"Marcel died to save you. Don't you think you should take responsibility for him? Live on with his share of the burden!" Zeke's deep, grating voice echoed through the trees
His massive foot pressed down on the armored face beneath him, forcing the Titan's head deeper into the soil. "Get up. Now that you can transform, we move forward!"
But the Armored Titan didn't respond. His expression was blank, his eyes glassy with confusion.
Not all Titans could speak after transforming. Some, like Reiner, struggled to maintain even a shred of clarity.
Zeke ground his heel into the armor plates, trying to rattle him awake. "Listen carefully, brat. When you return to Marley, you'll submit the following report: 'Soldier Marcel Braun—gloriously fell in battle against the Eldian enemy.' That's how it will be written."
The Beast Titan's voice grew quieter, but no less sharp. "This way, his family will continue to receive their soldier's pension. They'll be honored, not disgraced. That—" he pressed harder, his tone like iron, "—is the last thing you can do for him. Do you understand?"
The words pierced Reiner's despair like light seeping through cracks in a shuttered window.
Yes… only by returning alive can I carry Marcel's name back home. Only then can I bring glory to his family and mine. If I die here, Marcel's sacrifice will be for nothing.
Memories flickered before him—his family, their faces full of expectation. His mother's desperate hope that he would succeed as a warrior and lift their household from misery. Marcel's hand gripping his shoulder, promising to protect him, promising that together they would make it home.
If his family were standing at that wall—cornered, helpless—wouldn't they hope for a warrior like Captain Zeke to save them?
No one's family should ever have to face that horror again.
"I have to complete the mission," Reiner thought fiercely. His Titan eyes glowed faintly as his will hardened. "For my family… for Marcel!"
Zeke, watching closely, felt a small measure of relief. The light had returned to the boy's eyes. He had clawed his way back from despair.
But even as Zeke felt satisfaction, he carried a secret truth. He didn't intend for these children to return to Marley.
His purpose was not theirs. Yet, for now, he couldn't reveal that. Not until his father and Yelena were dealt with, not until the truth of Grisha Yeager's actions had been severed at the root.
For now, he had to live as a Marleyan warrior, and let them believe the mission was still theirs.
He turned, addressing the others.
"Enough. We're wasting time. Mount up—we move forward while Reiner is in Titan form. Who knows if he'll manage to transform again when we need him most."
"Yes, Captain!" Bertolt answered with uncharacteristic strength in his voice.
Annie, however, stepped forward, her sharp eyes narrowing. "Captain… I think we should track down the Jaw Titan first. After that Pure Titan devoured Marcel, it must have transformed back into a human somewhere nearby. If we follow its trail, we should be able to find it soon."
Zeke paused. He hadn't expected Annie to speak up. She was sharp, pragmatic, and rarely wasted words.
But he shook his head. "No. We keep moving forward. The Jaw Titan doesn't matter right now."
Annie frowned. "Why? The Jaw is one of the Nine. We can't just ignore it."
Zeke hesitated, then forced out a dismissive answer. "Because if fate allows it, we'll encounter that Titan again. Don't worry about it."
Her expression hardened. "How can you be so sure?"
"Intuition." Zeke's tone brooked no further questions. He gestured sharply toward the armored shoulders.
"Climb on. That's an order."
The recruits obeyed, though Annie's doubt lingered in her eyes.
Of course, Zeke would never reveal to them the real reason. He remembered the script of his previous life. He remembered the name of the one who had stolen Marcel's power.
Ymir.
The Pure Titan who had devoured Marcel would become human again, reclaiming her consciousness as the new Jaw Titan. She would slip into the Eldian settlement and—just as before—cross paths with these very warriors.
Later, Annie would be captured, Bertolt would fall, and only Reiner would return to Marley. And with him would be Ymir—the soldier girl who had once been a Titan, the thief of the Jaw's power.
That was how it had played out before. That was how it was supposed to play out.
Marley had believed Reiner's report because Ymir had been there to make it believable.
"Marcel died gloriously in battle against the Eldians"—that lie had been accepted because Ymir herself was living proof.
And Zeke remembered it all.
Even now, he wondered if this world would follow the same course, or if his rebirth had already shattered destiny beyond recognition. But one thing was certain—he would find her again. No matter how the path twisted, he would track down the human who had stolen the Jaw Titan.
Zeke clenched his fist, eyes burning with the weight of memory.
Ymir. You can't escape me this time.