, the waves crashing against his ankles, making him shiver. "Soren... you would've loved seeing this."

Josiah glances over towards Eren. "Look! I told you, Eren! A salt lake so big that merchants could spend their whole lives and still not get all the salt. The stuff I talked about wasn't wrong after all!" Armin exclaimed.

"Yeah... It's so damn big..." Eren said.

"Yeah." Armin agreed. "Look, Eren! On the other side of the wall—"

"There's a sea. On the other side of the sea... is freedom. That's what I always believed. But I was wrong. On the other side of the sea... are enemies. Every part of this is exactly how I saw in my dad's memories." Eren said.

Eren extended his arm out, pointing to the horizon. Levi and Hange were watching nearby as the both stared at Eren.

"Hey... If we kill all our enemies... over there... will we finally... be free?" Eren questioned.

༄ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 ༄

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A/N: And that's a wrap up on season three! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 2629 words.