A month later, Mikasa and I officially became members of the Jaeger family. During that time, I met Grisha's wife, Carla Jaeger, as well as Eren's close friend, Armin Arlert.
Before settling into this new life, Mikasa and I buried her parents. Afterward, she left her former home and moved with me to the Shiganshina District, where Eren's family lived.
During this period, Grisha carried out many internal purges within his organization. Even though I had once served as his assistant, he never came looking for me.
My days soon settled into a routine. I chopped wood and hunted in the nearby forests, helped with household chores, and spent time with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Most days ended with the three of them helping clean up whatever chaos Eren had managed to cause.
If causing trouble were a talent, Eren would undoubtedly rank at the very top.
Just as I began wondering whether I should take the initiative and seek out Grisha myself, he finally came to find me one evening.
"Jax, come with me."
At the time, I was sitting with Mikasa and Eren, reading together.
The moment Eren heard his father call my name, he jumped to his feet and quickly stepped in front of me.
"Dad, they started it today. We were only fighting back."
Grisha gave a cold snort.
"I did not believe Carla when she said you caused trouble every day. Now you have confessed before I even asked."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And I am not here because of that. Jax, follow me. Eren, I will deal with you later."
Eren froze in place.
"Ah... that..."
I patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't worry. I'll say something good about you."
Then I walked toward Grisha.
He nodded slightly and led me toward the living room, stopping at the entrance to the basement.
"The truth lies down here," Grisha said quietly. "I hope you are prepared, Jax."
He lifted a wooden panel from the floor, revealing a narrow staircase that descended several meters underground. After climbing down, we reached another wooden door.
Grisha opened it.
The basement, a place no one in the house had ever entered except him, finally appeared before my eyes.
The room was completely dark, but with Hunter's Spirit Sight activated, the darkness posed no obstacle to my vision.
The first thing that caught my attention was a large map on the wall.
On the left side was a continent labeled Marley.
On the right side was an island surrounded by three circular walls labeled Paradis Island, the land of the Eldians.
My pupils shrank slightly.
In an instant, many scattered clues began to connect in my mind. Even so, there were still pieces missing. I waited for Grisha to explain the rest.
"Are you surprised?"
Grisha lit an oil lamp, and the dim flame illuminated the room.
"This map shows the truth."
He closed the door behind us and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Now, let me explain everything, Jax."
Grisha pointed toward the map.
"As you can see, we are currently on this island called Paradis."
He continued calmly.
"The vast majority of the people living inside the Walls are Eldians. According to legend, our ancestor Ymir gained the power of the Titans after making a contract with the devil. After her death, her power split into nine separate Titans."
He began listing them one by one.
"The Founding Titan. The Armored Titan. The Beast Titan. The Attack Titan. The War Hammer Titan. The Colossal Titan. The Female Titan. The Jaw Titan. And the Cart Titan."
Grisha's voice remained steady.
"At the same time, every Eldian carries the potential to become a Pure Titan."
"Using this power, the Eldians once defeated the great nation of Marley and established the Eldian Empire, ruling the continent."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But about a hundred years ago, Marley succeeded in driving a wedge between the holders of the Nine Titans. During that conflict, they seized seven of the Titans for themselves."
"The Great Titan War ended with the fall of the Eldian Empire."
"Marley rose to power and rebuilt itself as the dominant nation."
Grisha's expression hardened.
"And all of it happened because of the inaction of the royal family."
===
If you want to read more, check out my patreon.
Patreon.com/ _Zeph