"You have been a critical part of our missions since the day you joined us, Eren. I would be remiss to not at least acknowledge your efforts and hardships directly to you." Erwin flexes his right hand at his side.
"Especially now."
Now that he has some idea of how it must feel to carry such a power within. There are still many factors that separate them, of course - experience, age, outlook - that Erwin would never claim to understand what all of this has been like for Eren. They've put an immense amount of pressure on him because of his abilities, which have made him an object around which constant conflict has orbited ever since. Erwin has done everything in his power, including deposing a false king, to be able to utilize those abilities for himself. For Humanity, he'd always said, and while it hadn't been an outright lie, it also hadn't been the full truth.
Now he has the truth, and it's staggering.
Humanity doesn't really deserve it, Eren says, and Erwin turns the words over in his mind. Humanity isn't in danger; it never was. He had, of course, considered the possibility that that was true. If his father's guess proved correct, which Erwin had long ago adopted as the most likely truth, then it was a likely scenario that inside these walls was not the last bastion of the human race. But making the suggestion would always have been detrimental to his more immediate goals.
In the short term, little has changed. Erwin has already begun formulating plans to survey the rest of the island (ironic, really, that had they been able to wipe out the titans and make the territory beyond the walls safe, they would only have come up against another, even more significant barrier). Eliminating the remaining titans and finding Marley's access point was the top priority, but there was already still so much out there to explore in their immediate vicinity. New resources to find, new landscapes to see. The thoughts are intoxicating.
But it's clear that Eren's focus is further afield, narrower. Humanity doesn't need to be saved, so the question of whether it deserves it isn't important, as far as Erwin is concerned. However, the people they've always fought their battles for are still under threat, and one that is unlikely to ignore them forever, after all of the efforts they've already made.
"I would say whatever you currently feel is what you are 'supposed' to feel, and that I am the last person who should dictate what anyone's emotions should be."
Perhaps it is a little more open than he might have been with any of his soldiers outside the closest circle once, but with so few of them left, and especially in this moment with Eren, it feels like the best approach.
They approach the gate of the paddock. Most of the horses are far flung, grazing leisurely without any knowledge of what has become of the rest of their herd, or of the dangers beyond the walls and beyond the sea.
To Eren's question, Erwin nods, unsurprised. "Yes. Humanity itself may not be in danger, but the people of this island are, and it is their futures we must defend."
His gaze travels back to the young man. "And now especially that we have the truth and two formidable titans at our disposal, I don't imagine that Marley will leave us be."
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"Especially now."
Now that he has some idea of how it must feel to carry such a power within. There are still many factors that separate them, of course - experience, age, outlook - that Erwin would never claim to understand what all of this has been like for Eren. They've put an immense amount of pressure on him because of his abilities, which have made him an object around which constant conflict has orbited ever since. Erwin has done everything in his power, including deposing a false king, to be able to utilize those abilities for himself. For Humanity, he'd always said, and while it hadn't been an outright lie, it also hadn't been the full truth.
Now he has the truth, and it's staggering.
Humanity doesn't really deserve it, Eren says, and Erwin turns the words over in his mind. Humanity isn't in danger; it never was. He had, of course, considered the possibility that that was true. If his father's guess proved correct, which Erwin had long ago adopted as the most likely truth, then it was a likely scenario that inside these walls was not the last bastion of the human race. But making the suggestion would always have been detrimental to his more immediate goals.
In the short term, little has changed. Erwin has already begun formulating plans to survey the rest of the island (ironic, really, that had they been able to wipe out the titans and make the territory beyond the walls safe, they would only have come up against another, even more significant barrier). Eliminating the remaining titans and finding Marley's access point was the top priority, but there was already still so much out there to explore in their immediate vicinity. New resources to find, new landscapes to see. The thoughts are intoxicating.
But it's clear that Eren's focus is further afield, narrower. Humanity doesn't need to be saved, so the question of whether it deserves it isn't important, as far as Erwin is concerned. However, the people they've always fought their battles for are still under threat, and one that is unlikely to ignore them forever, after all of the efforts they've already made.
"I would say whatever you currently feel is what you are 'supposed' to feel, and that I am the last person who should dictate what anyone's emotions should be."
Perhaps it is a little more open than he might have been with any of his soldiers outside the closest circle once, but with so few of them left, and especially in this moment with Eren, it feels like the best approach.
They approach the gate of the paddock. Most of the horses are far flung, grazing leisurely without any knowledge of what has become of the rest of their herd, or of the dangers beyond the walls and beyond the sea.
To Eren's question, Erwin nods, unsurprised. "Yes. Humanity itself may not be in danger, but the people of this island are, and it is their futures we must defend."
His gaze travels back to the young man. "And now especially that we have the truth and two formidable titans at our disposal, I don't imagine that Marley will leave us be."