We were all born with the right to be ordinary people. But this world forced us to become demons.
The words hung in the air as the Warrior Captain's figure disappeared into the mist. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie stood in silence, each of them carrying seeds of doubt that had begun to sprout in their hearts.
"In the end… couldn't humans and Titans live in peace?" Seema asked softly. He wasn't sure if the question was meant for the others, or just for himself.
A memory returned unbidden—the moment he stood upon a Titan's shoulder, gazing at a horizon that seemed endless. He had known he was only being used as a stand-in, nothing more than a substitute. Yet that view, vast and unbroken, was burned into him forever.
…
Inside the Wall, their mission truly began.
Bertolt lowered the group to the ground, his colossal form radiating waves of heat before collapsing into clouds of steam.
The earth trembled as his massive hands released them.
Reiner shifted uneasily. "Why should we share food and weapons with them? Captain, are you even sure we can find the walls in a single day?" His voice cracked with impatience.
Zeke's expression tightened. He had expected hesitation, but not this instability. "Reiner, I can't promise we'll reach a wall today. What I can promise is that within twenty-four hours, we will find an Eldian settlement."
His tone brooked no argument. He turned sharply and barked his orders.
"Bertolt—return to human form. You're too large a target."
"Reiner—transform into the Armored Titan."
"From now on, you and Annie will alternate every four hours. I'll guide us. The Pure Titans' vision is weaker at night—that's our window. We move until dawn. No rest."
"Yes, sir!" the young warriors replied, raising their fists in salute.
Bertolt collapsed from his Titan form in a storm of steam. The blast struck like a furnace, scattering the soldiers.
Zeke coughed and waved at the white fog. "Every damn time… it's overwhelming. Magnificent, but—cough—it burns."
There was a reason for the rotation he had ordered. The Colossal Titan was far too massive—sixty meters of blazing target, impossible to hide. Marcel's Jaw Titan was nimble but small, only five meters, too weak to carry passengers. And Zeke himself? He was the commander. A commander was never a mount.
As the vapor thinned, Bertolt's lanky form appeared. His face, gentle and hesitant, seemed almost impossible to reconcile with the terror of the world's largest Titan. Zeke studied him briefly, then shifted his gaze.
He still felt a lingering chill at the thought of Paradis Island. A memory gnawed at him—a short boy, barely 1.6 meters tall, wielding blades with impossible precision. Could that boy have already joined the Survey Corps by this time? If so, the events of this timeline would be far more complicated than the one he remembered. But then he shook the thought away. As long as he didn't cross paths with that dwarf, nothing else mattered.
Reiner stepped forward and shouldered his pack. Inside were rations and specialized anti-Titan weaponry—equipment issued for the Paradis mission, their insurance against failure. He hesitated, then passed the bag to Zeke.
His jaw clenched. "Captain… shouldn't this gear stay with us instead of those criminals? They've all committed unforgivable acts. Why waste food and weapons on them?"
Zeke's brow furrowed. "Still on this?" His voice hardened. "Reiner Braun!"
The shout cracked like a whip. Reiner flinched, dropping the pack with a thud. Instinct took over, and he snapped to attention, hand stiffly at his forehead.
"Sir—! Here!"
Zeke's golden eyes glared into him. "What the hell did they teach you in training camp? Listen carefully—" His voice rose.
"You are no longer a candidate. You are a soldier. And a soldier obeys his superior's orders. He does not argue. He does not question."
"But, Captain," Reiner shot back, fists trembling, "what you're doing—it's selfish! It has nothing to do with military objectives. Are we supposed to obey even when you act like that?"
Zeke froze, then narrowed his eyes. Bold. Reckless. A tough little bastard. If they'd been back in Marley, Zeke would have ordered him to run a hundred laps until his legs gave out. But here, on foreign soil with Titans lurking, he couldn't afford to waste strength.
"Reiner Braun," Zeke said at last, his tone lowering into something more dangerous. "Remember this: you are Eldian. And those prisoners? They are your people."
"No!" Reiner's chest swelled with defiance. "I am Marleyan!"
Zeke's jaw tightened. Stubborn boy.
He stepped closer, voice sharp as a blade. "Fine. Let me ask you this. Imagine one day your own family stood on top of that wall." He pointed to the towering stone rising above them. "What would you want others to do?"
Reiner's lips curled into pride. "My family would never stand there."
"That's because you wear Marley's armband. You've been granted honor. But that honor is conditional."
The words hit like a hammer.
"If you fail this mission," Zeke pressed,
"Marley's favor will vanish. The moment you lose the Armored Titan, your family will not be honored—they will be criminals. Their lives, their safety, their dignity—gone. Do you understand? You carry the Armored Titan. If you fall here and leave it behind on this cursed island, you will not be remembered as a warrior. You will be remembered as a sinner. And your family will pay the price."
Reiner's eyes widened, his pride cracking like glass. For a moment, no words came. The silence that followed was heavier than the steam still drifting in the night air.