Glimpse Of Hope

Attack Titan

Grisha: “The soldiers had their lives squeezed out of them like fruit being juiced…and their scarps cast to the sea…”

Grisha watches as Kruger uses his Titan to kill the soldiers as he watches amazed at its power

Grisha: “I suppose I should explain what the sea is. The Sea is a body of saltwater that covers 70% of our world’s surface.”

After a while Kruger gets out of his Titan and rests on top of the wall as he releases Grisha from his holds and wipes the blood from his nose

Grisha: Owl…Who are you? 

Kruger: I am Eren Kruger. As you just saw, I possess one of the Nine Titans. In other words, I’m a subject of Ymir, just like you. 

Grisha: You pretended to be a Marleyan and infiltrated Public Security? What about the blood tests!? 

Kruger: That was easy enough with the help of a doctor. Doctors make good spies. In all honesty, you did very well. But in terms of results, Grice had every right to grieve like he did. 

Grisha: You’re absolutely right…I was a useless father, a useless husband, and a useless man. And yet, why am I the only one who remains as a human? Dina was someone special, being a subject of Ymir with royal blood. She can tap into a Titan’s true power. If you hadn’t jumped to keep me quiet, Dina would-

Grisha remembers Dina’s fate and grabs Eren’s collar

Grisha: Answer me! Why did you let only me live?! 

Kruger: Enough, don’t your finger’s hurt? 

Grisha: Thanks so much for your concern! You didn’t seem to care so much when you were chopping them off! Well?! If you had gone on a rampage as your Titan sooner, wouldn’t the others not be Titans right now!? What was the point of letting them turn into Titans!? 

Kruger drops onto one knee in front of Grisha 

Grisha: What’s wrong? You look pale…

Kruger: It wasn’t just fellow patriots… I’ve severed the fingers of thousands of Subjects of Ymir, and made them into Titans. Women and children,too… All while believing it was for the sake of Eldia. I don’t have much time, Grisha. I’m entrusting you with the final task. Not anyone else. Just you.

The two sit down on the edge of the wall and look at the sand and into the distances

Kruger: That day… The day I first met you, if none of that happened, you wouldn’t have festered enough hatred of Marley to come this far. 

Grisha: Is that… The reason you chose me? 

Kruger: That’s part of it. The country…Your father…Yourself. The hate in your eyes was enough to burn the world to ashes. I was once like that, too. The royal family that stayed behind formed a revolution. My father was part of it. However, they accomplished nothing…and were burned alive. I was so young, all I could do was peel through the closet door and peek. Ever since then, I’ve sworn revenge on Marley and the revival of Eldia. But all I’ve managed to do was cut the fingers of fellow patriots, and kick them off this wall and turn into Titans. It’s because of the things I've done that my true identity was never discovered. I’m no different than when I was little. Perhaps I’m still looking at the world through a crack in the closet.

The two sit in silence before Grisha breaks it

Grisha: Tell me, Owl. What’s the task left for me? 

Kruger: It’s to infiltrate the walls and retake the Founding Titan. After you inherit my Titan, that is. 

Grisha: What do you say? That would mean…you…