I'm Only Human | AoT Fanfiction | Linked Sequel

Act Two | Upon Wallflowers | P.4

Act Two
Part Four
2.4
October 20th

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You

I had been traveling for days. The nights were getting colder and the wall seemed further away every day. I didn't know when and if we would've ever gotten home, but I was determined as hell. After a long night and tiring morning, we finally made it to Wall Maria. The more we approached it, the more anxious I became. We knew what was in there, and we were absolutely terrified. The wall had an even bigger hole in it, but it still towered over us. As we looked up at the wall, I grabbed Alex's hand. His hands were cold and shaking, but even so, he lead the way to what was left of the city gates.

As I passed under the crumbling rock doorway and into the main entrance of the city, I had realized that everything was still and peaceful. There were no titans in Maria; at least none I could've seen. Cautiously, we began walking through the streets of Maria, hands still glued together and bodies still shivering. We passed by the old remains of the bakery and town hall, my mind rushing with memories and emotion. As I looked to my left, I saw a hole that looked a little too familiar. The more I looked at the home in ruins, the more memories flooded my mind. The time where Armin, Mikasa, Eren, and I were living together in Maria. We all were so close, and his family loved us all dearly. But, of course, that wasn't what I was thinking of. The thing that riddled my mind was the key. Eren's key could've been used here, that was our goals all along. We wanted to see what was there, and if it could've helped us. Slowly, I let go of Alexandre's hand and walked towards the home in ruins. Alexandre followed me as I began to move the wood pieces off the ground and to the side. Eventually, the stairs to the basement were clear and I was able to get to the door.

I knew the door was locked, but it had a slight hole in it. I picked up a rock and began smashing the door. Eventually, it opened for me and I stepped inside. The basement was pitch black, but still visible. As I stepped to the back of the room, I reached my hand out, hoping to find anything. Suddenly, the room was filled with light and I could see everything. The basement was filled with books and papers and nothing else. It was a bit underwhelming. As I looked around more, I saw a small door with a padlock on it. I looked over at Alex and he followed me to the little door. I took the same rock and and began smashing the padlock. Just as I was about to give up, the lock popped off and the little door opened. I laid on my stomach and crawled through the hole. As I got to the end, I entered a large room. It smelled horrible and was beyond cold. Slowly, the light faded on and everything around me was visible. There were bottles upon bottles of substances, all different colors and all with different smells. Some seemed like they were moving and others were being moved around by tubes. It seemed that the open flames had gone out over the years and many bottles of chemicals had been spilled or broken on the ground.

Nothing in there seemed noticeable except for the unusually advanced technology Dr. Jaeger had. It was disturbing to know that he had such equipment and possibly dangerous chemicals brewing in the basement. As I looked around more, I spotted a small, tattered journal resting by a box. The journal was dusty, the pages crumbled and worn as I picked it up. I opened the book and began to read the first page.

Eren, I know you may have been scared or confused, but I'm glad you finally get to ready this and learn of what my true experiments were all about.

Long ago, the titans weren't a problem, this was long before you and I were even born. The King's Family in Sina has been trying to deal with the titans for all those years, and still never succeeded. They had lost hope, until our current King had an idea. He wished for me to find out the reason titans exist, and how they can be stopped. What I found truly terrified me.

I turned a page.

I found out that the titans that live among you and me are all human shifters who had lost their abilities to think like humans and become humans again. While that was an amazing discovery, I was still keen on finding out how titans repopulate so quickly. But, of course, I found that out too. To your left in another room where you will find my research and conclusion of this experiment. Do be careful.