I Became the Villain of Attack on Titan

The room was filled with groans and sounds of pain.

My comrades and I, the Warrior Unit, had successfully infiltrated the refugee camp within Wall Rose. For now, we were resting.

Sigh.

The kids from the Warrior Unit wore somber expressions. Perhaps it was the grim, agonizing atmosphere of this place, or maybe it was the weight of the horrific acts we had just committed for the first time.

Bertolt was huddled up, his knees pulled to his chest as he buried his face.

Annie, meanwhile, had covered her ears with a pillow, retreating under her blanket.

Reiner seemed to be in slightly better shape. Though his trembling fingers betrayed the lingering shock, he was trying hard to maintain his composure—a sign of his inner strength.

Reiner and I spent our time taking care of post-mission tasks, moving around and helping out wherever we could.

"Shiniro, the results are in," Reiner said, handing me a piece of paper.

The paper detailed our next assignment: we were being sent to the northern farmlands of Wall Rose.

"We're being sent to the reclaimed land in the northern regions of Wall Rose?" I asked, scanning the document.

"Yeah, looks like those devils of Paradis want us to freeze to death," Reiner said bitterly.

"Well, that's unacceptable. Maybe I should break through to Wall Sina next?" I joked.

"Tch, I doubt you'd be much help," Reiner replied with a teasing grin.

We exchanged light banter, trying to ease the tension.

Reiner, despite his strong will, was someone who, in the original timeline, bore too much weight alone, eventually breaking under the strain.

But perhaps, if he could share his burdens with me, the guilt weighing him down could be alleviated—even just a little.

"Alright, gather around, everyone," I called out, motioning for the group to come together.

Reiner appeared somewhat more composed, but Bertolt and Annie still looked as gloomy as ever.

"Our first mission was a success," I began, addressing the group. "You all did great, truly."

I cleared my throat and continued speaking.

"Next, we'll be heading to the northern farmlands. It's not all bad—at least we'll be closer to the royal capital inside Wall Sina."

"Yeah, or we could just freeze to death," Reiner muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Anyway," I said, refocusing the group, "Our plan is to gather information in the north, then join the Cadet Corps and work our way toward the Military Police Brigade. That'll bring us closer to the royal family, and it'll help us locate the Founding Titan."

This was the explanation I gave as the official plan.

But my true goal was different: entering the Cadet Corps was a way to get closer to Eren, the current holder of the Founding Titan. 

It might sound like an unnecessary excuse, but in operations like these, a solid alibi is essential.

I couldn't just claim that Eren was the Founding Titan and then eat him on the spot. Too much of a discrepancy in information would raise suspicion within Marley's ranks—and even among the Warrior Unit itself.

It could easily lead to accusations that I was a double agent. 

At the very least, Eren's identity as a Titan had to be revealed, whether through killing him to inherit the Founding Titan or by abducting him.

Every action needed to be backed by concrete evidence and cause.

"But..." Annie spoke up suddenly, brushing her messy hair back behind her ear.

"Do we really have to go all the way to the Military Police and spend so much time on this?" she asked. 

I understood what she meant. As Titan shifters, we were limited to 13 years of life. The desire to return to Marley as soon as possible and reunite with family wasn't just Annie's—it was shared by all of us in the Warrior Unit.

"I get what you're saying, Annie," I replied, my tone serious. "But if we return with half-baked results, we don't know what kind of consequences we'll face."

This mission was one the Marleyan leadership had placed great hopes on. If we brought back incomplete information, the backlash would be severe.

And as Eldians, not pure Marleyans, the Warriors were vulnerable to political retaliation of the harshest kind.

"...Alright," Annie murmured, understanding the weight of the situation.

Annie reluctantly nodded at my explanation. Despite her homesickness, she didn't want her family or herself to suffer the consequences of failure. 

"Reiner, Bertolt, Annie," I said as I put my arms around their shoulders, trying to offer some reassurance. 

"I promise you, we will succeed in this mission."

"We'll return... home."

The word home caught in my throat.

There was another home I could never go back to—a place filled with memories, family, and friends.

The thought that I might never return weighed heavily on me. I felt a pang of sorrow but forced myself to refocus. There was no room for sentimentality.

This was only the beginning, and I couldn't afford to get emotional.

***************

The father tightly gripped his son's wrist, pulling him through the dense forest.

The boy, confused and unaware of what was happening, followed as they walked deeper into the mountains.

After some time, they reached a clearing halfway up the mountain. The father stopped and turned to face his son.

"...Eren, listen to me carefully," he began, his voice serious.

"Dad..."

Grisha Yeager, Eren's father, wiped his face with his hand, as if wrestling with inner turmoil and regret.

"I thought time would reveal everything naturally. But time is not on our side," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of the moment.

Grisha placed a trembling hand on Eren's shoulder and continued in a strained voice.

"Eren, I'm so sorry... but this is something that must be done."

"Dad… what are you talking about?" Eren asked, his voice trembling with confusion and fear.

But Grisha didn't respond. He bit his lip as if trying to suppress the storm of emotions inside him.

"Dad! You've been acting weird all day! What's going on? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?" Eren's fear grew.

From the moment his father had taken him into the forest, something had felt wrong. Today, his father was acting strangely, nothing like the kind and gentle man he had always known.

Was it because of the news about his mother's death?

"Eren," Grisha called, his voice more firm now.

"Dad, you've changed... ever since Mom died, you've been acting strange!" Eren's voice wavered with desperation.

"Eren…!" Grisha's face hardened with resolve, his expression one of grim determination. He reached into his coat and pulled out a syringe filled with an unknown liquid.

"There's no more time to waste. You must learn how to use this power—for Mikasa, Armin, and everyone!"

"Dad… No! Stay away from me! Aahh!" Eren recoiled in terror, instinctively sensing danger.

"I'm sorry, Eren! Forgive your father!"

Eren struggled, but Grisha overpowered him, pinning him down as he injected the syringe into his son's body.

"Ghh—ahh..."

"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry, Eren…" Grisha whispered, his voice breaking with guilt.

Suddenly, a thunderous crack rang through the air as a powerful lightning bolt struck down. The transformation process into a Titan began—a process Grisha had witnessed many times but could never grow accustomed to.

Grisha watched helplessly as his son began to change, tears streaming down his face.

"Eren… is this what you really wanted? Was there no other way?" Grisha questioned himself, his mind swirling with the visions of the future he had seen through the power of the Attack Titan.

If he didn't pass the powers of the Founding Titan and Attack Titan to his son, Grisha knew the future that awaited them.

A future where massive Titans would trample Paradis Island, and Marley's forces would massacre the Eldians.

That inevitable destruction would come, unless this very moment became the turning point.

This cruel act, this painful decision, was the only way to escape that horrifying fate.

"Please, Eren… Armin, Mikasa… find happiness because of this."

Grisha whispered those words to himself, a desperate plea for the future of the ones he loved.

Before him stood his son, now transformed into a Titan. The enormous figure loomed closer, but Grisha did not scream or flee.

He stood still, accepting the fate he had sealed for himself. With his heart heavy, he closed his eyes before the towering being, awaiting what would come next.