Attack on prime

Optimus, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa arrived in Shinganshina, earning some attention for the residents. Optimus activated the holoform, spooking a few of them, before helping the trio out of the car. They then bolted towards Eren's old home.

"I don't get it!" Armin exclaimed, "If Dr. Jaeger had a fourth notebook, why bother hiding it in the first place?!"

"This was by Kruger, and for some reason he wanted to keep it a secret!" Eren answered, "Maybe he wanted to wait until someone could be trusted!"

"Maybe," Optimus agreed, "I doubt Kruger expected your father to write information about the outside in notebooks."

"But what needed to be hidden?" Mikasa asked, "Why keep it secret for so long?"

They arrived at the house, noting that it was still in the process of reconstruction. Eren quickly rushed inside, followed by the others. Eren opened the door and rushed to the basement door before lifting it.

"Eren, slow down!" Mikasa exclaimed.

Eren opened the door and gasped in horror. All of his father's medical equipment was gone. The shelves, his desk, the medicine, everything was cleared out. Eren fell to his knees in defeat as the others were able to catch up with him.

"It's gone…all of it," Eren spoke, "It has to be here."

Optimus kneeled down next to Eren. "Is there any indication in your memories of where the notebook could have gone?"

"I don't know," Eren answered, "I just know that another notebook exists. I don't know where dad hid it. I thought it would be here."

"Was there anyone that Grisha might have trusted?" Optimus asked him, "Grisha could not have integrated into the walls on his own. Not without a good Samaritan of some kind."

"Grisha was a doctor," Armin reminded, "He could've made many friends or associates. None that we know, or could even be useful."

"I can't see anything in my memories," Eren spoke, "Damn it, the one time I need it to work and it does nothing!"

Armin and Mikasa tried to recall as well, but they couldn't. Armin only saw Grisha as a man who was always interacting with everyone due to medical reasons. Mikasa saw Grisha as someone who was busy and didn't have time to make friends. Eren tried to remember, but the only thing that came up was someone in the Survey Corps that was mostly dead by now! This trail was a dead end!

Optimus , Eren, Armin, and Mikasa arrived in Shinganshina, earning some attention for the residents. Optimus activated the holoform, spooking a few of them, before helping the trio out of the car. They then bolted towards Eren's old home.

"I don't get it!" Armin exclaimed, "If Dr. Jaeger had a fourth notebook, why bother hiding it in the first place?!"

"This was by Kruger, and for some reason he wanted to keep it a secret!" Eren answered, "Maybe he wanted to wait until someone could be trusted!"

"Maybe," Optimus agreed, "I doubt Kruger expected your father to write information about the outside in notebooks."

"But what needed to be hidden?" Mikasa asked, "Why keep it secret for so long?"

They arrived at the house, noting that it was still in the process of reconstruction. Eren quickly rushed inside, followed by the others. Eren opened the door and rushed to the basement door before lifting it.

"Eren, slow down!" Mikasa exclaimed.

Eren opened the door and gasped in horror. All of his father's medical equipment was gone. The shelves, his desk, the medicine, everything was cleared out. Eren fell to his knees in defeat as the others were able to catch up with him.

"It's gone…all of it," Eren spoke, "It has to be here."

Optimus kneeled down next to Eren. "Is there any indication in your memories of where the notebook could have gone?"

"I don't know," Eren answered, "I just know that another notebook exists. I don't know where dad hid it. I thought it would be here."

"Was there anyone that Grisha might have trusted?" Optimus asked him, "Grisha could not have integrated into the walls on his own. Not without a good Samaritan of some kind."

"Grisha was a doctor," Armin reminded, "He could've made many friends or associates. None that we know, or could even be useful."

"I can't see anything in my memories," Eren spoke, "Damn it, the one time I need it to work and it does nothing!"

Armin and Mikasa tried to recall as well, but they couldn't. Armin only saw Grisha as a man who was always interacting with everyone due to medical reasons. Mikasa saw Grisha as someone who was busy and didn't have time to make friends. Eren tried to remember, but the only thing that came up was someone in the Survey Corps that was mostly dead by now! This trail was a dead end!

Optimus didn't know Grisha personally. He actually didn't like him, if he was being honest. So there wasn't much he could even do to help him. So what could he do?

Wait…the day of Historia and Ymir's wedding. Someone came and gave him a letter to give to Eren.

"There are many questions Eren will have that I can't answer," the man admitted, "There were also things I tried to do to prevent him from joining the military. I knew his mother never wanted that life for him, but he had the drive of his father, and there was just no way for me to stop him without getting caught. I can't do it. The only thing that I am asking is for that letter to be delivered to Eren."

Optimus grabbed Eren's shoulder and made the teen look at him. "On Historia's wedding, you said you knew the man who gave me the letter. What was his name?"

"Keith Shadis," Eren answered in confusion, "He was our instructor. I don't understand-,"

Eren stopped as the broken memories fell into place, and he was finally able to see the resemblance between the Commander he saw, and the Commander of the Trainee Program.

"It's him!" Eren exclaimed.

-----------

Megatron dragged himself into the empty room in the neutral ship where the berth was. He didn't bother to lay on the berth and ended up slumping against it instead. He lazily opened and closed his optics, ready to give in to the turmoil of his nightmares. It would most likely be worse around this time, considering the day. His eyes snapped opened when he saw the image of his younger self staring down at him in disapproval.

Megatron growled as he forced himself to sit. "What in slag do you want?!"

"You know what it is!" he shot back, "What are you doing?! I expected you to at least treat everyone else with indifference, but instead you're doing good deeds for the children that will end up being your enemy?!"

"It is called gaining their trust!" Megatron retorted, "I don't understand what the issue is!"

"You said that you no longer had the taste for oppression!"

"I didn't say anything about deception!" Megatron shot back.

"They are sparklings!"

"Raised in an environment where they are ordered to destroy the island!" Megatron reminded.

"You took away someone they cared about!" his younger self shouted.

Megatron grimaced. "So that's what this is about?"

"You killed their friend,"

"An indirect kill-,"

"A kill none the else," his younger self cut off, "And you were responsible for it. You can argue the titan kills were unavoidable. There would have been no way of changing them back, but you have been killing humans. You have been toying with their minds. You pretend to be their friend and be kind to them. In reality, you wouldn't crush them without a second thought. I thought you wanted to make thing right with Optimus."

"Destroying Marley helps with that goal," Megatron declared.

"So why have you been omitting details?" his younger self demanded, "Why haven't you told Optimus everything?"

"I don't have to tell him everything," Megatron hissed.

"But you know the reason why," his younger self declared, "If you didn't, I wouldn't be here."

"What do you want me to do?" Megatron demanded, "What could you possibly want out of me?"

"I'm part of you," his younger self reminded, "You already know the answer; you just need to admit it."

Megatron threw his sword at the image, and the image disappeared as it pierced the wall. Megatron didn't bother to pick it up as he slumped back onto the berth. Now he couldn't sleep.

--------

Keith was going over some budget reports at his desk. There's been a shortage of dummy titans as of late. They already burned through the previous supply, so they would no doubt have to get extra. But…many in the trainee program, officials and recruits, have been wondering what the point is. Why bother learning how to fight against titans when there was little to none to kill. Why bother to train for it when the enemy is not titans, but humans?

Keith sighed. It was somewhat pointless. There was no saving humanity, especially since they were considered the enemy. He was certain that his tactics weren't even working anymore. They were meant to prepare them for certain death, a common enemy. Now…it was just another type of a broken dream.

Keith snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. He wasn't expecting someone to be here at this hour. It might be one of his colleagues. He walked over to the door, ready to open it, but stopped when he saw something out of his window. It was the strange caravan he saw at the Queen's wedding. No, it was the metal titan. He knew that from reports and newspapers he read. He was here and he didn't know why. And…he was scared to find out why.

He opened the door to see the metal titan in his human form. He was the one he gave Carla's letter to.

"I need to speak with you," the titan said, "May I come in?"

Keith opened the door and let the titan inside. He shut the door behind him before anyone else noticed him.

"What's this about?" Keith asked.

"You once told me that you knew Eren's mother," he began.

"When I was younger," Keith stated, now having a feeling where this was going.

"Do you happen to know Eren's father?" he asked.

Keith didn't respond. "I…didn't really know much about Grisha. At least, nothing of true value. I thought that he was just someone who lost his memory, but he was lying about that too."

"But you were acquainted with him," Optimus concluded.

"You could say that," Keith merely responded.

"Were you the first person to find him outside the wall?" Optimus asked.

"Yes," Keith answered.

"Did he have anything in his possession when he arrived?" Optimus asked.

"Possession?" Keith questioned, realizing where this was heading, "Of what variety?"

"We have reason to believe that Grisha had a fourth notebook," Optimus explained, "One that was written by his predecessor. It might contain vital information in regards to Marleyan government and military. If we cannot find it, then we will rely on our own methods. But it would be beneficial to have that information."

"…why me?" Keith asked.

"As far as we know, you were the only one that has any contact with Grisha," Optimus said, "If you do know anything, it may be detrimental to the island's survival."

Keith thought it over. If he did reveal what he know, he might not here the end of it. But…Keith looked Optimus dead in the eye. He wasn't sure what would happen if he didn't say a thing.

Keith stood up and walked over to his desk before opening his cabinet drawer. He lifted the false bottom and grabbed the blue notebook, quickly adjusting the paper underneath it before hiding it. He walked back over to Optimus and handed the notebook to him.

"I don't know if it will help, but this is what I found," Keith explained, "For some reason, he never asked for it back after I confiscated it from him. I couldn't just hand it over to the military. That would have put him in danger, and I didn't want that to happen over what seemed like an honest mistake."

"Thank you," Optimus said as he looked at the notebook, "If there is anything that I can do to repay you,"

"No need," Keith said, "I just…don't want to be involved with this."

"I understand," Optimus said, "Thank you."

Keith watched Optimus walk out the door with the notebook in hand. Keith watched the titan leave the training compound, noticing Eren, Mikasa, and Armin with him. He didn't think the information was going to help them, but…he did his part.

--------

Later

Hanji tapped her finger on the table in the meeting room as she stared at the notebook on the table. Optimus, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were on one side of the table while Levi and Historia were on the other.

"This is…something," Hanji finally spoke.

"You nearly fainted," Levi commented.

"I had reason to," Hanji retorted, "I don't understand why Keith even had this in the first place, or why he even thought about keeping it from the Survey Corps. He was the Commander! He could've used this information that might have helped us!"

"Wasn't it information from the outside?" Armin retorted, "Even if Instructor Shadis said anything, he could've been labeled for treason and executed, along with Dr. Jaeger."

"Fair," Hanji agreed, "He probably would've thought that the information was absurd, but even after the truth was revealed, he could've saved us the trouble of sending Megatron into Marley."

"I would pay to see that fucker suffer," Levi proclaimed.

"It would be fun to watch," Historia agreed.

"No," Optimus said to the both of them.

Hanji took a deep breath and opened the notebook to the first page. "I…I don't know if I can read this."

Optimus took the notebook from her and began to read. "This is for the next successor of the Attack Titan, who sees the visions that I have seen. The information that I present to you may not seem important, but it may be detrimental to the survival of the Eldian race."

"The first experience I had was when I first received the powers of the Attack Titan from my successor. At the time, I was cautious, and on edge. I had stolen one of the titan powers from Marley Military, and Marley was trying to search for it without raising alarm. I was not considered suspicious due to my deep cover. They believed that I was a Marleyan, but I had to be certain that I wouldn't get caught. I moved a little further out of city lines, I distanced myself from neighbors, I took every precaution to ensure my survival. However, nothing could prepare me for what I had come across."

Kruger jolted awake in his bed as he heard a loud 'thump' from outside his room. Kruger didn't take any chances as he got up from the bed and grabbed a bat from under the bed. His gun wasn't in the room, much to his foolishness. Kruger made his way down the hall, holding his bat in a position ready to strike. When Kruger arrived in the living room, he saw no one there. However, that was no guarantee that the person was still in the house.

Kruger grew stiff as someone moved on the ground. Kruger nearly wanted to scream as a black humanoid figure struggled to get up. It was on its hands and knees, shaking its head before standing up fully. The demon?...shadow?...rubbed it's head and seemed to look around in confusion. Kruger wasted no time and bolted towards the creature. Kruger gasped as the creature turned its blank face towards him. When Kruger swung, the creature quickly ducked and collapsed on the ground.

Kruger raised the bat over his head as the creature crawled backwards away from him. The creature raised its hand, almost as if to plead with him, but Kruger ignored it as he swung down. Kruger narrowly missed the creature's leg as it rolled out of the way. The creature used the wall to help itself stand up as Kruger swung again. The creature ducked its head and the bat hit the wall. Kruger could've sworn it hit it's fingers, but it didn't react. 

The creature raised its hand in panic, almost trying desperately to explain itself. Kruger ignored it and grabbed another item in range: a knife. He threw it at the creature, but was shocked to see the knife go straight through his chest and hit the wall. The knife clattered onto the floor, followed by silence. Kruger stared at the creature in fear as the creature touched its chest with its hands, almost as if it was surprised by the outcome as well. 

Kruger slowly walked up to the shadow and slowly aimed the tip of the bat at the center of its chest. He pushed it forward, and the bat went through the shadow's chest. Kruger dropped the bat, and the object phased through the shadow and hit the floor. The shadow was curious and tried to pick up the bat, but the handle went straight through its fingers. The shadow looked down at its hands and wiggled its fingers before turning its attention to Kruger. Kruger grew tense as the shadow reached for him. Kruger quickly grabbed a chair as raised it high, causing the shadow to back away and raise its hands in surrender.

"Don't even think about touching me, you freak," Kruger hissed. He didn't know who, or what, this thing was. He was not going to take any chances.

The creature…tilted its head in confusion? The creature put its hands down and just…appeared to be staring at him. Damn it. It was unnerving.

"What the hell are you looking at me for?" Kruger demanded.

The creature tilted its head once more before making gestures with its hands.

"I don't know what that means!" Kruger exclaimed, "What the hell are you on about?!"

The creature froze in response before quickly pointing to himself.

"Can you not speak, you…shadow?!" Kruger demanded.

The shadow stopped before looking like it was mulling over something. After a brief moment, the shadow seemed to recognize its situation before collapsing on the ground and clutching its head with its hands. Kruger watched with weariness as the shadow fell face first on the floor. At least, he thought it was his face. The hands of the shadow began shaking before they fell limp over his head.

Kruger…didn't know what to do next. This shadow was immobile, but he couldn't strike it with any other objects. He didn't know if he could touch it, and he was scared to find out if he could.

Kruger slowly placed the chair over the shadow, but it didn't seem to notice. Kruger then stepped around the body, doing his best to not disturb the shadow. Kruger walked back to his room and shut the door. He slumped against his door before falling asleep due to his own exhaustion.

"I didn't know how to process the situation, and as a result, I made actions that were not considered reasonable. I didn't know what this being was, and why it was here. It didn't appear the next day, and I genuinely thought it was a dream, or a result of my paranoia. I proceeded as such, trying to get my mind off the situation. But I ended up realizing how wrong I was."

Kruger ended up slumping onto his bed the moment he stepped foot into his house. He was tired and sluggish, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. He turned over onto his back and put his hand over his eyes. He was about to fall asleep, but something suddenly felt…off. He lifted his hand and gasped to see the shadow watching him, staring down at him while standing up. Kruger reacted out of instinct and punched the shadow where its face was supposed to be. The shadow felt the impact of the punch and fell backwards onto the ground. It grabbed its face and began kicking its feet in the air.

Kruger got up and got in a defensive position before realizing what he just did. The shadow that wasn't able to touch object just got punched in the face.

He was able to touch the shadow, and that meant the shadow could probably touch him!

Kruger quickly grabbed the rifle he placed next to his bedside in the morning and aimed it at the shadow. The shadow sat up and rubbed its face before it stiffened at the rifle aimed at his face.

"You are going to stay there, and you will answer my question," Kruger declared, "Do anything else and I will blow your head off."

The shadow became daring, reaching towards the rifle. Kruger was about to fire, but wanted to throw up as the shadow's hand passed through the rifle. The shadow did this motion a couple more time before it began…vibrating? Kruger nearly growled as he realized what it was doing: this thing was laughing at him.

"Stop laughing!" Kruger shouted, causing the shadow to stop. The shadow began making gestures once more before making a move to grab him. Kruger quickly kicked him back, and the shadow was knocked to the floor. Kruger tensed as the shadow sat up and appeared to stare at him.

"Stay away from me," Kruger ordered.

The shadow appeared to be thinking things over before shifting. It got on its knees and placed its hands there before it continued to keep its attention on Kruger. They were both completely still for a good few minutes, neither one of them wavering in their position. Kruger wanted so badly to shoot him, but at the end of the day, it would just be a waste of a bullet.

"What do you want?" Kruger demanded.

The shadow placed its hand under its chin before pointing to the roof of his home. Kruger raised an eye at that, and the shadow put the tips of its fingers together before placing it over its head.

"You…want a home?" Kruger guessed.

The shadow made a so-so gesture with its hand.

"You…want a place to stay?" Kruger guessed.

The shadow nodded its head in response.

"Well…stay somewhere else," Kruger ordered.

The shadow clasped its hands together, trying to plead with Kruger.

"I don't want some monster in my home!" Kruger exclaimed, "I already have enough to deal with as it is!"

The shadow bowed its head to the floor, still trying to plead with Kruger. 

"I can't even understand you," Kruger hissed, "You're just a shadow! A black silhouette!"

The shadow still kept its head to the floor, making Kruger feel bad. This…thing…whatever it was...it was desperate. Kruger had a feeling it had nowhere else to go. It was probably why it was at his place once more. The question was why and how.

"Out of my room, now," Kruger ordered.

The shadow seemed to slump its shoulders in defeat, slowly standing up and making its way out the room.

"Listen, if you can hear me," Kruger began, causing the creature to stop. So it could hear his voice.

"I don't want you in my house," Kruger continued, "But…I will help you find a place of your own to stay."

The shadow's shoulders raised upward, almost as if it was elated.

"But I don't trust you," Kruger added, "If I am going to help you, you better behave."

The shadow nodded its head in response before leaving the room. Kruger quickly locked the door before screaming into his pillow. It's not like he knew how to get rid of him, and he couldn't exactly tell anyone about this. He just prayed that this creature would behave.

"The shadow did not behave. I proceeded to work as such, and the shadow followed me around. I tried so hard not to scream my head off, but the one glaring issue was that only I could see him. No other human could. I walked into a large crowd just to be certain, and the shadow merely phased through all the other people. That still didn't help as the shadow kept wandering around and wanted to look at every, little thing."

Kruger wanted to scream as the shadow was walking through the vendor's shops, staring at all the fruits on display. The shadow tried to pick one up, but it merely passed through its fingers. The shadow noticed Kruger and waved at him, but the Eldian in hiding merely ducked his head in response. He didn't understand. Why couldn't anyone else see this thing?

Kruger then noticed a clown performing a juggling trick in front of kids. The next thing he knew, the shadow made its way towards them. Kruger could only watch in fear as the shadow stared at the clown. When the clown finished, the children began clapping, and…so did the shadow. The shadow then began to step lightly over the children, letting them pass by and trying not to touch them, despite the fact that it couldn't touch anyone else but him.

The shadow then walked over to the clown and waved at it, but the clown didn't respond to his gesture. Was it still not aware that he couldn't be seen by anyone else but him?

"Kruger," a voice greeted.

Kruger stiffened as he turned to his right to see Gross walking up to him.

"I didn't think you'd be interested in clowns," Gross remarked.

"They're like a strange oddity," Kruger explained, "I should look away, but I can't because of how ridiculous they look."

Gross chuckled in response, while Kruger kept his attention on the shadow that continued to wander around.

"When's your shift over?" Gross asked.

"In a few hours," Kruger responded.

"Great," Gross smirked as he nudged Kruger in his arm, "A few of us are going to go and play some poker. You should come along."

"I…actually need to go and sleep," Kruger tried to lie.

Gross laughed at the lie. "C'mon, you sleep on the job all the time! Leon is bringing a lot of money and booze, and I want to score big tonight."

"You never win the games," Kruger retorted.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Gross shrugged, "I'll see you tonight at his house."

Kruger wanted to choke the man as he walked off. He always hated Gross. That slimy, fat bastard is nothing more than a hypocrite in his own design.

Kruger sighed. The day will come for him. He was going to make sure of that. Kruger turned his attention to where he last saw the shadow, and nearly fainted when he realized the shadow was gone.

Where the hell was that thing now?!

Later

Kruger tried to ignore it as he was playing the poker game with Gross, Leon, and three others. He was trying so hard to not think about the whereabouts of the shadow. Even when he had a decent set of cards, he was trying so hard to not give an expression of worry about the shadow, so the other players wouldn't assume it was about his cards.

Kruger tensed as he saw the shadow suddenly appear out of nowhere through the wall, before falling forward onto the ground. The shadow got up and rubbed its head before looking around in what appeared to be confusion. The shadow then got up and walked towards the table, observing the game going on. Kruger tensed as the shadow came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. He could feel its presence, and his foot began to twitch in fear.

The shadow then walked over to Gross and looked over his shoulder. The shadow seemed to turn its gaze to each participant before looking down at Gross. Kruger was almost about to concede just to leave the room as the shadow raised its arm and…held up three fingers. Kruger didn't know what to expect as the fingers then shifted to four fingers. Kruger was still confused as the shadow leaned forward to examine one of the cards. The shadow scratched its head in confusion as Kruger realized what was going on: the shadow was telling him what the other people had. It was helping him cheat in the game.

Kruger figured he could use this to his advantage. He looked at the shadow before his eyes drifted to Leon. The shadow seemed to understand as it walked over to Leon and looked at his cards. Kruger nearly smiled as the shadow told him his cards. Maybe this would turn out in his favor.

Later that night, Kruger entered his home and dropped his winnings on the table before collapsing on his couch.

"I ought to thank you," Kruger spoke, "I didn't think that you would be able to help me, but you got me enough money to help me out for a while."

Kruger sat up. "I appreciate-,"

Kruger stopped when he saw the shadow on its knees and covered its face with its hands. At least he thought it was his face. He still wasn't sure.

"What's wrong with you?" Kruger asked.

The shadow merely pointed to the money from the games before seemingly calling out to the heavens.

"Wait…are you feeling guilty about helping me win the game by cheating?" Kruger asked.

The shadow nodded its head in shame, and Kruger almost busted out laughing.

"So if you hated the idea of helping me cheat, why bother to do it in the first place?" Kruger asked it.

The shadow raised its head and pointed to Kruger. It then pointed to itself before clasping its hand together. The shadow did this a second time in order to help Kruger understand better.

"You…want to be friends?" Kruger asked.

The shadow made a 'so-so' gesture.

"You want my trust," Kruger guessed again.

The shadow nodded its head.

Kruger chuckled at that before picking up the money he won. "You were willing to cheat a game, just to gain my trust. In hindsight, that actually makes me trust you even less."

The shadow collapsed on the ground in defeat.

"But…I will let you stay here," Kruger decided, "I don't think I can get rid of you anyway."

The shadow shot up and bowed profusely to Kruger.

"We do need to set up some ground rules," Kruger declared, "I still want my privacy. So when I'm in the bathroom or my bedroom: you stay out."

The shadow nodded its head in understanding.

"Do not stay near me when I am talking with anyone else, especially a Marleyan official," Kruger stated, "The last thing I need to look is crazy as I'm talking to a faceless, mute shadow that only I can see."

The shadow seemed to panic at that as its touched its neck.

"If you do anything to break my trust, I will do everything I can to get rid of you," Kruger warned

The shadow nodded its head before holding out its hand to Kruger. Kruger hesitated, still unsure if he would be able to touch the shadow. He reached and slowly wrapped his hand around the one that was out. Kruger was shocked to feel that it was solid. He could feel the shadow. The shadow tightened its grip slightly on Kruger's and shook his hand. Kruger didn't know what he really agreed to, but he hoped that he didn't make a huge mistake.

"It was like that for a good few months. Sometimes the shadow would stay in my house, other times it would be gone, and I would have no clue where it when. Whenever I was alone outside, it did everything it could to try to interact with me. Maybe it was asking me questions. Maybe it just wanted to have company. The one thing that I did notice was that it knew nothing of Marley, or any continent for that matter. It kept pointing at other humans with different skin color. Different foods, locations, landmarks, it wanted to know about every little detail about humanity, almost as it was never really human."

"The one thing I did hate; however, were the questions about the Eldians. He would always point to an Eldian outside of the interment zone. Sometimes they would be left alone, other times they would receive snide comments from other Marleyans. The worst case was when they would be attacked by Marleyans. The shadow got worried and always confronted me after words, almost pleading with me to explain the situation. But I didn't. I didn't have the guts to. I was scared to. How was I even supposed to explain a situation to someone who didn't know how to be human? I didn't want to explain the history. Our history. Regardless of whether not it was right or wrong."

"The shadow kept on insisting for more months. Disappearing for more times on end, only to come back and insist that I explain the situation. It came to a point where I shouted at it, telling it to leave me alone and stop talking to me about it. I didn't want to confront the situation, but I was eventually forced to do so.

And it happened in the worst way possible."

Kruger and the other policemen were soaking wet from the rain as they arrived on Paradis, transporting the next set of Eldians ready to be turned into pure titans for all eternity. This was the part of his cover he hated the most. He hated that he had to be in such deep cover in order to enter the military. He hated that he was turning his own into titans, but he had to shove that feeling down deep inside of him, or he would be killed, and he wouldn't be able to free his brethren.

Kruger watched Gross complain as he ordered the others to take the Eldians up. It was a family of six, two of them were children, and it made him want to hurl his guts out. He hated turning the children into titans. They all went through the interrogation, the torture, and the removal of their fingers.

Kruger saw the shadow appear on the dock next to Gross before it turned its attention to the blindfolded Eldians. The shadow quickly ran over to Kruger and grabbed him by his shoulder. He shook it off and dusted himself off before walking towards the top of the docks. He was escorting the Eldian child up the steps when he could've sworn someone called his name, but he thought it was a figment of his imagination. They reached the top and forced all six to their knees before removing their blindfolds. Kruger could see the dread on their faces as they realized where they wear.

"Alright, let's wraps this up and get out of this stupid rain!" Gross told the others.

One of them kicked the father down the wall and let him run towards the three walls. He knew they wouldn't make it very far, but it didn't matter. It drew the titans away. Kruger saw out of the corner of his eyes as the shadow made it to the top of the stairs before bolting towards the first soldier making the injection. The other three family members were injected one by one, letting out horrid screams of fear, but as the shadow reached the first one, it phased right through the both of them. The shadow looked down at its hands as Kruger moved to inject the child. The shadow noticed Kruger and bolted towards him as he placed the needle against the child's neck.

"NnOo!"

Kruger became distracted at the voice, but it was too late. He injected the child with the serum, but he also scratched the child's neck due to the voice. The shadow grabbed the arm with the needle in it and forced it out of his hands. The shadow tried to reach for the child in his possession, but Kruger kicked the child off the top of the wall, along with the rest of his family. The shadow reached out for the child, but it was too late. The child transformed mid air into a titan, falling face first into the sand. Gross began laughing as the rest of them turned into titans. 

"Look at them!" Gross cackled as the titans struggled to stand in the sand. They spotted the father running and ran towards him. Kruger could hear the father's screams as he was being devoured. The shadow reached out towards the titan with its arm before falling to its knees in defeat. Kruger didn't respond, walking away from the shadow, and wanting nothing more to get out of the rain. Kruger kicked the broken serum needle down the wall, not wanting the others to see it.

"Oh man," Gross sighed, "It almost makes it worth coming all the way out here, just to see those devils devour each other."

Kruger ignored it, wanting nothing more than to forget this day.

A few days later

Kruger arrived at home from the trip to Paradis. He still felt like he was soaking wet and went to take a shower. He stayed in there for a while, drowning in his own thoughts. When he finished, he got out of the shower and dried himself off before changing into his casual clothing. He looked in the mirror of his bathroom and noted that he was more tired than usual. 

He walked out of the bathroom, and to his bedroom, but stopped when he saw the shadow sitting on his bed, seemingly staring at him. Maybe glaring at him would be more appropriate, but he wouldn't really know.

"We had an agreement: you are not allowed in my room," Kruger reminded.

The shadow didn't move at all.

"Get out," Kruger ordered.

The shadow still didn't move.

"Get. Out." Kruger ordered.

The shadow still seemed to keep his gaze directed towards him, causing Kruger to grow angry.

"What do you want me to say?" Kruger demanded, "What did you want me to do? They were Eldians. That was bound to be their fate, one way or another."

The shadow tightened its fists in anger.

"If I didn't do that, I would've been killed!" Kruger exclaimed, "This benefits the Eldians in the long run-!"

Kruger jolted as the shadow shot up from the bed.

"NnOo,"

Kruger was shocked to hear words coming from its mouth, but kept his composure. "You don't know what I have to do, what I have done. This is the only way for the Eldians to be free. And I won't take judgment from someone who doesn't even understand how to be human-!"

Kruger gasped as the shadow placed its hands on the side of his head, and an onslaught of memories came in. It was…the memories of the Eldians that were turned into titans, the ones that he turned into titans. He could hear their screams, their despair, he could feel their bodies contorting into that of their titan form. They were locked in their own eternal nightmares for all eternity.

Kruger screamed as he collapsed on the ground. He panted at the memories. He felt tears prick his eyes as he felt their pain, their sorrow, their denial, and their sadness and despair. Kruger slowly looked up at the shadow, and froze in fear. He could see cold eyes glaring at him through the visage of the shadow's form. He could see anger, hatred, and…sorrow.

"MmUrDdEeRrEeRr," The shadow spoke in a deep, distorted voice.

Kruger could only watch as the shadow disappeared. It spoke. The shadow spoke…and the first words that came out of his mouth, was murderer. He didn't recognize that he was crying in sorrow, until his tears hit his hands on the floor. Kruger couldn't handle the weight of their screams of despair, crumbling and curling his body on the floor before falling asleep out of exhaustion.

"I tried so hard to ignore it afterword. I tried to ignore the situation like I had done before, in order to cope with my guilt and shame, but I couldn't now. Every time that I tried to forget, I was hit with an onslaught of memories. The memories of the people that I killed. It wouldn't stop haunting me. I had to take a leave of absence, lying to say that I wasn't well in order to get as much time off as possible. But…I couldn't justify what I had done. I killed my people. I killed them; that was something that was never going to go away. There was no justification for what I had done; I still had to proceed with my plans. I still had to try and overturn Marley. I created the Eldian Restorationist; fed them secrets and lies that they needed to hear. A revolution had to be created on solid, strong idea, but it was something that I couldn't even believe. I wasn't sure if it was truth or lie. Did the Eldians deserve the punishment? Their screams said otherwise, and…I knew that I deserved my punishment."

Kruger was holding the cup of coffee in his hand as he sat by his fireplace. It's been a good few years since he's last seen the shadow. The Eldian Restorationists still remained hidden for some time, but they were operating successfully. He was going to give an order to send Grice to get to Grisha Jaeger. He knew that Grisha would agree to the Restorationists, especially after what happened to his sister. How Gross fed the child to his son's dogs. That bastard deserved to suffer.

Kruger sighed with bitterness. But so did he.

Kruger continued staring at the fire when he noticed something was off in the room. Kruger turned his head to his right and dropped his cup; the cup shattering and the liquid spilling on the ground. Kruger trembled as he saw the shadow standing across from him, staring at the fire. He could now clearly see those blue eyes, full of many conflicting emotions. Kruger shot up from his seat, backing away in fear. The shadow noticed his movements and looked directly at him with such an intense gaze. 

"Stay away," Kruger hissed, but he was terrified. His legs were trembling, and he wanted so badly to run away, but he couldn't will himself to.

The next move, actually shocked Kruger. The shadow kneeled down and bowed before Kruger, hands and head touching the floor, unwavering in its current position. Kruger didn't understand. This being has been gone for almost four years, and it's bowing before him? 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kruger demanded in anger.

"…h ELp," The shadow spoke.

"Help?" Kruger demanded, "You want me to help you?! You violated my trust! Not only did you break my rules, but you invaded my mind! I don't want you anywhere near me!"

"… SoRrY," The shadow apologized, "…IgNoRaNt…aNgRy…Sad…PlEAsE…hELp."

Kruger was seething with anger…and guilt. He had no reason to be angry at this being. He was the one who committed those deeds, not him…but, he just didn't want to hear this monster's apologies.

"No," Kruger hissed.

"PlEAsE,"

"I said no!" Kruger shouted.

The shadow lifted its head, and Kruger saw pure sadness in those eyes. Tears were threatening to form in them, and Kruger hated it.

"Pl-,"

Kruger decked it in the face, sending the shadow backwards to the floor. Kruger got on top of it and wrapped his hands around its neck. Kruger wanted to choke him out. He already killed enough people to survive! What was one non-existent person to him?!

Kruger was ready to kill it, to rid of this monster, but…he couldn't bring himself to. The shadow kept looking at him with those sad, stupid eyes. He wanted it to scream and flail, not be resigned to its fate!

"Stop it," Kruger demanded, "Stop looking at me like that."

The shadow didn't stop. "…SoRrY…Kruger."

Kruger's breath hitched when he heard his name so clearly. His hands began shaking, his lips began to trembling, and his vision…was getting blurry.

"Why?" Kruger asked in a whisper, "Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one trying to choke you out, and you're the one apologizing to me?"

Tears fell down his face and hit the shadow's own.

"What is wrong with you?" Kruger cried, "I'm the monster here. Stop looking at me like I'm the victim."

Kruger couldn't keep it together and let go of the shadow. Kruger covered his face, trying so hard to muffle his sobs.The shadow sat up, watching him weep as it rubbed its neck. The shadow hesitated, but it reached out towards Kruger and placed its hand on his back. Kruger grew tenseas he felt the hand on his back move up and down. He then felt the shadow's arms wrap around him, and…it was so warm and inviting. Kruger continued to cry in the shadow's arms, and it just felt familiar. It reminded him of his childhood memories, when his parents would put him to sleep and kiss him good night. It was a place he had long forgotten about, and a place he could never go back to.

"…cCAnNOT… FfoOrGgiIvE…BuT…UndERsTtaNd," the shadow said.

"…What do you want from me?" Kruger whispered.

The shadow let go of Kruger, and the titan shifter could feel the warmth leave along with it. The shadow stood up and walked over to Kruger's bookshelf. Kruger followed it and the shadow pointed to the history book.

"T EaCh…Me….," the shadow answered.

Kruger looked at the history book before turning to the shadow. "You…want me to teach you our history?"

The shadow nodded its head."PlEAsE,"

Kruger picked up the book from the shelf and opened it to the page about Ymir. "You won't like what you hear."

The shadow's gaze shifted downward. "TEaCh…Me….,"

"So I did. Whenever I was off work, whenever I came home, I would teach the shadow everything about Eldian history. Both the good and the bad. I think that was something this being appreciated. I don't know why it asked me, or why it even stayed for so long, but I still proceeded as such. Part of me was still frightened. I still feared this shadow, and what it could do to me. But it did nothing to me. I did inform the shadow of every time that I was going to the island. I didn't want a repeat of last time's incident. I didn't want another set of memories in my head. I already felt guilty enough as it was."