Power to Strive II

Children

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or this story.

Previously: Hange hypothesizes that the Titan serum comes from Titans' spinal fluid. Levi wonders if the Wall being impenetrable can be used to bring in potential allies. Eren quotes Kruger and Erwin considers which nations would be willing to make an alliance with Paradis Island.

|~|

Ragako village appeared on the screen, destroyed and abandoned.

Mikasa saw the sick and nostalgic look on Connie's face and wondered what it would be like for her and Armin and Eren when they returned to Shinganshina. Last thing she had seen of her home was blood and screams and death. Yet somehow, the thought of it being lifeless and empty seemed worse.

"It's like the report said…" Moblit looked around. "The entire village is devastated, and yet there's not a drop of blood, let alone any bodies here."

Hange hoped there were some clues as to how the village was turned. They had already eliminated drugging of the water supply as a potential method of turning the inhabitants into Titans. Manually injecting them and turning them seemed unlikely. Eldians turned into Titans quickly after being injected. Turning the villagers one by one would be tedious, not to mention the Titans would attack them immediately. Unless there were equal number of soldiers as there were villagers but still, safety was no guarantee.

No, turning them manually is too dangerous. Hange could only conclude two reasonable methods. Either it was an ability of the Beast Titan, using his spinal fluid—hence why he could control them somehow because he was the one who turned them in the first place—or they used the serum in a gas form. Even in a group of dozen Titans, one of them had disobeyed Zeke's order and tried to eat Mike. So a whole village would be too to control. Hange was leaning more toward the gas theory.

A Scout dismounted from his horse and said, "Then…the villagers of Ragako were able to safely evacuate?"

"If that's the case," Moblit said, "then the Titans were having a field day in a completely empty village. That's hard to believe. Furthermore…" He walked to the stable full of horses. "Why would they evacuate without even taking a single horse?"

"Then what happened? What could this mean?"

A Scout ran up to them. "Moblit, I found one! This way!"

Moblit and the Scouts followed the man to Connie's house. "There you are…" A crippled Titan lay on its back, ribs showing and its pelvis and legs almost skeletal.

I'm never going to get used to this. Connie thought.

"Moblit, look at this." A Scout handed him a drawing.

"This is a portrait of Connie Springer's parents?" Moblit studied the drawing.

"It's a strong possibility."

The Titan titled its head, its body trembling as it attempted to move.

"Is it just me or did the Titan react to Connie's name?" Petra asked.

"I think it did." Hange shared her thoughts regarding the turning of the village. "I've been thinking it was either an ability or the Titan serum in gas form that turned the village. But from what've seen of the Beast Titan and his ability to control Pure Titans to an extent, I'm thinking it was him."