"What… did you just say?" Zeke's golden eyes narrowed.
"N-Nothing!" Bertolt blurted, his voice cracking as he quickly averted his gaze from Reiner's limp body slumped at their feet. His trembling hand slipped from Annie's sleeve, but he gripped it again, as if afraid letting go would condemn him too.
The carriage rattled on. Zeke finished wiping the blood from Moses's knife, then slid the blade aside with deliberate calm. His gaze lingered on the two children across from him—Annie and Bertolt. Compared to Reiner, they were quieter, more obedient. But they were still Marley's children. That made them dangerous.
Zeke leaned forward slightly. His tone was smooth, but there was weight in it, a heaviness that pressed down on them like a warning.
"There's one thing I haven't told you yet."
Both Annie and Bertolt stiffened.
"…?" Annie's brows knitted, cautious.
Zeke's lips curved faintly. "Your parents are in my hands."
"!"
The air seemed to freeze.
"No—not literally, not yet," Zeke corrected, almost lazily. "Before we landed on the island, I issued orders. My subordinates are moving to extract your parents and families from Marley's surveillance. It was a rushed order, so it hasn't been completed… but in two or three months?
They'll be free from the government's control."
Silence filled the cramped space. Annie's eyes narrowed. "Why would you do that?"
"You… you want to betray Marley?!" Bertolt's reaction was sharp, panicked. He pulled Annie closer, hand clenching around hers as if she might be stolen from him.
It was already obvious. Zeke's words weren't a hint. They were a declaration.
Zeke tilted his head, voice hardening. "You don't honestly think I'd still be loyal to Marley after watching the end of the world, do you? Or do you want to sit back and let the Rumbling crush your parents into the dirt?"
Annie and Bertolt froze, the force of the question hitting them harder than any threat.
"My father…" Bertolt's voice wavered. "He… he died of illness before the end came."
"…My father was beaten to death by Marley's soldiers," Annie said quietly. Her tone was flat, but her fists were trembling against her knees.
Zeke blinked. Really? For a second, he felt cheated. I wanted to use their parents as leverage, and it turns out… He sighed inwardly. Two weaklings. No leverage at all.
But then Annie's gaze lifted, sharp and cold, cutting through her usual indifference. "Even so, I can't let my father's death mean nothing. I can't let Marley continue crushing us. If betraying them is the only way forward, then… I'll help you."
Bertolt's mouth fell open. His face flushed bright red, but after a beat he nodded, stammering: "I-I'll help Annie!"
Zeke stared. "…?"
Did I just get a buy-one-get-one-free deal?
He suppressed a smirk, nodding with solemn dignity. "Good. Then I'll do everything I can to ensure your families, and our people, escape Marley's chains."
Annie inclined her head. "Bring my father here. He's not the type to fight Marley for ideals. He only ever wanted a better life. Here, at least, he could eat cheese and bread without worrying about soldiers dragging him away."
"…Hmm." Zeke had no words for that. A tiger father, dog daughter. The loyalty in that family is close to zero.
He turned to Bertolt. "And your father?"
Bertolt lowered his gaze, speaking softly. "My father… doesn't need saving. The whole reason I became a Warrior candidate was so he could get treatment. If you can't guarantee better conditions than Marley's hospitals, then please—don't move him. His body can't handle it. He'll suffer."
Zeke's brows furrowed slightly.
So much for my trump card.
He had no medical guarantees to offer.
But then Bertolt lifted his head, eyes burning with sudden resolve. "Even so… I'll help you stop the end of the world! Not for Marley. For everyone—for all people!"
Zeke froze for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled. An angel. After all this cruelty, after everything he's seen… this boy still clings to kindness.
"Then how do we stop it?" Annie pressed, her tone clipped and practical. "Is the goal to seize the Founding Titan? You said you're going to rebel against Marley—if so, why do you still need it?"
Zeke steepled his fingers. "I told you already. In your past lives, the four of you failed to secure it. Later, Marley sent me and Pieck, and we succeeded. That means whether or not we act, War Hammer and Cart will eventually be sent here. They'll rip the Founder from the island by force. Unless…" His eyes gleamed. "Unless I claim it first."
"I see…" Bertolt whispered. His gaze flickered with dawning comprehension. "Because you're royal blood. The Founder will obey you."
Zeke nodded. "Exactly. This is the best way to change history. With the Founding Titan, I can safeguard all Eldians—on the island and across the sea. And…"
A faint warmth softened his voice, rare and almost human. "Perhaps… perhaps it's even possible to restore those who've been turned into mindless Titans. To make them human again."
Bertolt gasped. "That's… that's impossible, isn't it?!"
"Maybe." Zeke's tone was steady, firm, almost hypnotic.
"But there's a chance. A small one—but real."
He didn't say the rest. That the Founding Titan itself couldn't perform such miracles. That only the true Ancestor could. And that to reach her, he would need the Founder in his possession first.
Zeke's thoughts flickered back to the other timeline. To the way Eren Jaeger had twisted the Ancestor's will in mere moments, unraveling Zeke's carefully constructed orders. His jaw clenched. This time, I won't rely on commands. This time, I'll use something else.
A shadow of Eren's words whispered at the edge of his memory. He smirked faintly. I'll keep those ready.
"That would be… incredible," Bertolt said softly. He thought back to the Eldians executed before his eyes, to the Pure Titans shambling mindlessly. They were all human once. People like us. If they could be saved…
Zeke's voice cut through his thoughts. "Then it's decided. From now on, no more secrets. No more tricks behind my back. We work together. Always."
"Yeah," Annie said quietly.
"…Yes," Bertolt agreed, nodding fervently.
Zeke's gaze shifted to Reiner's unmoving form. He couldn't tell if the boy would wake—or if he wanted him to. Still, he issued his command calmly. "If he tries to pull you into anything again, you tell me. Immediately."
Both Annie and Bertolt straightened. "Yes!"
Their fear had taught them. They wouldn't cross him again.
Just then, from the front of the convoy, a soldier's shout rang out.
"I see the ship!"
Zeke's head snapped up. His spine went rigid. He leaned forward, squinting toward the river.
And there it was. A vessel cutting across the current, lanterns flickering, decks crowded with figures.
His chest tightened. The ship… Could Eren and his family be aboard?
The next move was about to begin.