"Zeke… must… stop Eren…"
His father's desperate, pleading words lingered in his ears. They were so sorrowful, so full of despair, piercing Zeke's heart and making him unable to rest in peace!
How could there be peace like this?
His brother was still crying…
He had accompanied him on the last leg of his journey—had stood with him as he saw the burning waters, the frozen earth, the endless fields of gravel and snow—and silently watched as he and his friends said goodbye one by one.
A decent farewell.
But when he turned away, she burst into tears of despair.
Is this the freedom you wanted, Eren?
Is this the ending you chose, even if it meant destroying the world?
Zeke's chest ached.
Because he knew—this was not the ending he wanted!
The ending he longed for was simple: that his brother could live well. No matter what, as long as Eren could survive in this world without such pain, stay with the one he loved, and live a happy, peaceful life—that would be enough.
You want to protect the people of Paradis Island, but I only want to protect you, my brother…
The grief of the Rumbling made Zeke's breath catch. At last, he could no longer endure it—he cried out, a raw "Ah!"—and woke from the nightmare.
Everything before his eyes shocked him.
This… this looked like his own room in Marley.
And not just that—it looked like it had years ago.
"What's going on? Didn't Levi cut off my head? What about the Rumbling? Wasn't the world destroyed? Why is my room still here?"
Zeke's hand flew to the back of his neck.
He remembered clearly—Eren had triggered the Rumbling, the world had been crushed beneath countless Colossals, and Levi had beheaded him. The pain was still carved into his flesh and bones.
So why was he whole now?
Why was the world intact?
Until his eyes landed on the calendar hanging on the wall—
March 3, 845.
"…Is this… rebirth? Did I return to when I was twenty?"
He touched his face. The smoothness of his skin confirmed it—he had indeed gone back to his younger self. He hadn't even grown his beard yet.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Warrior Captain Zeke, the meeting is about to begin. Are you awake?" A woman's voice came from outside—Yelena's.
Yelena was his trusted aide. He hadn't expected that after being reborn, she would be the first person he'd hear.
"Meeting? What meeting?" Zeke asked, confused. His memories were still tangled from the shock of his return.
Yelena replied: "The meeting about reclaiming the Founding Titan. The final decision will be made today."
The Founding Titan…
Zeke remembered it all. Marley, to secure its dominance in the world, had decided to send Reiner and the others to infiltrate Paradis Island to obtain the Founding Titan.
The Founding Titan was the ruler of all intelligent Titans, with the power to control every Titan.
Marley already possessed seven of the Nine: the War Hammer, Beast, Armored, Colossal, Female, Jaw, and Cart.
But that wasn't enough—they wanted the Founding Titan as well.
Zeke had once supported this plan. After all, his own ultimate goal was to use the Founding Titan to enact his "Euthanasia Plan"—to strip all Eldians of the ability to reproduce, so that their people would die out naturally, and Titans would vanish from the world.
But in the end, he was outplayed. Eren had used him to open the Paths, seized the Founding Titan's power, and triggered the Rumbling—awakening the countless Colossals within the walls and flattening the world.
"Zeke, you must stop Eren!" His father's words rang in his ears once more. Suddenly, Zeke understood the meaning of his rebirth.
This was his chance.
He had to stop Eren before everything happened.
Destroy the world
No. Kids should just play in the mud.
As for fate, war, suffering, the Rumbling, the sins of the Eldians—he would shoulder them all himself.
Zeke rose, put on his military uniform, and walked out the door. Already, the fragments of his memory were aligned. A bold plan was forming in his mind.
At this point in time—
His father was still alive.
Reiner and the others had not yet gone to the island, nor breached the Walls.
Eren's mother was still alive.
Eren had not turned bitter.
Grisha had not yet stolen the Founding Titan.
Eren had not inherited the Attack Titan or the Founding Titan.
As long as Zeke reached the island earlier than in his last life, he could stop his father from seizing the Founding Titan, prevent Eren from inheriting its curse, and cut the chain of fate.
This time, Eren would not bear the burden of the Attack Titan.
If only he could reach the island early—
All tragedy could be avoided.
Eren, I will stop you in this life.
I will break the endless cycle of Attack on Titan, no matter the cost.
Even if he became a devil.
Even if he was torn to pieces.
Even if the whole world became his enemy.
Even if the whole world was destroyed—
My brother,
You don't need to carry it all. In this life, you will just be an ordinary man—living happily, foolishly, and naively forever…