A/N: Hello, readers! Thank you so much for 1K votes on this book! Enjoy the chapter!

TW: mentions of suicidal thoughts.

edited on july 27th, 2022 @ 4:06am

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽,
𝓢𝙰𝚅𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚁𝚈.

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THE SOUND OF THE CLOCK ticking in the room could be heard as Mikasa, Armin, and Gabi all had their hands on the table. Gabi had a horrified look on her face as no one spoke a word.

"I want to have a nice, calm talk." Eren finally spoke up. "We don't need to fight to solve Eldia's problems. Don't worry about Hange and your friends. We're just moving them somewhere else, that's all."

"Eren, we're the ones who wanted to talk to you. Why did you decide to attack Marley on your own?" Armin questioned. "Did Zeke and Yelena really convince you to join them?"

"I am free." Eren simply replied, getting Armin and Mikasa's attention. "No matter what I do or how I do it, I'm acting of my own free will."

"Even what you did after you met Yelena? Was that your own free will?" Armin asked.

"Yeah."

"No, you're being manipulated. You'd never get innocents or children involved, even those from an enemy nation. And you care about us more than anything else! Am I wrong? Back when you saved me in that cabin in the mountains, when you wrapped this scarf around me, that was your kindness—" Mikasa moved her hand up to touch her scarf.

"I said keep your hands on the table." Eren interrupted.

Mikasa says nothing as she sits back down. "When I was in Liberio, I spoke with Zeke. Just as brothers. Zeke knows even more about Titans than Marley does. Armin, you're still going to see Annie, right? Are you doing that of your own free will?" Eren asked.

"What are you—" Armin began to protest, shocked that his secret was exposed.

"If memories make us who we are, then part of you has turned into Bertholdt. An enemy soldier who's in love with another one of our enemies. Armin, Bertholdt has taken over your brain. You're the one being manipulated by the enemy." Eren finished.

"Eren, you're—" Mikasa started to say.

"That goes for you too, Mikasa." Eren interrupted once more. "The Ackerman family was formed to protect the King of Eldia. That day, you obeyed my orders in a life-or-death situation. 'Fight.' Just then, your instincts were awakened. Your hallucinations in that moment made you think I was the one you needed to protect."

"You're wrong." Mikasa denied.

"I am? About what?" Eren challenged.

"It wasn't by chance." Mikasa remembered when Eren wrapped his scarf around her. "I became strong because it was you. It was because of you!"

"When an Ackerman's powers awaken, they supposedly experience sudden headaches. It's a product of the original identity resisting the compulsion to protect the host. Sound familiar?" Eren asked as Mikasa widened her eyes and clenched her fist.

"No."

"In other words..."

"You're wrong. I..."

"You're a family that lost its original identity and now exists only to follow orders. You're a slave." Eren said.

"Stop it, Eren!" Armin shouted.

"You know what I hate the most in this world? People who aren't free. They're no more than cattle." Eren continued on.

"Eren!"

"Just looking at her used to piss me off like crazy. And now I finally know why. I couldn't stand looking at a slave who just faithfully obeyed orders without question. Ever since we were kids, I've always hated you, Mikasa."

Mikasa had tears in her eyes. "Eren!" Armin shouted, rushing forward to hit him. "How dare you—"

Mikasa sprang into action and pinned Armin down on the table. "Mikasa?" Armin questioned in shock.

"All your life, you've just been strung along by the whims of your Ackerman blood." Eren said.

"No..." Mikasa muttered, releasing Armin.

"That's all you are."

Tears fell down from Mikasa's face as Armin punched Eren in the face, making him fall back. Eren dodged Armin's incoming fist as they began fighting as a bunch of Yeagerists entered the room with guns.

"Mr. Yeager!"

"It's nothing." Eren told them as Armin got up weakly. "Hey, Armin, you know how we've never fought once despite knowing each other all our lives?"

Armin rushed forward to punch him. "You know why that is?" Eren asked as he repeatedly punched Armin. "Because the two of us could never have a fair fight!"

"Stop." Mikasa begged.

Armin soon collapses to the ground. "Just stop it." Mikasa muttered.

"All you have to do is tell me where Zeke is. Then we won't need to fight." Eren claimed as Mikasa kneeled down next to Armin.

"So shut up and come with me. Take them away." Eren ordered the two Yeagerists.

"Sir!"

"The kid who killed Sasha, too." Eren added on.

Mikasa helped Armin up. "What did you really come here to say? That the freedom you yearned for just amounts to hurting Mikasa? You're the real slave, and your master's a piece of shit." Armin claimed.

"Who are you calling a slave?" Eren questioned. "Let's go."

"Where?" Mikasa asked.

"To where it all began. Shiganshina District."

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"I'm not laughing. Eren's not the only one to have an appointment with a Titan's mouth." Levi spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll give Zeke's Beast to someone else. Grab one of those Yeagerists or whatever and turn them into a Titan. We'll have them eat Zeke." Simon was the one who replied.

"I don't know if Eren's really being manipulated, but if they lose Zeke, it's all over for them. Tell Pixis, too. Go." Levi ordered.

"Are you sure about this, Captain?"

"Rip his arms and legs off if you have to. He'll accept it sooner or later." Levi responded as he used his gear to move out of the tree, followed by Simon.

The two landed onto the ground. "Enjoying your book?" Levi asked.

"It got a lot better after the sixth time I read it." Zeke replied.

"I'm sure our conversation up there made it hard for you to focus."

"How am I supposed to get absorbed in a book I've read seven times?" Zeke asked. "By the way, have you got any wine left?"

"We've been out here for a month. There's not a drop left." Levi answered.

"Good grief." Zeke complained as he sighed. "This has to be some new form of torture."

"Keep reading." Levi told him.

"You're the boss, boss." Zeke said.

"I don't care what Pixis says. I'm killing him. We have thirty fully-armed soldiers surrounding the forest from above, not to mention we got Simon. Beast Titan or not, he's got nowhere to run to. Beardo there isn't on our side after all. And now that we know that, there's no sense letting him keep his limbs. It's been so long." Levi has a flashback of his talk with Erwin.

"Erwin, I'll finally be able to keep the promise I made back then. Your deaths will have had meaning. Finally, I can prove it."

"Levi."

Levi turned around when his husband called his name as the two saw Zeke running away as he then let out a scream.

The forest soon lit up in multiple yellow balls of light as Levi and Simon looked up. Titans soon began dropping on the ground.

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"This is goodbye, Captain, Section Commander. I know how much you care about your men. They might have had a little growth spurt, but you two wouldn't slice up your innocent subordinates over that, would you?" Zeke asked as both Levi and Simon moved out of the way.

"Wine? What do we need alcohol for on a mission?" Levi asked.

"But Captain! This is rare Marleyan wine that only the boys in the Military Police get to drink! You've got to let us have a little fun!"

"That's what the tea's for." Levi argued.

"Has your husband always been a stick in the mud or am I just now realizing it?" Dillon muttered over towards Simon, in which Oliver snorted in reply.

"Captain!"

"What a pain... Fine, take it." Levi finally gave in.

"Shit!" Levi exclaimed. "Zeke's spinal fluid was in the wine? How long ago did he set that up? Their bodies never froze up, though. Was that a lie?"

Levi sees that a Titan was chasing him. "Damn, they're fast! These movements aren't normal. Is that because of Zeke, too?" He wondered as he dodged. "More or less, I gotta make sure Simon's okay. If one of these Titans eat him—"

Levi's thoughts were interrupted when a Titan tried to grab him, he took out his blade and slice it's hand before it could reach him.

Meanwhile, Simon got out his blades as well and sliced a Titan's hand. He looked back, seeing familiar black hair.

"Dill..." Simon thinks to himself as he saw another Titan come up — This one had familiar brown hair. "Ollie..."

Simon chuckled to himself. "Maybe I should just die. If Dill or Ollie eat me... They'll gain my Titan power and will be able to live another day, right? Do I have to die so one of them can live?" He asked himself.

"Live for me, Big Bro."

Simon gasped as he remembered his twin brother's words before he had gotten devoured.

"That's right I can't die. Not like this."

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Zeke soon heard the sounds of ODM gear, making him look in shock.

"Go!"

Levi soon sliced up the arm of the Titan as he was carrying Thunder Spears.

"Oh, come on! Not again!" Zeke exclaimed as he bit his hand and a yellow light soon appeared. The light faded as the Beast Titan landed on the ground.

"So, that's how you wanna play, huh..." Simon muttered, jumping down from the tree branch and biting his hand. A yellow sphere appeared as it dimmed quickly. In its place was the Crystalized Titan.

The Beast Titan ripped the Pure Titan that was with him in half. "Where are you? Come out and face me, Levi!" Zeke shouted as Levi soon appeared in his line of vision.

"There you are!" Zeke exclaimed as he crushed the Titan's head, throwing the remains at Levi, in which Simon created a crystal shield to block his attack. Zeke continued ripping the Pure Titan apart.

"What happened to your cute little subordinates? You didn't kill them, did you?" Zeke taunted. "The poor things!"

Zeke threw the remains of the Titan at Levi once more, but ended up hitting a branch.

"You're getting desperate, beardo. All you had to do was be a good boy and read your book." Levi spoke as he continued cutting the branches. "Whatever gave you the idea that you could get away from me? You think I'd hesitate to kill Titans just because they were my own men? Do you have any idea how many of our own people we've had to kill already?"

Zeke lets out a roar as Levi dodged his attacks before thrusting the Thunder Spears towards him. He then activated them, causing the Beast Titan to collapse.

Simon got out of his Titan as Levi walked forward and grabbed onto Zeke's hair. "Short time no see, beardo." He leaned closer. "You filthy, reeking, ugly son of a bitch."

Levi then releases drags Zeke by his head. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. Not yet." He informed.

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A/N: Another chapter is finished! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 1912 words.