"By the way," Keith Shadis said suddenly, his voice quieter than before. His eyes—sharp, restless—shifted to Zeke. "Levi told me you stayed at Dr. Jaeger's house last night. How's his family? Are they safe?"
It was almost too much interest for a man like Keith.
But then again—he was Grisha's old acquaintance. Perhaps that explained it.
Zeke didn't hesitate. "Mother and child are safe. Hannes said he'd risk his life to get them to the docks."
Keith exhaled heavily, relief flickering across his stern features. "By water, then. That's good. Safer than the road."
But his shoulders stiffened again. His hand caught Zeke's sleeve, pulling him aside. His voice dropped to a rasp. "Wait—you said 'mother and child.' What about Grisha? Where's the doctor?"
Zeke's eyes narrowed. "He wasn't home. He's… on a medical visit. On the mainland."
Keith sagged slightly, as though a burden had been lifted. "I see. Then he's safe."
But only Zeke knew the truth. Grisha wasn't seeing patients. He was after the Founding Titan. And by now… it should already be done.
The realization struck Zeke like a hammer.
His breath caught. I should have known. I should never have trusted the timing of my previous life.
He remembered Eren's words—"Dad is out." That single phrase should have set off alarms. Grisha's absence meant one thing: the move to take the Founder. The fall of Shiganshina had followed immediately in the past.
Not a week later. Not days later. Immediately.
His mistake had been anchoring himself to that false timeline. Believing that events would unfold exactly as before. But everything was already shifting. Carla was alive. Wall Maria still stood. Cause and effect no longer matched the pattern he remembered.
Eren's Attack Titan power—its ability to peer into the future—meant that Grisha was guided not by Zeke's past, but by what Eren conveyed. And for Eren, the moment was now.
Which meant Zeke had been wrong from the start.
Disastrously wrong.
If Grisha had already seized the Founding Titan, then the next step was inevitable: passing it, and the Attack Titan, to Eren.
That step—Zeke had to stop.
He clenched his fists, jaw tight. I can still change it. Carla is alive. Wall Maria has not fallen. Proof enough that the future can shift.
If I stop Father from passing the Titans to Eren, then Eren's fate can be rewritten completely.
His eyes burned with sudden determination. He turned sharply to Levi. "Lend me your horse."
Levi arched an eyebrow, surprised that Zeke had dared call him directly by name. "Why?"
"I'm going to the interior," Zeke said flatly. "To find Grisha."
Levi's frown deepened. "Why the hell would you chase after him? He's safe enough inland.
Shouldn't you be worrying about your relatives heading to the docks, whose lives are actually at risk?"
"Stop asking so many questions, you short—"
The word barely left his lips before the glint of steel flashed. Levi's hand was already on his blade, the curve of his stance promising violence.
Zeke's heart lurched. "N-no, not short! Petite. Dainty! Look at you—so small, so… cute."
Levi's eyes did not change.
Sweat broke down Zeke's back.
Desperation made him blurt: "You're only one-point-six meters tall, but when you leap, you're eighteen meters! Bigger than any Titan!"
Levi didn't answer with words. He moved.
The hiss of cables, the blast of compressed gas, and Levi was airborne. Not eighteen meters—but high enough. His blade cut with merciless precision. A pure Titan, three meters tall, crumpled to the ground behind Zeke. Blood spattered.
The stench of steam rolled through the air.
Levi landed, expression unshaken. He slid the blade home into its sheath, pulled out a handkerchief, and began wiping his hands as though the blood itself offended him.
His voice was calm, detached. "You should be glad you're human. If you weren't, you'd be the one on the ground."
Zeke swallowed hard, nodding with mock gravity. "Right. Very glad." His mind whispered: I still need to see Father. To see Eren.
Levi jerked his chin toward the line of horses tethered beneath the wall. "That one's mine. Use it."
Zeke darted toward it. "Thanks, Short—"
The half-drawn blade gleamed again.
Zeke backpedaled instantly. "Thanks, Captain Levi!"
"Levi," Erwin called from behind. His tone carried authority that cut through the tension. "Go protect him. Whatever happens, he's valuable."
Levi's eyes narrowed. He sheathed his blade with a metallic snap. "The gate is what matters. If that falls, nothing inside is safe. Not your precious warrior, not anyone."
"That's true," Erwin conceded. "But if we let him vanish again, we lose our chance to learn anything."
Levi turned away, voice sharp. "Isabel! Farlan! Guard him."
The two young recruits—Levi's companions from the underground—looked startled.
"Us?" Farlan blinked.
"I want to stay with you!" Isabel protested, voice cracking with stubborn loyalty.
"This is an order!" Levi barked.
"Y-yeah!" Isabel scrambled, her face flushed as she sprinted after Zeke, Farlan close on her heels.
By now, Zeke had thrown himself onto Levi's warhorse. The beast screamed, rearing violently.
"Whoa—!" Zeke shrieked, clinging desperately as he nearly toppled off.
The horse bucked again. Isabel and Farlan grabbed the reins, yanking hard until the animal stilled. Steam puffed from its nostrils.
Zeke sat frozen, pale written across his face. The great Warrior Captain of Marley—nearly undone by a single horse.
"You can't ride?" Isabel asked, incredulous.
Zeke groaned. "Who rides horses these days? Where I'm from it's all… artillery. Technology."
Farlan vaulted smoothly onto the saddle behind him. "Then I'll guide it. Hold still." His arms locked around Zeke, steadying him as the horse finally obeyed.
Zeke's jaw clenched. His pride was ash, scattered in the wind.
"So," Farlan asked, the reins firm in his hands. "Where to?"
Zeke stared ahead. His throat tightened. "…"
He had no answer. No clear direction. Grisha's path was hidden, his plan already in motion.
"I don't know," Zeke admitted at last, voice hollow. "I don't know where he is."
And for the first time in years, Marley's Beast Titan warrior felt utterly powerless.
...
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