Armin

The next morning was the same as any other, but without a certain damned quest. Getting cleaned up, I was greeted by the sight of my parents prepping for their daily business. Chugging a glass of water, I went and sat at my seat on the table.

Waiting for breakfast and Eren to come by, we exchanged a bit of small talk. It was quite mundane.

"Carla, I'll be going outside the district for a while. But, I'll be back in time for dinner."

Until it wasn't. To my surprise, Grisha was the one who dropped the bomb.

Being a respected doctor who single-handedly cured a plague, Grisha frequently had appointments with a few important people. A few 'very' important people living within the inner walls.

Meaning, Grisha would usually be out for a day or two. But, there were a few exceptions to this. For example, patients who couldn't be moved and needed extended care.

Even then, Grisha never had any patients where he wouldn't stay the night. Meaning that time, it wasn't just any patient. It was someone who lived close-by, but still needed Grisha to come.

And, there were not many who matched that criteria. But, among them was a very important person that I HAD to meet.

"Hmm... Fine. Don't forget the list." Carla replied disinterestedly, without even turning back. Meanwhile, I started my attack.

"Dad, where are you going?" I asked Grisha like a curious child. Nobody can deny a curious child, right?

"I'll be going to the outskirts. I expect you to be on your best behavior when I leave, okay?"

Outskirts! That's exactly where they live!

"Yep!" I answered framing my next questions. I needed to tread carefully now.

"Do people still live in the outskirts?"

"Yes, Karl. Quite a few of them do. Even some of our friends, whom I'll be going to visit, lives there." Grisha said with a knowing smile.

Che-, looks like he won't clarify who it is. Damn Dad, are you still playing the "Dream" game? But, it's already been a month since my birthday!

"Oh! Is it the Ackermans'?" My mother asked as she finally turned towards us. She seemed to have a reminiscent smile on her face.

'Nice going, Carla! Get the ass to tattle.' Was all my childish brain could think of. Only a bit later did I realize, that there seemed to be a prior connection between our families. But that's not the priority here.

"Yes, they sent word a few days ago..." He said as he continued chatting with Carla. Meanwhile, I was ecstatic. Even though I looked quite calm, I was so excited that I was already break-dancing in my head!

Finally! It was time to meet Mikasa! But for that…

"Dad, can I come with you too?" I asked in a pleading tone. The best method to convince him was to use the greatest of my charms.

At that, he looked quite troubled. Looking closer, I could see his eyebrows twitching, alarming me quite a bit.

Does he have memories of when Mikasa and Eren first met? I didn't think so, because, in the canon, he seemed genuinely shocked when he found her parents dead that day.

Then again, things might have changed and I had better thing to worry about. Like Grisha, who seemed like he would deny my request.

"You said it wasn't that far anyway, so I wanted to tag along. Also, there's nothing to I can do within the district too." I said, adding fuel to the fire. I had to go with him no matter what.

A minute later, he shook his head. Turning towards me, he spoke with a helpless smile.

"Karl, it will still take a lot of time and we need to walk a lot. You might get tired during the journey."

"I can do it!" I nodded confidently as I returned his gaze. But, noticing that he was still firm in his decision, I tweaked my tactics a little. If persuasion wouldn't cut it, then my acting will!

"Please, please, please Daddy. Please~" I said, locking my fingers with an innocent look. As my 25 year old brain tried it's best to act like a kid, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

This was certain to enter the top 5 of my most shameful memories.

But still, this was much better than people dying.

In the end, Grisha remained silent, no, stunned to be specific. I'd rather not know what my performance was like, but, it seemed like it had quite an impact.

"Well, they do have a daughter your age, I suppose you could be friends." He said as he sighed as he spoke.

"Then…?"

"Fine, Karl. I'll take you along." He said with a defeated smile on his face. I had done it! Hurray to the Great Lord Karl!

"Yay!! Then when are we leaving?" I asked, forgetting all about my mortifying spectacle.

"Slow down, young man. We'll be going on Sunday, so there's plenty of time. No need to rush."

Just as I was about to celebrate, I heard a small chuckle from behind me. Turning back, I could see Eren, covering his mouth, trying his best not to laugh.

"When di-" was all I could say, and he burst out laughing as soon as our eyes met. Even Carla, who was now right beside him, chuckled a bit.

"Ahem. Ahem" Grisha gave a few fake coughs, as I looked at them in disbelief. Such insensitivity!

Scratch top 5, this is definitely my most shameful memory… My cheeks reddened as I clenched my teeth in frustration. Yet, all I could do was glare at the prat. For now...

Oh, he would be experiencing a world of pain!

'Yer on my torture list now, bitch!'

I'll make sure to pay it back, including the dues.

***

After my amazing performance, I resumed my path-finding journey. With my useless little tail, I ventured into dark alleys on my quest to explore the unknown.

Well, this time, I actually had a destination in mind, so, it wasn't exactly an exploration. But, you get my drift, right?

"Big bro, are we still doing the same thing?" The f*cking tail, whom I couldn't abandon for the sake of my mother, ran his mouth. Such a thick skinned bastard, trying to make small talk to someone he just humiliated.

I really wanted to beat the shit out of this damned brat, but, I calmed myself and waited patiently. For good things always come to those who wait.

Resuming the silent treatment, I opened my Main Quest window.

<+>

[Quest ;]

[Inherit the Titans]

[Type: Main]

[Summary: Convince Grisha Yeager that you should be the true successor to the Titans he has and shall acquire in the future, and consequently inherit them.]

[Progress: 42%]

[Reward: Founder Titan, Attack Titan, 2000 Gene Points.]

[Penalty: None]

<+>

Undoubtedly, this is my most important Quest, as of now. And once again, I couldn't help but scoff at the Penalty.

Although it read none, this only meant that the System would give me no penalty. But, that doesn't mean I couldn't not die.

Anyway, I've been steadily working towards it, giving Grisha snippets of the future and exhibiting my intelligence. Also, him doing his best to be a good father, worked in my favor as well.

At this rate, I should be able to complete it without any problems. With that, I only needed to save Mikasa's family as well as mine, and my early plans would be complete.

Now that everything was in place, I couldn't help but feel good. And, as I got closer to my destination, I was already grinning. The brat is definitely going to go mad today.

Looking at the candy shop in the distance, I turned towards Eren, about to ask him to stay put, when I heard a pained howl. Without much thought, I made my way down the street as I found a peculiar sight in a certain alley.

Looking at the source, I found a group of kids, maybe 10 years or so, ganging up on a smaller kid in the far corner of the alley.

The boy had shoulder length blond hair and large hazel eyes that glowered like a wild beast. In contrast to his expressions, the young boy was the one getting beaten up instead. His diminutive figure with an obvious lack of muscle wasn't helping either.

The bullies laughed as they saw the victim curled up and about to cry. They continued punching and kicking him, just for the fun of it. Looking at this scene, I felt a bit of nostalgia and pity.

'To think I would find him today…' I thought as I smiled a little. Obviously, I wasn't laughing at the bruised child, but at my absurd luck.

I'm quite certain that the canon Eren met the kid when they were younger, but this wasn't too bad either. I was just happy that I could finally meet one of my most favorite characters, and most probably, them smartest of them all.

After being humiliated and beaten up, the child just sat there, against the wall. He looked like he was forcing himself to not cry…

'I already knew, but this kid sure has a strong will!' I made my way into the alley, admiring the child's determination. Luckily for the bullies, they had just left the place. But still, I might have to teach them a lesson later…

Even the prat frowned at the sight of such oppression. But, without him realizing it, I had already approached the boy.

"Eh? Big bro? Wait for me!" Eren said with a knowing smile. Looks like we had the same goals, for now at least.