Levi's sharp eyes narrowed on Zeke, silence stretching between them.
"…"
"What are you so worried about?" Zeke finally broke the quiet, his voice calm, almost casual.
"Didn't I say it already? Once we're inside the city, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Levi's expression didn't shift, but the air around him seemed to thicken. His stare was a blade in itself, honed sharp by suspicion. For a long while, he just watched Zeke in silence before asking, voice clipped
"Where's the ancient book?"
Zeke's lips curved faintly, his answer laced with indifference. "The kid didn't know what it was.
Used it to light a fire while roasting sweet potatoes."
Levi's eyes darkened. "Do you think I'll believe that?"
"Believe it or don't," Zeke replied, shrugging as though the matter meant little to him.
Levi's silence deepened into something dangerous. Finally, he clicked his tongue, sharp and irritated. With a curt tug on the reins, he urged his horse ahead, leaving Zeke behind—at least for the moment.
Only when the captain's back was turned did Zeke let out a long breath. The knot in his chest loosened slightly… but not for long.
"Are you really going to tell them everything?" Reiner's voice cut in coldly from beside him.
Zeke sighed inwardly. It felt like taming one ancestor only to face another waiting in line.
"Not exactly." His tone dropped low. He glanced around to make sure Levi wasn't close enough to hear. "First thing's first—remove the marks on your gear. That's more important than talking."
He reached into his coat, pulling out a stone he'd picked up earlier. Without hesitation, he began scraping the Marleyan insignia carved into the handle of his firearm. Tiny shavings of metal fell away with each stroke.
The others understood immediately. Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie followed his example, pulling out knives, gear, or guns and working to erase every trace of Marley's stamp from their possessions.
Zeke observed them closely through the corner of his eye. None resisted. Their expressions were sour, but their hands didn't falter. Deep down, they still acknowledged him as their superior.
That loyalty—however reluctant—was something Zeke knew he could still exploit.
"You should understand why this is necessary," he said as the stone scraped rhythmically against steel.
"The king inside the Walls has tampered with the truth of history. The people here don't even know the outside world exists. If he—or his soldiers—see Marley's mark on our weapons, we're finished."
The urgency in his words struck a chord. The children quickened their pace, destroying the marks even more fervently, even checking their uniforms for hidden insignias.
Reiner, however, frowned. "But… how do you know the king tampered with history?"
Zeke lifted his head, his eyes glinting.
"Think about it. These people genuinely believe Titans rule the entire world. They believe humanity is trapped here, fighting for freedom against extinction. Isn't that absurd? Doesn't that strike you as strange?"
The doubt dug into Reiner. He remembered his conversations with the Survey Corps soldiers—their unwavering conviction that they were humanity's last hope. Slowly, he nodded, unease flickering in his gaze. "Yeah… I did think it was strange too."
For the first time, his guard eased.
Nearby, Annie's knife paused mid-scratch. Her usually unreadable eyes softened, her thoughts pulled elsewhere. "It's so sad…" she murmured quietly. "People are killing each other, even though we're the same. Why can't we just… get along?"
Her voice trembled at the edges.
Memories surged inside her chest. The image of her father—limping, stern, yet desperate—rose unbidden. For years she'd hated him, hated the brutal training he'd forced on her, the cold discipline that stripped her childhood away. Yet she couldn't stop the ache when she remembered his last words before she left for this mission:
"Annie, you must come back. No matter what. Even if the mission fails, even if the whole world turns against you, even if they call you a monster… I will always be on your side."
The tears she had refused to shed that day now burned behind her eyes. Why had he begged her like that? Why had he suddenly shown her love only when sending her away? Why couldn't they have lived like an ordinary father and daughter instead of enemies locked in a cage of training and resentment?
"Annie!" Reiner's sharp call yanked her back from the fog. Her hand stilled over the blade, and she blinked as though waking from a dream.
Zeke's eyes flickered toward her, watching carefully. Annie was normally silent, unreadable, a soldier forged from steel. To see her drift like this was rare. He couldn't read her thoughts, but he understood the danger of letting emotions surface. Still, he answered her unspoken lament.
"Because Eldia has no unified king," Zeke said quietly.
His words made Reiner stiffen. Zeke continued, voice low and deliberate.
"Whether in Marley or here in Paradis, Eldia are divided. Split and weak."
Reiner's eyes widened. "Captain! What are you saying?!" His voice spiked, sharp with alarm.
"That sounds like treason—like you want to betray Marley!"
The outburst carried through the air. Some nearby Survey Corps soldiers turned their heads, suspicious eyes flicking their way.
Even Levi, far ahead, paused and glanced back with a dark look.
"Damn it." Zeke yanked Reiner down with a harsh pull, glaring. Internal conflict now would be suicide—especially under Levi's nose.
Not yet, he thought bitterly. Once I claim the Founding Titan's power, I'll erase your doubts with a single thought. Brainwashing is simpler than arguing.
"No," he said aloud, softening his tone. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not betraying anyone. I'm only analyzing reality. Isn't it the truth?"
Reiner hesitated, confusion clouding his face. He wasn't ready for such complexities. He only knew one thing: if he became Marley's strongest warrior, maybe his mother and father could finally live together. That dream was enough to silence him.
Zeke's voice dropped lower, heavy with gravity. "Eldia is cursed because it is divided. Two peoples—Marley and Paradis. And even Paradis is split again: those inside the Walls, and those outside. Those within the Walls hate and fight those beyond.
Those beyond devour those within. In Marley, we have no true leader, so we're enslaved, turned into weapons."
His eyes swept over the young warriors, locking onto each of them in turn. "This is the price of division. Without unity, Eldia is nothing but tragedy."
The recruits swallowed hard. Their earlier defiance faltered, replaced by fear of the picture Zeke painted.
"Captain…" Reiner's voice shook, a whisper now. Bertolt's shoulders hunched. Annie looked away.
Zeke allowed the silence to linger just long enough, then let his lips curve into a faint smile, his tone lightening as if nothing weighty had been said at all.
"Alright," he said. "Enough grim talk. Let me share something with you instead—a real military secret."