Zeke climbed onto the carriage in a daze, Erwin's parting words still echoing in his ears.
Destiny really was a circle. No matter how hard you twisted and turned, it always seemed to drag you back to the beginning. Back to Shiganshina.
So lost in thought, he didn't notice the three "recruits" staring holes through him.
Their gazes had changed—sharper, accusing.
He exhaled and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Listen. We come from the deep mountains southeast of Wall Maria. We're just a small hunting family scraping by. That's the story. It hides why we own rifles."
He tapped the gun beside him for emphasis.
"And when we get to the city? No matter who asks, you call it a hunting rifle. Ordinary, nothing special. If anyone presses, say you found it in a cave.
Don't elaborate. Don't invent. Just say you don't know. Got it?"
Silence.
The three sat stiffly, eyes cold.
Zeke blinked. "…What?"
"What's with the captain?" Reiner muttered, voice low and simmering. "Chatting with them like old friends?"
Zeke forced a laugh. "Isn't it obvious? To blend in with their group, of course."
Bertolt's eyes narrowed. "Then why did you know about Shiganshina District?" His tone cut like glass. "That's a place inside the Walls, isn't it? How would you know that name?
And Dr. Yeager—how do you know him? He's from inside too. Same surname as you, even."
Annie spoke at last, voice like frost. "South gate. Shiganshina. That's exactly where you told us to avoid. And now you're steering us there." Her stare was sharp as a knife.
"Why, Captain? Why does it feel like you're betraying us?"
"Uh—this is top secret!" Zeke stammered, hands raised. "Only the commander knows! You're not cleared, that's all! Just… listen to me!"
"Say that again," Reiner growled. "Every time we press, you hide behind that excuse. 'Top secret, classified, can't tell you.' But you sound less like a commander and more like a liar."
"What's there to cover up?!" Zeke snapped, though his throat tightened. "This is my first time on the island too! Anything I know, I was told by my superiors. That's all!"
The carriage was thick with mistrust. Even Annie, usually silent, glared at him. Their hostility burned hotter than before—like they were seconds from snapping.
Zeke's chest prickled with sweat. He opened his mouth to calm them, but the clatter of hooves interrupted.
Erwin and Levi approached on horseback.
"We're ready to return to the city," Erwin announced. Behind him, soldiers lifted body bags onto carts, the grim harvest of the battle neatly arranged.
"Didn't you ask for protection?" Erwin continued, gesturing toward the figure at his side. "This man is Levi. Humanity's strongest soldier. I've decided he'll be in charge of your safety for now."
Zeke froze. "…You're joking."
Levi Ackerman. Humanity's strongest. The little devil who haunted his nightmares.
If Levi was his protector, Zeke thought bitterly, he'd better start guarding the back of his neck.
Levi's eyes narrowed. "…Why is the back of my neck itchy all of a sudden?"
"Ah, nothing!" Zeke blurted, clawing awkwardly at his collar. He forced a smile.
"Just a tic, haha—"
That smile only made Levi's expression sour further. He tilted his blade slightly. "Need me to scrape it for you?"
Zeke threw up both hands. "No, no!"
"Tch." Levi's gaze sharpened. "If you're human, stop doing things only Titans do." His voice was low and cutting. "You said earlier that Titans are transformed humans."
"Is that true? Or are you one of them—human twisted into Titan flesh?"
"How could that be?!" Zeke shouted too quickly, too loud.
Guilt made the volume rise.
"I told you, I made that up. A story. To get the kids to sleep. Nothing more!"
But the look in Levi's eyes—and Erwin's calm, steady gaze—told him they weren't convinced.
Desperation flared, and Zeke tried to pivot. "Well… you trust your king, don't you? If the king says Titans have nothing to do with humans, then obviously they don't!"
That line usually worked. After all, the Founding Titan's power had brainwashed generations into obedience. The Eldians within the Walls couldn't possibly—
"I don't believe in monarchs," Levi interrupted coldly. "Rotten maggots, all of them."
Erwin's tone was softer, but heavier. "And I've always wondered if humanity exists beyond the Walls. If they do, then everything we've been told is a lie.
My only goal in life is to uncover the truth of this world."
"I love Titans!" Hanji suddenly burst into view, face flushed like she'd been running. "I don't care if it's true or not, I'll take any scrap of information about them!"
"Captain! Switch with Levi!" she begged, practically vibrating. "Let me guard the blond boy and his siblings!"
"No," Erwin said firmly, face darkening. "You'll return to the city with the regiment as planned. And once there, you won't breathe a word about these weapons."
"But I want to protect Zeke!" she whined.
Erwin ignored her. He struck his horse, and it bolted forward. Hanji's protests trailed off into the distance.
"I'll leave my life in your hands," Erwin said quietly, glancing at Levi.
"Yeah." Levi's eyes were dead as stone.
Zeke sagged in despair. His "protector" was his executioner in waiting.
Erwin turned away, but as he passed the cart he noticed the three huddled recruits, knees drawn to their chests, shadows dark on their faces.
He reached out and placed a hand gently on the blonde girl's head.
"You did well," he told Annie softly. "When I was your age, I hadn't even killed a Titan. I've been in the Survey Corps for over a decade and never once claimed victory in the field. But today—we did. Imperfect as it was, your arrival led us to triumph. That is invaluable."
"Our fEren comrades died a worthy death. None of us will blame you."
"Thank you… for leading us to victory."
He gave her head one last pat and rode away.
Annie stared after him, dazed. She touched her hair where his hand had been. The warmth lingered.
For an instant, she thought of her father far away, training her endlessly, demanding endlessly. A man about the same age as this commander.
But her father had never praised her.
Not once.