Walking out of the dead-end alley, the group was met with sheer chaos.
People who had just woken from their dreams didn't even have the chance to scream before being snatched up by Titans and torn apart.
The world around them had become purgatory—a living nightmare of fire, screams, and the thunderous footsteps of monsters.
Zeke walked in front, leading the way with his massive anti-Titan gun strapped across his back. Behind him, Hannes carried the injured Carla on his shoulders, while the children followed in a frightened cluster. For them, Zeke wasn't just a soldier anymore. With that weapon, he was their savior—the one figure who could carve a path through the end of the world.
But after only a few steps, Zeke suddenly froze.
Everyone stopped with him.
"...?"
Zeke turned, scratching his head with a sheepish smile. "Um... which way do we go again? I don't actually know the roads around here."
Everyone blinked in stunned silence.
"I mean..." Zeke's voice dropped as his ears turned pink.
"This is my first time in the Shiganshina District."
"Oh! That's right!" Carla gasped, suddenly remembering. "This really is Zeke's first time here. He usually lives in the mountains. He only came to find Grisha this time. He's Grisha's nephew."
Hannes gave Zeke a long, suspicious look. "Ohhh, so you're the doctor's nephew. I thought—"
"Thought what?" Zeke arched a brow. From the first time they'd met, he could tell Hannes had been misunderstanding something.
The timing, the sudden arrival of a young man, Carla at his side... of course people might jump to conclusions.
But Hannes just laughed nervously. "No, nothing. I just... never heard Dr. Yeager had any relatives."
"Please," Zeke snorted. "People don't crawl out of cracks in the ground. Uncle Grisha has parents. If he has parents, he has siblings. If he has siblings, naturally he has nephews."
He said it so smoothly—even the "uncle" slipped off his tongue with practiced ease.
"That's true..." Hannes rubbed his neck awkwardly. "But honestly, I always thought Dr. Yeager had no past. That whole 'amnesia' story? Never bought it. Bet he was a drunk or a gambler back in the day, racked up some nasty debts, and ran off here to start fresh."
"..." Zeke's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. "Uncle doesn't drink. Or gamble."
Hannes blinked, startled. Was it just his imagination, or did the boy actually look angry? He hadn't even batted an eye at being misunderstood about Carla... but say something about Grisha, and suddenly his temper flared? What kind of twisted logic was that?
"Hannes!" Carla snapped, lowering her head in disappointment. "You've known Grisha for years. Don't you know what kind of man he is?
He never touches drink or cards!"
"Well..." Hannes rubbed his nose, flustered. "Maybe he did once. But he quit?"
"My father is not that kind of person!"
Eren suddenly barked, fists clenched. "He's honest and kind. He's not like you!"
Hannes froze, sweat breaking across his forehead. He had stepped on a hornet's nest—the Jaeger family nest—and now it was buzzing.
"All right, all right!"
Zeke waved a hand, desperate to shut this down. "Now's not the time for family drama. Uncle—where do we actually go?"
"Oh, right!" Hannes jolted. "The river! The government prepared boats for evacuation. When the Titans breached the wall, the higher-ups ordered all civilians to head there.
It's the only way inland—we can only escape Shiganshina by water."
"How far?"
"About twenty minutes."
Zeke grimaced. With Carla injured, it would take longer. Much longer. And that meant more danger. He couldn't afford to let his guard drop for even a second. If Eren's future self still tried to manipulate events after the fall of the royal-blood Titan, Carla could still be targeted. That bastard's obsession with
"filial piety" made him dangerous—he'd sacrifice anyone, even their mother, if it served his twisted ends.
But then Carla suddenly cried out, "Wait!"
Everyone turned
"Where are they?" she demanded.
"...Who?" Zeke frowned.
"Reiner, Bertolt, Annie!" Carla's voice trembled. "Your brothers and sisters! I haven't seen them since I woke them up. Where are they? How are they?"
Zeke's face immediately soured. "Forget those three little brats. They'll live."
Carla gasped. "What do you mean, 'forget them'? How can you speak that way? This isn't the time to be heartless! You're their big brother!"
"I—"
The truth stuck in his throat.
They weren't his siblings.
His real family was already here—Eren, Mikasa, Carla. Those three brats were traitors. If Bertolt hadn't kicked down the gate as the Colossal Titan, Shiganshina wouldn't be drenched in blood right now.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Why had they gone through with the wall-breaching plan even after he'd tried to reel them in with comfort, food, and camaraderie? Was Carla's cooking not good enough?
Was Eren's company not fun enough?
And at night, no less. In the dead of night. When families were asleep, unaware, helpless—slaughtered before they even opened their eyes.
Zeke's fists shook. The disaster was worse than his last life. Before, at least the gate fell in broad daylight, when people could see and run.
This time, most had died without even knowing why.
But Carla only looked at him with sorrow. "Zeke... how can you be so cold? They're your family.
They're just children. Alone, terrified... crying somewhere in the dark. Don't you care?"
Zeke clenched his jaw, eyes flicking to the shadows around them as he led the group forward.
"Auntie. Survival comes first. We can't even guarantee our own safety right now. I'll get you to the river. That's all that matters."
Her eyes widened, stricken.
But before she could argue, the ground trembled.
Boom.
That sound. Zeke knew it instantly.
The others froze.
Because the footsteps weren't behind them. They were directly ahead.
And heavier than any giant's they had faced so far.
From the smoke and fire, a towering figure emerged onto the street—gleaming, armored from head to toe.
Hannes' face drained of color. "That... that's not like the others. Why does it look different? Why is it covered in armor!?"
Zeke sighed, bitterness on his tongue. "Well. No need to search anymore, Auntie. Found them."
The Armored Titan loomed before them.
...
Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!
[email protected]/AdrianRoss