Chapter 3: The Winged Titan

Two years have passed since Lazarus and his fellow candidates have been selected to be the next holders for six of the nine Titan powers under Marley’s control.

It took a total of three years for each of them to train as hard as they did to prepare themselves for this moment. Some of them were terrified at the thought of not being able to control this power, while some were more than ready to get a real taste of it.

The candidates that were chosen were all lining up against a wall with multiple lines that acted as measurements for their height, making it easier for the Brass to list their new profiles as Warriors. Placing them within Marley’s system of Titan Shifters.

The six candidates chosen were all wearing red armbands, marking them as Warriors and honorary Marleyans.

Lazarus was standing at the back of the line, watching his friends ready themselves to get their photo taken. He was still wearing his black armband. However, it looked slightly different to before. The white star and trimmings on the sides were now coloured red, showing everyone around him that he too was now an official Warrior, while at the same time reminding them of what he truly is.

He knew this day would come one day, but part of him still can’t get over the fact that its finally here.

The previous Warriors are gone. Tom Ksaver, Leonardo Waldenburg… Even Lucia Muller. All of them died so that they could pass on their Titans to the new generation.

Lazarus was present during the ceremony to pass on the Titans. It was something he did not want to look back on. The wounds he gained that day were still too fresh to be mended.

“Averbach! You’re next!” Magath shouted from the other side of the interrogation room.

Lazarus complied with the order and stepped in front of the camera pointing at him, with the measurements behind him. He stood perfectly still as the soldier manning the camera pressed the button. The camera’s bulb flashed, temporarily blinding him in the process, but not enough to lose his composure.

Satisfied with the captured image, the soldier signals Lazarus to move along. Once he was out of the room, Magath and the general look over the pictures of the candidates and placed them within the files of the six Titans.

“Everything seems to be in order, sir.” Magath spoke to the general. “The new Omega Warrior Unit has now been formed.”

“Indeed.” The general nodded. “But first we must see for ourselves if their Titans are a serious improvement over their predecessors. After everything the Alpha Unit accomplished for our motherland in the past, the Beta Unit was a huge step back. I want to see for myself if the Omega Unit is able to not only match, but exceed the Alpha Unit.”

“What do you propose, general?” Magath asked his superior.

“I propose that we have these children attack the nation of Courland.” The general stood and addressed his commanders in the room. “We’ve suffered several attacks from them recently. Our spies saying they will soon follow up with another. We will have the Omega Unit test out their Titans against them. If we weaken their forces enough, we may be able to persuade them to surrender and live under Marley’s rule.”

Magath and the other higher ups all look at each other, wondering if anyone had any objections and were too scared to admit it. He himself was partially against the idea. Even with all the training they’ve had, he fears it’s too soon for these kids to use their Titans for the first time against an enemy state.

If he were general, he would have the kids try and control their Titan powers in a deserted wide open area and have them spar against each other – except for the Colossal Titan – to allow them to get used to the feeling of controlling what is basically a giant flesh and bone mech suit. But he was in no position to question the current generals orders.

However, there was one thing that he needed to address. Something he’d been wandering for so long when to make it public.

“What about Averbach?” All eyes were on the commander. “Are we going to have him take part in the invasion as well?”

The general signals one of the soldiers to hand him Lazarus’s profile so that he could give it a thorough read through before answering that question.

“I understand that you were in charge of observing Averbach’s training with Muller, right commander?”

Magath nodded. “Lucia has been training Lazarus to master his power since the incident. And I can say with certainty that he has improved greatly. But Averbach hasn’t once used his power against an enemy nation before. Frankly I don’t think he’s ready yet.”

“If you say he can control his power, then I think it’s time we see the results of his training.” He then turns to one of the other commanding officers. “Have Averbach enlisted in the Courland invasion with the others.”

The officer salutes his superior and begins writing Lazarus’s full name under the list of Eldian soldiers chosen. Magath however wasn’t fully on board with this idea.

“With all due respect, general. I do not agree to this plan. There’s still so much about Lazarus’s power that we don’t understand. If he is incapable of controlling it, we could have another incident like Odiha!” He warned.

“Averbach’s power is the closest thing Marley has to match the Founding Titan. We cannot let the chance to use it pass us by, and give those island devils an opportunity to stop us. The royal family has the power to unleash the Rumbling at any moment, and nothing in the world can stop it… Until now!”

The general takes a couple of steps closer towards Magath and stares him intently in the eyes. With a look of seriousness so strong that even the equally as serious commander couldn’t help but flinch.

“This power is the greatest weapon Marley has ever produced. To not use it would make us weak. With Lazarus leading the Omega Unit, Marley will finally conquer Paradis Island and take the Founding Titan. The world will finally be free of the evil devils once and for all. So I will say it again, commander. Have Averbach take part in the mission, or you will be demoted. Am I understood?”

With no other choice, Magath saluted the general and obeyed his commands. Though he is confident in Lazarus’s abilities, he thought it was way too soon for him or any of the other Warriors to go to war. They still needed time to fully control their Titans. Time they apparently didn’t have.

“As if sending these children to take the Founding Titan alone was bad enough, now the general wants them to attack a nation immediately? I swear, once I become general, there’s going to be some serious changes on how we do things.”

After getting their profiles filled in, and their photos taken, the new group of Warriors were hanging out in Leonardo’s old classroom, waiting for their first orders as the new Warrior Unit.

Lazarus was sitting in his old desk at the front of the class, reminiscing of the many classes they’ve had in this very room. He, along with a couple of his friends were still grieving over the loss of their predecessors.

He glances over at Zeke who was in the middle of a conversation with Pieck. He noticed that he was now wearing Tom Ksaver’s glasses. He was not surprised. Just like his own special bond with Lucia, Zeke and Tom had a bond that was equal to a father and son.

He remembered seeing the two of them playing a game of catch together during their free time. Zeke preferred to spend more of his time with him than the other candidates.

Lazarus couldn’t help but feel that something that day had changed Zeke. Ever since then he’s been acting very different. In the past, he and Lazarus would constantly banter with one another during their bedtime, telling each other about their day and what their current thoughts were. They were always true and honest with each other.

But one day before the ceremony, something changed in Zeke’s personality. He’s become less talkative with Lazarus, less open about himself. And whenever he did talk to him, it felt as if every word he spewed was a lie.

Lazarus began to worry about his brother. What exactly happened that day to have changed him so much? If it was because he was forced to eat his father figure then it would make sense. But this drastic alteration was before then. If only he could-

Lazarus’s eyes widened as realisation struck him once again. He then decided to focus all his attention on Zeke and Pieck’s conversation. He’d never done this before, but he had faith that all the training he had with Lucia and Leonardo would yield results.

“*sigh* I don’t know if I can do this without you… father.”

Lazarus leaned backwards in shock. He was not expecting Leonardo’s theory to be correct.

“It worked! It actually worked! I can read the minds of other Titan Shifters!”

He was literally at a loss for words. When he first heard about the concept of being able to read the minds of other Titan shifters, of course he wasn’t going to take it seriously. But compared to the many things the Founding Titan was capable of such as memory alteration, mind reading doesn’t seem too far off. And the icing on the cake was the fact that he can turn on and off this power whenever he wishes, preventing him from hearing everyone’s thoughts simultaneously, driving him to madness.

He was glad to know that the training has been making vast improvements to his anatomy. But it was still too early to tell if he truly was ready to show the world the power he’d been sworn to keep secret from everyone by the military.

He then turned his attention to Bertolt who was sitting by himself also. He briefly read some of his thoughts to make sure his mind wasn’t filled with regrets.

Unfortunately for him, they were. Regret towards having to devour the person he looked up to the most. The person who regarded him as his favourite student. That person of course being his predecessor for the Colossal Titan.

Leonardo was not only a kind and gentle giant, but he was the reason most of them got along with one another in the first place.

Bertolt most of all was full of guilt over his death, since he had a major involvement in it.

He briefly thought back on the transference ceremony that took place a few days ago. It was set deep underground, away from the general public.

It was a dark and very spacious cavern with walls, floors and even the ceiling made of stone. The cavern was shrouded in darkness, with only some minor sunlight pouring in from the manhole above.

The centre of the cavern was completely empty, apart from a tall ledge built into the far wall with stairs leading up to it. At the top of that ledge was Leonardo on his knees, dressed in a white robe. His hands were bound by chains that stretched his arms out to the sides, preventing him from escaping.

Lazarus and the other candidates were standing alongside the military higher ups in the a sealed off room at the bottom of the cavern, so that they could witness the transfer.

Reiner, Marcel, Pieck and Zeke had already inherited their chosen Titans from the previous Warriors. Now it was Bertolt’s turn. As Bertolt was being marched out into the cavern, Annie instinctively takes a hold of Lazarus’s hand and holds it tight.

He glances down at her expecting her to look back at him, but her eyes were fixed on Bertolt being forced onto his knees by the two soldiers escorting him. Her facial expression was the same cold dead stare he’s used to seeing on her. Lazarus however could tell by how tight she was gripping him that she was scared, and he didn’t blame her.

He continued to hold her hand the whole time as one of the soldiers reached into a bag and pulls out a small box. They both knew what was about to happen from this moment on. They’ve already seen it four times before.

The soldier opens the box, revealing a disassembled syringe inside, along with a small bottle filled with a strange glowing liquid. The soldier wastes no time screwing the needle part onto the rest of the syringe and jabs it into the bottle cap.

Leonardo could tell by the look on Bertolt’s face that he was consumed with terror and guilt over what he was about to do. Before he was about to get injected with the liquid, Leonardo decided to speak his final words to his favourite student.

“Bertolt!” He called out, causing the young boy to look up to his idol and the soldier to halt what he was doing. “Don’t let this change you! I know you and your friends will become great Warriors, and make good use out of our Titans then we ever could. Be strong. Put your faith in your comrades, and you can accomplish anything!”

Bertolt responded by crying tears of both joy and sadness. He’ll miss Leonardo dearly, but he will honour his memory by using his Titan to become the hero he never got the chance to be.

Bertolt’s little moment was soon rudely interrupted by the feeling of a sharp pain in the nape of his neck. The soldier had just injected him with almost a full dose of the mysterious liquid.

Already he could feel the liquids effects throughout his entire body. He could feel a slightly uncomfortable tingling sensation emanating from his back, most notably his spine.

The cavern was then suddenly lit up by a bright yellow flashing light that erupted from where Bertolt was sitting. Lazarus and Annie briefly looked away from the brightness as bolts of electricity shot out in all directions.

The light soon disappeared just as fast as it emerged. In its place stood a giant naked humanoid creature. It’s head was stretched backwards, looking up at the ceiling. It’s facial features were bizarre in appearance, giving off very creepy vibes to everyone in the room.

Lazarus and Annie instantly knew that this giant creature that appeared from thin air was a Pure Titan. And this particular one was Bertolt. They know all about Pure Titans and how they’re made through the first classes they’ve had with Leonardo. And that liquid was actually a Titan transformation serum, made from the spinal fluid of other Titans. Though the actual contents of the serum and how they were created was still unknown.

Bertolt’s pure Titan starts to move towards Leonardo with its creepy look on its face not changing once. Leonardo wasn’t scared as he did not see this as self-sacrifice, but as a means to pass on the honour of becoming one of the nine to his chosen successor. He already said his goodbyes to his friends, family and allies. He can die peacefully knowing that the future of Marley is now in Bertolt’s hands.

Bertolt’s Pure Titan bites down hard on Leonardo’s body, ripping him out of his chains and wasting no time devouring him. Even though they’ve already seen the process before, it was still uncomfortable for Lazarus to watch. Though he wasn’t sure if Annie was feeling the same way or not.

A few moments later, Bertolt’s Pure Titan collapsed to the floor, steam erupting out of the nape. The Titans body was evaporating like it was a puddle of water on a pavement on a very hot day.

As the Titan’s skin melted away, leaving only bones, everyone could see Bertolt slowly emerging from the nape. He was in a dazed state, like he had just woken up very early in the morning. His face had strange marking under his eyes.

The military official in the room all started to clap as Bertolt climbed out of the decaying Titan’s corpse, implying that the transfer was a success. Lazarus and Annie soon joined in on the applause to show support to their comrade.

“Congratulations Hoover, you are now the holder of the Colossal Titan. From this moment on, you will wield this power in the name of Marley. You will fight for our motherland until your thirteen year lifespan is up. Do you understand?” The military general shouted down to him from the safety of the sealed off room.

Bertolt musters what little strength he currently has to give a heartfelt salute, showing his loyalty to Marley.

“Good. Then from this moment onwards, you and your family will be made honorary Marleyans. Your body has been cleansed of your devilhood, and you are now free to serve humanity.”

Annie couldn’t help but let out a grunt in response to what the general said while rolling her eyes.

Lazarus was definitely with her on this one. He knows that the general was only telling them what they wanted them to hear. Honorary Marleyans or not, it still didn’t change how humanity saw Eldians as a whole. If it weren’t for the power of the Titans only being wielded by Subjects of Ymir, Marley would’ve had all Eldians wiped out decades ago.

Lazarus was startled out of his trip down memory lane by the sound of something banging against the wall to the left of him. Instinct took over as he sought out the source of the noise. He was not surprised to see that the culprit was Porco Galliard. Who had Reiner pinned against the wall and wore a look of pure jealousy. Out of the eight of them, he and Porco were not chosen to inherit one of the nine.

Porco was originally supposed to be the next wielder of the Armoured Titan, but the Brass changed it at the last second and decided to give it to Reiner instead.

Out of all the candidates who would get left behind, Lazarus was slightly glad that Porco was the one who didn’t get chosen. He knew from the moment he picked on Reiner and called him the weakest candidate would come back to haunt him one day. Karma is a bitch.

“It makes no sense! You’re obviously at the bottom of the group. So why would they pick you?!” Porco demanded.

Reiner gave him a smug smile before responding. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re at the bottom… Pock!”

That was the last straw. Enraged, Porco was ready to throw a punch at Reiner’s face. Lazarus was just about ready to rush over and defend him, but Marcel beat him to it and restrained his brother from behind.

“Porco stop! Calm Down! You don’t wanna defy the Brass!” Marcel attempted to calm his brother down.

Porco eventually stopped and fell to his knees in defeat. He started to wallow in self-pity over not being good enough to inherit the Armoured Titan, constantly wondering what he did to deserve this.

Reiner however was so pleased with himself for achieving the goal he was after from the moment he joined the military. Now that he and his mother were made honorary Marleyans, they’ll be allowed to be with his father and make their family whole.

“Reiner.” Startled by being addressed by Marcel, Reiner looked over in his direction. “I’m sorry.”

Sorry? For what? That was not what he expected from Marcel. It would’ve made more sense if he said that to his brother instead of him. What does he have to be sorry for? Was it because of Porco’s sore loser behaviour? Or was it something else entirely?

The Galliard brothers soon left the classroom, leaving only Lazarus, Bertolt, Reiner and Annie left to bask in their glory. Some of them anyway.

Lazarus looked around the room. He was surprised to see that Zeke and Pieck were also gone.

“Huh? When did Zeke and Pieck leave?” He asked rhetorically.

“They left a while ago while you were still daydreaming in your chair.” Annie answered as she sat next to him. “Were you having another one of your blackouts?”

Lazarus shook his head. “No, I was only reminiscing on the ceremony you all took part in to get your Titans.” He says as he rubbed his chest. The look on his face was one of loss and sadness.

The others knew instantly what was up with him. He was still broken up over the fact that Lucia was eaten by Annie so that she could inherit the Female Titan from her.

Reiner and Bertolt decided to join them and sat around their fedora wearing friend.

“I get what you’re going through.” Bertolt opened up. “I felt the same way when I devoured Mister Waldenburg… I was able to catch a glimpse of some of his memories when I inherited his Titan. Didn’t learn anything major yet. Heh, but I did learn that he was allergic to shrimp, haha.”

Only Reiner mustered a little chuckle while everyone else didn’t even so much as crack a smile.

“Annie.” Lazarus spoke quietly without even looking at her. “Were… Were you able to see some of Lucia’s memories when you ate her?”

“I haven’t.” She calmly admitted. “I didn’t know her as well as you did. The amount of memories we are subjected to, depends on how close we were to our predecessors. I never bothered to get close to anyone when I joined the military.”

“Oh, I see.” Lazarus replied bleakly. He was honestly hoping that she would say something about Lucia, anything that would help him remember her more. Something that he did not know about her.

If Annie wasn’t able to see Lucia’s memories, then it is highly unlikely that she may’ve seen his mother’s memories as well. He also doubts that Zeke may be able to see his father’s memories, so no point to asking him.

“Not until I met you.”

Lazarus peeked at hearing what Annie had just said and looks to his right, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Before I met you, I didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything. But you somehow changed that. You got me to open up to you, convinced me to grow more trusting of others. I don’t even know how or why this happened. But thank you.”

Lazarus, Reiner and Bertolt were not expecting this at all. This the first time ever that they have heard Annie speak in such a genuine way. They were all so used to her coldness, that it felt weird to see her act differently.

“She’s right.” Reiner spoke up, getting Lazarus’s attention. “Even if you weren’t chosen in the end, you’ve managed to bring out the best in us. It’s thanks to you I found the strength to win the Armoured Titan from Porco.”

“Truer words were never spoken.” Bertolt added.

Lazarus smiled at his friends. Friends he never would’ve had, had it not been for Lucia. He was more than proud of them for being chosen to be the next Warriors who will save the world from the devils of Paradis.

“Thanks you guys. It means a lot to hear you say that.”

The four Warriors hung out for a couple more minutes until they all decided to take their leave and spend their free time elsewhere.

As the four of them walked together, Lazarus was once again deep in his thoughts.

“I feel so horrible for lying to them for so long about my true self. I wanna tell them, but the military sworn me to secrecy… Until they finally give the word, I’ll have no choice but to keep lying… Patience Lazarus, your time will come.”

Miles away from Marley, the Warriors were preparing themselves for their first ever mission on the field. The general’s plan to invade the nation of Courland had begun. Three days after the Warriors had their profiles filled out and Titan power forms documented.

The journey to Courland was a long one, almost five hours. They were all travelling there via a giant airship, soaring above the clouds undercover of the night sky.

The Warriors were all standing around a table listening to Commander Magath give them a briefing on their mission. The only ones who weren’t present were Pieck and Bertolt.

“Alright you kids, this is the last time I’m gonna go over the plan, so you better pay close attention if you haven’t hours ago.”

He pulls out a map of the enemy fortress they were about to invade and rolls it flat onto the table, allowing the Warriors to get a better look at the enemy fortress and defences. Magath points to the front of the enemy base which displayed several watch towers and trenches filled with cannons.

“Our spies informed us that the enemy base’s strongest defences are located in the east. To defeat these defences, we’ll be sending in the Armoured Titan. Braun will act as a shield for our soldiers and charge through their gates. Leonhart will then use the Female to take out their watch towers. Marcel will focus on taking out the cannons and enemy troops hidden in the trenches to lessen the number of casualties.”

The warriors all nod in unison, showing that they were all on board with the plan so far. Magath then traces his finger over to the opposite end of the base.

“By now the Cart Titan should be close to reaching the countries shores. With the Panzer Unit manning the turrets on its back – courtesy of the late Lucia – they’ll be able to seize control over their docks, preventing enemy reinforcements arriving or retreating.” He then point to the centre of the fortress. “Once the gates been breached, you’ll be expecting a huge army defending their base. To counter the artillery they’ll have, we will use Zeke’s Beast Titan, which has proven to be a major improvement over Ksaver’s… Finally, there’s the enemy supply and weapons depot. It will be heavily guarded and where the enemy are at their strongest. So we’ll wipe them out in an instant using the Colossal Titans power. Once Pieck has placed Hoover in position, he’ll be ordered to wait ten minutes before he transforms and annihilate the entire area. So you all better make sure you’re out of range when that happens, or your journey as Warriors will be over before it’s even begun.”

Although they’ve heard this mission briefing three times already, each and every one of them paid very close attention to their instructions. Pieck and Bertolt are already aware of the plan and will be ready to carry it out once they arrive at the shores.

Lazarus was also giving the commander his full attention even though he had no involvement in this mission. (or so they thought)

“Commander!” One of the airship pilots called back to him. “The Cart Titan has just emerged from the sea and has landed. She, Hoover and the Panzer Unit are now on their way to the fortress.”

“Very good.” He called back to him. He then addresses the Omega Unit who all stand at attention. “All of you grab a parachute and prepare for ariel drop. The ground troops will join you once you’ve cleared the path. Don’t forget, I risked a lot to convince the general to give you all the chance to properly learn how to control your Titans. So you better show us some good results, or else we’ll be forced to give your Titans to another batch of candidates.”

Zeke takes a step forward and offers a salute to the commander. “We won’t let you down, sir!”

“You better not. Now all of you move out!”

“SIR!” They all shouted in unison. Everyone rushed to the back of the airship to prepare themselves for deployment.

Lazarus however was forced to stay behind – for now – and observe the assault on the bridge with Magath and the soldier piloting the airship.

“What about me sir?” He asked.

“Something I left out of the plan – under the generals orders – was that the enemy also have a huge navy of airships. Your task will be to destroy them, and prevent them from attacking your comrades.”

“I understand, sir… But, are you sure I am ready?” He asked hesitantly.

“Honestly Lazarus. No. I don’t think you’re ready.” He paused as he can see the slight disappointment in his eyes. “However, Lucia believed that you were, and I trust her judgement. Do you wish to prove me wrong and atone for Odiha?”

Lazarus nodded enthusiastically. Magath smiled slightly in response. This boy had come a long way to get here. And now the whole world will bear witness to the power he’s been keeping hidden for three years. Whether that power is viewed as a weapon of mass destruction, worse than the Rumbling, or a beacon of hope for humanity to save them from said Rumbling will all be down to how he uses it… He hopes for Lucia’s sake that all her hard work training him wasn’t wasted.

The city of Courland was on high alert the moment the soldiers in the watch towers witnessed the three balls of bright electrical energy lighting up the east gate area. They were caught completely off guard. After all, it’s not easy trying to spot three individuals parachuting a few miles above their defences.

But the moment the light appeared, they all knew exactly what that meant and what was sure to follow. They were under attack from Marley’s Warrior Unit.

The three lights soon faded, and out of the clouds came three Titans, falling to the ground outside of the enemy walls. All three of them landed hard on their knees, causing the earth beneath their feet to rumble.

On the right side was Marcel’s Jaw Titan. It’s face bore an armoured bone mask with razor sharp teeth. It had long brown hair that covered its whole head, making it look like a lions mane.

The one on the left was Annie’s Female Titan. It’s appearance was femeinine compared to most Titans. (hence its name) It’s body was all muscle with no skin, and short blond hair.

Standing tall in the centre was Reiner’s Armoured Titan. It’s body was more bulkier compared to the others, with thick armoured plates covering every inch of its body, short blond hair and glowing yellow eyes behind it’s armoured mask.

The Armoured Titan was the first one to begin its march towards the enemy base, folding its arms across its chest to shield himself and the others from the barrage of bullets and cannon fire being unleashed upon them.

The Jaw Titan was tasked with guarding the rear, sprinting on all fours across the many trenches the enemy had dug into the ground. It’s speed was unmatched by the slower rate of cannon fire.

Wasting no time, the Jaw Titan leapt from trench to trench, using its claws and teeth to shred the enemy soldiers and cannons to pieces.

Once the Armoured Titan was close enough, it stopped its slow moving approach and took a different position. The armoured plates on the back of its knees break off, allowing it more movement compared to earlier.

The Armoured Titan begins to sprint towards the gates at full speed, preparing to charge through them, allowing the Female Titan to enter and take out the watch towers.

While standing behind her armoured ally, Annie is protected from cannon fire until she makes it into the enemy base.

With her enhanced mobility, she manages to run up to each of the watch towers and takes them out by hardening her legs to deliver a devastating kick.

Lazarus was watching the whole thing unfold from the safety of the airship bridge. He was amazed at how strong and effective his friends Titan forms are. He only saw Lucia’s Female Titan in action a few times the whole while he’d known her. But Annie’s Female Titan has shown to be just as deadly as her predecessor.

“Amazing! They’ve only just transformed, and already they’re kicking ass.” He thought to himself.

As they were watching the battle unfold, Lazarus noticed another parachute descending upon the now exposed enemy fortress. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Zeke. It would look like they were already moving onto phase two of their plan.

“Ooh! I wonder what Zeke’s Beast Titan will be. Probably an animal that’s more suited for him. Maybe it’ll be a crocodile, or a minotaur, or maybe it could be a bird. That be cool. That would mean that I-

Lazarus’s hypothesis on what Beast Zeke would be was interrupted by the sky lighting up with another blast of energy, implying that he will soon find out for himself.

His expectations were high on thinking that it’ll be something cool looking. A lot of animals in real life have unique abilities that could prove useful to Marley as a Titan.

But the result was not what he was expecting at all. Zeke’s Beast Titan had taken on the appearance of some kind of ape. It’s much bigger than the standard fifteen meter tall Titans, standing at around seventeen meters. It’s arms, shoulders, and legs was covered with thick brown fur, and its arms were freakishly longer than that of a regular Titan.

“A monkey?! I did not see that coming.” Lazarus thought with utter disbelief.

Zeke’s Beast Titan scanned the inside of the city walls, seeking out the enemy weapons warehouses. Instead, he spotted a large convoy of trucks carrying more soldiers and artillery over to where Reiner, Annie and Marcel were fighting.

“Looks like they’re sending in reinforcements. I’ll have to put a stop to that.” The Beast Titan spoke with a very deep, booming voice. The Beast and Cart Titans were the only ones among the nine that had the ability to speak, though the reasoning behind why is still a mystery to this day.

Zeke reaches over to the debris of one of the watch towers Annie had kicked down and begins to crumble it into smaller chunks of rock in his palms. Facing the convoy, the Beast Titan raises both its arms while still clinging to the pile of stones and takes a pitchers stance, readying itself to throw them at their intended target.

Remembering what Tom taught him during their games of catch, Zeke steadied his breathing before pulling his long right arm back and moving his left leg forward. With a thunderous stomp, the Beast Titan lunged its arm forward, throwing the barrage of stones at the convoy at the speed of a cannon ball.

The convoy and the soldiers escorting it were all blasted to bits by the shrapnel of stone. A cloud of red sprays all over the area, along with the tiny chunks of what was left of the once whole enemy soldiers.

Magath and Lazarus continued to watch the battle rage on below. Whatever doubts Lazarus had about Zeke’s Beast had literally been blown out of proportions. Not only is it large and strong, but it can also out perform an artillery unit with nothing but a fist full of rock. A living, breathing legion of cannons all moulded into a single Titan.

“Any sign of Pieck and Hoover?” Magath turned to the white haired warrior.

Lazarus focused his eyesight on the west side of the wall where he assumed Pieck would arrive at. Down below, he can see little faint sparks of light reflecting up at them. Upon closer inspection, he can see the Cart Titan climbing over the wall and making a beeline for the supply depot, carrying a metallic box in its mouth, all the while the Panzer Unit were manning the four turret guns atop its back.

“I see them sir. Pieck and Bertolt are over the west side wall and are heading straight for the centre.” He responded proudly. “Victory is sure to be ours, Commander.”

Those words would soon come back to haunt him, as an explosion went off inches away from where the Cart Titan had just leapt, causing it to lose balance and come crashing down face first into the dirt. The metal box was still held firmly in its jaws despite the fall.

“What the- What hit them?” Lazarus dumbfoundedly blurted out.”

Magath snatched a pair of binoculars from one of the soldiers in order to pinpoint the source of the explosion. He was shocked to see that the blast had just come from the big gun of another airship. This one bore the enemy flag on its side, as well as several large guns all aiming down at the Titan Shifters.

“Enemy Airships!” Magath stated the obvious.

“Commander! It’s not the only one! There are four more closing in on us.” The pilot warned them.

“Which direction?” Magath demanded.

“From all directions simultaneously!” The pilot regrettably added. “They’re trying to box us in and shoot us down!”

Magath uses the binoculars to look out for the other enemy airships, all of them coming in from the north, east, south and west. They had nowhere to go.

“How long until they’re in firing range?” He says while watching over the Warriors below, making sure they’re ok.

“By the pace of their engines and the design of the guns, I’d say we have two minutes. Maybe less than that, sir.”

Now Magath started to worry. That was nowhere near enough time for them to try and retreat. And a counter attack was out of the question as well, as they’d only have enough time to take out one of the airships, giving the other four more time to surround and blast them out of the sky.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no other alternatives. However, Marley still has one major advantage that they’ve kept hidden from the rest of the world. Now was the time to show the world Marley’s newest and deadliest weapon ever spawned.

The commander turns his attention to Lazarus who looked up at him for clarification. “Averbach… it’s time.”

Lazarus was shocked upon hearing that. He asked the commander to repeat himself to be extra sure he heard him right.

“I know your nervous. Hell, I’m terrified over the possibility of you not being able to control this power.” He places his hands on his shoulders. “Just remember everything Lucia taught you, and find the will to fight. Once you do, you can control your power.”

Lazarus’s whole body was shaking. Three years he’s been preparing for this moment, and now the time has come for him to show his friends and the world the very thing he’d been forced to keep secret. Part of him feared what his friends would think of him once they saw his true self. But he had faith that they’ll always stick by him no matter what.

He took a deep breath and respectfully saluted his commander. No more words were needed. He then rushed out the door and made his way down to the cargo area.

The back doors open, causing a heavy gust of cold wind to fill the room. Lazarus held onto his hat tightly as he inched closer and closer to the edge, taking in the view of the massive battle miles below.

He reaches behind him to grab the knife that was strapped to the back of his belt, freeing it from its sheath. As he looked down at the knife, he briefly thinks back to one of the last conversations he ever had with Lucia, the day before she passed on the Female Titan.

“Lazarus. I know you still carry a lot of guilt over what you’ve done in Odiha. But there will come a day when you will be forced to claim even more innocent lives in the name of Marley.”

“But… I don’t want to kill any more innocents. Killing should only be for those who deserve it. Like those damn island devils!”

“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice. Once you’re a Warrior, you cannot live a single moment of your life with clean hands. Even your friends will have to stain their hands with blood. But you can ensure that the majority of blood befalls you, and spare them.”

“How?”

“You must accept what you are and thereby accept the very power you’ve feared your whole life… For better or worse, what has been done to you can never be undone. You will live like this forever. Therefore, you must treat it as a part of yourself. Once you’ve accepted it as a blessing instead of a curse, you will be able to control your power and use it to create the world of peace and kindness your parents dreamt of building.”

As Lazarus was inches away from leaping out of the airship, one of the soldiers controlling the airship had a realisation. He wasn’t wearing a parachute.

Magath however wasn’t worried even the slightest. He reassured his men by telling them that he had no need for a parachute.

Lazarus closes his eyes as he takes a step forward, his body weight shifting forwards, causing him to begin plummeting towards the raging battle below.

“But Lucia. Even if I do control it, what’s to stop Marley from turning against me? After what happened in Odiha, they ended up locking me in a small hole for a very long time. Despite everything I’ll do for them, eventually they’ll hate me. Why bother?”

“Because… Marley fears you for what you are. I convinced them to make you a Warrior and treat you with respect. Even after I’m long gone, Marley will continue to trust and respect you. Or else they too will suffer the wrath of…

Lazarus’s eyes shot wide open as he was falling. The look in his eyes were no longer filled with fear or doubt. Instead, they were filled with hope and determination. This was it. His time to shine!

Clutching the knife blade in his other hand, Lazarus quickly pulled the blade out, cutting his palm.

An arc of electricity spread throughout his body as another burst of lightning rained down from above and struck him as he was falling.

The other Warriors below all look up in response to the newly added ball of energy, lighting up the battlefeild.

“Huh? What’s that?” Zeke asks himself with his Beast Titan Voice.

He and the others were really confused on what was going on. Clearly it was another Titan Shifter assuming Titan form, but that couldn’t be. The only other shifter who hasn’t transformed yet was Bertolt, but his transformation was supposed to be a massive explosion, and it wasn’t meant to come from above. Or be anywhere near their current position.

The others all stared up in awe as the new Titans body was beginning to form while falling. It’s body was muscular but less bulky than the Armoured. It’s body was completely covered in a flexible crystal skin identical to the one produced by the Warhammer. It had long sharp claws on its hands and feet identical to the Jaw, as well as an armoured facemask with sharp teeth. The Titan had glowing red eyes and long white hair. A unique feature it had were six long curved horns on its head. Two atop the centre of its head, and four slightly smaller ones on the side of it.

But what really made this new Titan stand out among the rest, was the fact that it had wings attached to its back. The wings looked identical to a bats. The skeletal structure was also made out of hardened crystal, while the wing flaps themselves were flesh and blood. The spine where the wings originated form were covered by hardened armour plates identical to the Armoured.

Lazarus now transformed into his new Titan form, spreads his wings and takes flight over the battle. He lets loose a loud monstrous roar that can be heard from miles away.

“… The Winged Titan.”

On the south shores of Courland, the rest of the Marleyan military make port and send out several row boats from their battleships to invade the mainland.

With the Warrior Unit gaining the enemy’s full attention, there were less obstacles in their path for the ground troops as they marched towards the stronghold.

The soldiers were being led into battle personally by their general. He had no reason to be there, but he wished to bear witness to the Winged Titan’s first ever mission on the field. He wanted to watch as it mercilessly wiped out the enemy forces, all the while being powerless to fight back.

He’s aware that the other nations of the world knew all about the nine Titans, and it was only a matter of time until they’re capable of developing new weapons that could make them obsolete.

But the Winged Titan was unlike any Titan anyone had ever seen. With its power now under Marley’s control, nothing could ever stand in their way. Not even the devils of Paradis.

“General! Averbach has just assumed Titan form. The Winged Titan has been unleashed.”

As the soldiers marched on - apart from the general who was riding in a cart – all bore witness to the forming of the Winged Titan’s body in the sky. The general picked up a pair of binoculars to give himself a better view of it.

“Look at it.” He muttered to himself. “That monster is even more terrifying than the reports in Odiha described.

He flashes back to a past board meeting between the Marleyan higher ups and the previous Warrior Unit. This took place three years ago, long before Lazarus joined the Warrior program. They were all sitting around a large table with Lucia, Tom and the other Warriors sitting at the far end. The general of course was sitting at the head of the table with Theo Magath sitting beside him on his left.

At the other end of the room was a movable blackboard that Leonardo had dragged from his classroom to use for the meeting. He had just finished drawing several images of the Winged Titan. Images showing it from the front, back and sides, and several close up drawings of its head, claws, and wings. Next to the images was a list of the many abilities the Titan possessed. The fact that there were so many created a mass of unease among the majority of officers.

Most of the military leaders did not understand what it was they were looking at, while the general and Magath knew exactly what this was.

“Ok everyone, we all know why I’ve called this meeting. It is to decide the fate of Lazarus Averbach and the world threatening power he holds within him.” The general addressed his comrades. He signals one of the soldiers standing by the window to hand him a file which he opens up and displays onto the table for all to see.

“Lazarus Averbach is the sole survivor of a secret Titan experiment that has been in the works for many years… The False Founder Project.”

The other officers were all slightly shocked to be hearing that name. It was something nobody had mentioned for over ten years.

“That- That’s impossible! The project was shut down years ago.” One of the higher ups spoke out.

“That was what I wanted the public to believe.” The general admitted. “But I and the man responsible for starting this project both agreed that the research should be continued in secret, on an underground level. So I had the labs moved to Odiha.”

“And who’s the one that started this?” Another officer demanded to know.

“It was Caleb Tybur, the head of the Tybur family at the time.” Tom Ksaver spoke up. “The Tyburs were the ones who supplied Marley with the biggest Titan experts in the world, as well as the special Titan serum that was used in the project.”

“And the goal of that project.” The general interrupted him. “… Was to create a second Founding Titan. One that could defeat the original and stop the Rumbling from ever happening.”

The room fell silent as many of the officers started to whisper amongst themselves and look through Lazarus’s file. The general turned his attention to Tom, asking him to continue the explanation on his behalf since he was a dedicated Titan researcher.

“The experiment involved the fusion of the spinal fluid of all nine Titans, provided by the Tyburs, and create a specialised Titan transformation serum. The Founder Ymir’s Titan was originally one being, until it was split into the nine Titans we all know of today. The plan was to see if we could create an entirely new Titan that would possess the powers of the Founder Ymir.”

The Brass all paid close attention to the Eldian scientist as he goes into greater detail around the False Founder Project. He pointed out that every single one of them was deemed the strongest of the Warrior candidates throughout the years, heightening the chances of a successful injection.

However, each and every one of them ended up dying instantly as the serum’s overwhelming effects would cause their bodies to literally turn to dust.

That left many of them to wonder. Why did only Lazarus survive? What was it about him that made him different compared to the others?

At this point the answer to that question is unknown. And they couldn’t rely on the research for answers, as every trace of the lab and its contents most likely went up in flames with the rest of Odiha.

“In conclusion. Lazarus was unable to contain all of the raw power the serum gave him, and his first transformation ended up destroying the entire lab as well as the majority of Odiha.” Tom finished explaining to the Brass.

“And you think that after all that death and destruction he caused, he should be allowed to not only live, but become a Warrior?!” One of the officers stood up from his chair to vent his frustration over the subject. “That boy has proven that he’s the biggest devil of them all. He needs to be executed!”

“You don’t think we tried that.”

Everyone at the table turned their attention back to the general.

“That night, I ordered my men to find him and gun him down immediately. He died but… he didn’t stay dead.”

Everyone blinked in confusion. What the hell did he mean by that? While they knew that Titans had an insane healing factor – strong enough to regrow their heads if blown off – there was no way a non-transformed Eldian could regenerate.

“Whatever those crazy bastards in the lab did to him, it worked. They created an immortal devil. We’ve tired killing him in many ways. We’ve tried shooting him, chopping him up, burning him alive. Hell, we even had a Titan eat him. Nothing can kill this kid. By the time I realised this, I had him locked in a deep hole underground, too narrow for him to transform in. He is still down there even as we speak.”

Now the room was filled with fear. None of them could believe what they were hearing. There was an Eldian within the heart of the motherland that not only holds an insane amount of power, but was also completely unkillable. If this Titan were to get loose, it would take revenge on Marley and actually be able to kill them all. Truly this Lazarus was the devil of devils.

Realising that things were not progressing well, Lucia decided to stand up from her chair and speak her mind. She was risking a lot by speaking out like this. There was a slim chance the Marleyans would strip her of her status and feed her to another Warrior just for talking out of turn. It wouldn’t be the simplest of excuses Marley would have to send an Eldian to Paradis.

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, general. But I think Marley could benefit from this.”

One of the officers was about to spout out some slang towards her thinking that an Eldian should not be allowed to address him, but the general raised his hand, silencing him, allowing Lucia to continue.

“What happened in Odiha wasn’t Lazarus’s fault. He transformed for the first time the moment he was injected with the serum. Despite what he is, he’s still only a child. Like all children his age, he’s probably terrified over what he did, and would want nothing to do with his Titan powers. I think wanting to destroy Marley is the last thing on his mind. However, if we continue to treat him like some research experiment gone wrong, it’ll only be a matter of time until he realises he could back up his threats to destroy us with action.”

“So what?” One of the officers spoke out. “You expect us to tell the public that they have to be nice to this kid? Treating Eldians like dirt is our peoples god given right! After all the evils your kinds ancestors committed decades ago!”

Lucia completely ignored the discrimination of the lowly Marleyan officer and continued on like it never happened.

“What I’m saying is. We should release the boy and make him a Marleyan Warrior. We can train him to control his Titan powers, and if mastered to perfection, the Winged Titan could be the key for us to finally conquer Paradis, take the Founding Titan, and save the world… With your permission, general. I will take the child into my care and act as his guardian and shape him into the greatest Warrior Marley’s ever known.”

“It may be worth considering, sir.” Magath added, showing that he was supportive of this plan.

The general however was still skeptical on what he should do. On the one hand, Lazarus’s Titan would be an unstoppable force that will give them many victory’s for years to come. On the other, there would be no stopping him should he ever decide to go rouge and slaughter them all to rejuvenate Eldians everywhere.

This was a huge gamble, and all of Marley would be put at risk if he were to follow through on a plan provided by an Eldian of all people. But everyone sitting at that table were all awaiting his decision on what should be done.

“What makes you think you’ll be able to help him control his powers? How do you even know what his Titan is capable of?” He asked, delaying his answer. He wanted to know as much about this proposal as possible before going through with it.

“I learned all about his Titan through my predecessor, Lydia Averbach. The mother of Lazarus and one of the head researchers behind the project. By looking through her memories, I have learned all that I needed to know about the Winged Titan, as well as how to control it.”

She then points over to the blackboard with the drawings as she talked. “And thanks to my brother, Leonardo, we now have a valid description of what his Titan looks like.”

“Say you can train him.” Magath added. “What’s to stop him from using his power against us? With control over his powers as well as being immortal, he’ll be an unstoppable force.”

Now it was Leonardo’s turn to butt in and speak his mind. “That may be true. But the only chance of him going rouge depends on how he’s treated among others. As a child, he needs to be in a welcoming environment. That means all of you have to try and see him as just another Warrior candidate, rather than an abomination as some of you inclined… it may be difficult for some of you, but it’s either that or have him kill us all out of spite. What’s it gonna be?”

As much as the general hated to admit it, they did have a valid point. Lazarus is no longer considered an ordinary Eldian. He’s pretty much evolved into a god of ultimate destruction. Marley possessed no weapon that would be powerful enough to beat him. even the combined power of their seven Titans might not be enough to stop him. This Titan was made to be equal to the Founding Titan after all.

Marley’s hatred for Subjects of Ymir will never change, nor will they forget the genocidal acts of their ancestors during the Great Titan War. They will never accept Eldians as true humans. But for the sake of their motherland, and the world, they have no choice but to make an exception for him.

“Well then.” The general finally spoke up after what felt like an hour of silence. “If we plan to use the Winged Titan, we must know everything about it and what it’s capable of.”

“General, does that mean-

The general cut Magath off before he could finish.

“Yes. I will allow you to train Averbach to master his Titan powers and have him join the Warrior program. But only because he is more valuable as an ally then an enemy.”

Lucia bows her head and thanks the general for giving her this chance to keep the promise she made to Lydia. Now she can rest peacefully knowing that her son will become a Warrior.

Lucia’s explanations were playing within the generals mind as he watched the Winged Titan tear one of the airships to pieces using its sharp claws and teeth.

“According to Lydia’s memories. The research says that the Winged Titan should possess all the traits that the nine Titans share. The abilities that make them unique compared to the common Pure Titans. Such as the Jaw Titan’s sharp teeth and claws, as well as it’s agility.”

The shredded airship burst into flames as it begins its descent to the ground. The other airships all open fire upon the Winged Titan. But it manages to protect itself from the cannon fire by wrapping its wings around itself. The wings then harden, forming a crystal cocoon around it.

“The Beast Titan’s immense strength and animalistic instincts. The Armoured’s impenetrable armour, and ability to harden. It’s hardening abilities should be equal to the Warhammer, allowing him to construct any weapon he desires.”

The Winged Titan suddenly bursts out of the crystal shell and sends the broken shards flying into the second airship, shredding its balloon to pieces. The airship it was standing on soon crashed to the ground, forcing the Winged Titan to leap off and land within the heart of the enemy base.

“And all of that is from what we know so far. There’s still so much about this new Titan that we still do not know. But soon we will learn more about it once we get to training him.”

All the enemy soldiers turn their attention to it rather than the rest of the Titan Shifters and hit the new threat with everything they’ve got. The bullets prove useless against him as they all simply bounce off of his crystalised hardened skin.

The Winged Titan summons hundreds of human sized crystal spikes out of the ground, skewering the enemy soldiers all at once.

The general was very impressed with the results of Lucia’s training. He was relieved to see that his gamble had paid off greatly. Marley now has a new Titan serving the motherland. And he couldn’t be any more proud. With a Titan like that on their side, the Founding Titan is as good as theirs.

“Project False Founder was formed in the hopes that we could create the most powerful Titan to ever exist.” The general reminded himself. “… And we succeeded!”

To Be Continued