The Empire of Titans Chapter 78 (A Father's Love) (Patreon)

' "Should we expect them to still be there?" Eren asked, looking from the map across the table. Zeke stood near the round table with Levi watching over him like a hawk. Eren was sure his brother couldn't even breathe without Levi's permission.

"Yes." Zeke's answer was short, but Eren gave him a look, wanting him to explain more. "Marley hates Eldians, but as much as they would like to deny it, all the wars won are won because of the Titan Shifters. If they leave Paradis without us, the Marley is left with only the Warhammer Titan, and that Titan hasn't been used in war since the War of The Titans over a century ago, whoever is in possession of that Titan. I doubt they were taught how to fight, and Commander Magath knows that. He will not leave with us unless he thinks we are captured or killed. If we get there as soon as possible, there's a chance they are still there, either in Shiganshina or all the way to the Docks." Zeke explained calmly; despite everyone giving him suspicious looks, Erwin and Eren were the only ones who didn't look wary of him.

"Why are you telling us to go there as soon as possible? How do we know this is not a Trap?" One Officer shouted with narrowed eyes, but Eren didn't want to listen to it as he raised his hand.

"Capturing this Commander Magath and his Marley Soldiers left is much more profitable than you realize. My brother and Pieck Finger confirmed they had come here and brought what he called a car, and other useful items that are beyond our technology, even weapons, much more powerful cannons, and even what he called Mortars. If we get there as soon as possible, not only we have useful prisoners against Marleys, we have a Commander that can give us more information about Marley, and we can confiscate everything they have. I have no doubts that Squad Leader Hange will be able to study them and find a way for us to be able to make similar vehicles." Hange puffed out her chest upon hearing her name being mentioned; she looked proud that Eren was trusting her with something like this, studying the technology of the outside world.

"The King speaks the truth. This technology should make it easier for us to advance ours, while a one hundred-year gap is not easy to close. We can speed up the process with the technology they have brought here." Historia agreed, and many quickly followed. All three Commanders, including Zackley, seemed in the same mind.

"What's the plan of attack then? If they have that technology, then we should not understimate it?" Pyxis asked, looking at Erwin, knowing he was the best with plans and whatnot. 

"Yes, we have a plan of attack. I think we should attack during dawn; the night will cover our tracks. They have the advantage of the high ground, and they can see if someone is approaching. So I have made a plan that involves Annie Leonhart." Erwin suggested, pointing his hand at her, who stepped forward. Unlike Zeke, many looked at her with trust.

"While in Titan form, I can use my scream, it draws nearby all the Titans. We can use them to cause chaos amongst the Marley forces." Annie suggested, but her words made a particular blond look at her intently.

"Wait, you can draw Titans to you with your scream?" Annie reaffirmed it without much thought, but Eren could see that Armin was in deep thought.

"Have you ever used it before?" Armin asked more. Eren furrowed a brow in confusion. Why did it matter?

"Once, back on the mainland, when they were running tests on us," Annie answered somewhat reluctantly, and Armin seemed to have a look of realization in his eyes, but he was ignored when Zeke raised his hand.

"Do I have permission to talk?" Many were ready to tell him to shut up.

"You have it, Zeke." Historia said before anyone could object against him.

"Thank you, my Queen." Zeke said with a bustling smile. "I have a better idea on how to catch them off guard-"

*

*

Four Days Before The Wall Maria Expedition

' He heard the door opening, creaking loudly as it did; his body felt weak and stiff, breathing was difficult, and he could feel a wet sensation on his entire body, cold and warm. He felt both, but he knew today was different despite not knowing what was happening outside. 

Instead of one Soldier bringing him food, four soldiers barged inside his cell, each one holding their swords; for a moment, he was sure they had come here to end him finally. He didn't know how long it had been, but he knew he was tired of being in a place like this, tied and barely moving; his limbs were stumps so that he couldn't go anywhere, and the smell of shit and piss made everything taste horrible.

"If there's a hell, then you will spend your eternity suffering." One told him with a murderous gaze, gripping him by the throat a little too hard. He choked on his own spit, but the man holding him was forced to let go of him by those around him. 

He gasped, his head leaning down, and he started coughing out spit; he heard the sound of the locks being unlocked, and before he realized it, he was no longer chained to the wall. The metal plates that were held against his stumps were removed, not that it helped much; he knew it wouldn't really matter; he was too exhausted to transform, even if they allowed his limbs to fully form, to the last fingernail, he knew he wouldn't be able to do even a half transformation, let alone a full one. 

Despite the metal plates no longer covering his stumps, no steam came out of his limbs. He was too tired. 'Is this the day I die?' He wondered as they dragged him away by his hair; his feet would have dragged across the dirty floor if he still had them.

His eyes felt heavy, like bricks. He could hardly see where they were leading him, and seeing their faces was impossible; shadows covered them. 

"W-wh-wheere a-are yo-you taking ME?" He asked with a raspy voice, stuttering his words; he found it difficult to talk; his throat felt soar, dry like a desert, and he really wanted them to give him water. If they would kill him, he wanted to drink water at least one more time.

The rest of the small journey felt like a fever dream. He heard voices around him. He fell asleep too many times; sometimes, he couldn't even tell if he was still sleeping or awake. 

The light almost blinded him when they brought him to a new place. He closed his eyes, yet his eyes still burned; his body was now lying on a metallic surface, his hands touching the smooth surface like crystal. His eyes slowly opened just enough to see where he was, but he couldn't understand where he was; it seemed as if he was on a platform of some sort.

'Why am I here?' he wondered. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming when he saw movement from the corner of his eyes. His vision cleared, and only now did he realize that he was surrounded by crystal everywhere. The room looked made out of them, and he was lying on a platform. Three meters below him was a man he had never seen before, holding a syringe with yellow fluid.

He recognized it immediately; he knew what it meant. No, No, No, No, this is a Dream. This is a Dream. This is a Dream... He repeated in his head many, many times. He tried to stand, but his legs weren't there. He choked on a sob, his eyes suddenly burning. He wanted to crawl away but was too exhausted as a lightning bolt engulfed the man. 

A titan formed before him, looming over him like a god of death. He remembered the dream many years ago. The people he had killed. They had told him he would die. He would die screaming.

"Noo, Stay Away-" He screamed in fear and horror, finding the strength to scream; he didn't want to die; there was so much more he wanted to do. He wanted to live and enjoy life, but as the Titan's hand got closer, his eyes saw them. His friends. They had come here to save him.

"Guys, Guys. Help Me!" He shouted frantically as the giant hand grabbed him; he gasped, his ribs breaking, and pain engulfed him like never before, coughing out blood. No one was coming to save, but then his eyes saw... Annie. A Smile quickly engulfed his face. He was saved. He knew it.

"Annie! Help Me. Pleaseeeee—" he screamed, pleading to her, but she wasn't moving; she wasn't helping him. Instead, her eyes widened, tears rolling down her face before she looked away.

The mouth got closer and closer. The giant teeth terrified him. He closed his eyes; he didn't want to see. It would be over soon, he told himself, but then he felt the lower teeth pressing against his face.

"Annie, Reiner-" His shouts were silenced as the upper jaw crushed his head, and a burst of blood flew everywhere.

*

*

Marlowe gasped, his back laying against the rough, cold floor; he breathed heavily; he felt the sweat on his forehead, but he felt cold, too. He looked around, expecting to be in bed in the Military Police. He half expected Hitch to barge inside as she usually did every morning, but instead, he was surrounded by a heavy dark fog; he couldn't see where he was; all he could feel was the cold underneath him; he wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

"Hitch! Jacob! Commander Nile!!" He shouted their names, expecting any of them to answer, but the only answer he received was silence. He shook his head, wondering if this was a dream. It would explain everything, how he got to this place.

How did I even get here? He wondered, closing his eyes. He tried to remember, but nothing came to mind. When he heard it, a faint sound of someone sobbing, he whirled his head around, and in front of him stood the Colossal Titan's face. But his face was different. Half of it was as he had seen from the drawings of him, but the other half was like a skull with no muscles, tissues, or meat around it. 

"Colossal Titan!" Marlowe said the name. Somehow, despite the Titan's face looming over him as if he were an ant, he didn't feel scared. His right eye turned foggy, and tears slid down the Titan's face.

Suddenly, everything changed; the Titan was no longer there. Instead, he was looking at a young girl; she was too young and had short blonde hair. 

She had her back turned on him. Marlowe approached her. He didn't know why he was doing that, but he did. The girl seemed to have heard his footsteps and turned to face him. Her face, Marlowe wanted to gasp. He might have seen her only a few times, but he remembered who she was. But why was she so young?

"What do you want?" She clearly didn't sound like she wanted to talk with him; her voice came out cold and indifferent

"Y-You are h-here to become a warrior, I just wanted to meet a fellow warrior." He stuttered out; Marlowe wondered why he was stuttering; he never stuttered, and why was he talking like this? This wasn't his voice.

"So what? I'm not here to make friends." Marlowe didn't know why, but he suddenly felt sad that she didn't seem to want to be his friend. He looked down at his feet with a defeated look. He heard her footsteps getting away from him. Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, he found the strength to look up at her.

"My name is Bertholdt Hoover. What is your name?" Wait, what!!

The blonde girl stopped walking and turned to face him, her eyes still cold like winter. "My name is Annie." 

Everything disappeared. He could see nothing. He was floating in endless darkness when he landed on a desert with no end. He felt someone tugging on his arm. He turned around to face a woman with blonde hair. She was wearing a simple white gown that covered her body. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he had seen her before.

Marlowe wanted to ask who she was, but instead, she smiled at him before pressing her hand on his chest. Suddenly, he felt electricity on his entire body, and everything went dark.

Marlowe gasped. Hitch, Jacob, Commander Nile, and a few other officers, including the crazy lady from the Survey Corps, appeared in front of him. Why were they standing over him like this?

"Marlowe, are you alright?" He wondered why Hitch sounded so concerned. She never sounded like that; she loved to make fun of him quite often.

"...I'm fine..." His words trailed off as he slowly stood up with Jacob's help, looking around; he was in a crystal cave. For a moment, he wondered why he was here when he remembered why. Everything fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

"I'm the Colossal Titan," Marlowe said, astonished; looking at his hands, he felt no different. He remembered injecting himself with the vaccine; he had felt as if electricity was spreading through him, and his body had felt as if it was on fire, but after that, it was only darkness.

"Yup, but you are still short. I knew they shouldn't have given it to you, they should have chosen someone far prettier." Hitch teased him while puffing out her chest; Marlowe rolled his eyes, leaving it to someone like her to make jokes at such an important moment.

"Very funny, Hitch. Knowing you, you would probably get shorter afterwards." Marlowe teased her. She looked flustered before smiling at him like a devil.

"Shorter you say. Perhpas that would have benefited both of us. I know you like me on my knees-" "Silence." Commander Nile shouted at the two of them while shaking his head. They were soldiers, not children, for crying out loud.

"Marlowe Freudenberg, you are the new holder of the Colossal Titan, I choose you because I know you are a responsible soldier, and has already shown talent, and good thinking. Do not dissapoint me. As the holder of the Colossal Titan I want you to understand the resposibilty you have right now. Will you disappoint me, Soldier?"

Marlowe saluted with a serious look in front of the Commander. "I won't dissapoint you sir. I understand the responsibility I have on my shoulders." He shouted, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Soon, much to his horror, the crazy lady approached him and started asking questions. While her questions weren't half bad, the crazy sparkle in her eyes made him very uncomfortable.

"Do you feel anything new?" she asked with a wide grin like a crazy person, getting too close to Marlowe, who stepped back. Even Hitch seemed annoyed by her.

As he explained what he saw when he was unconscious when he got to the part where he saw Annie as a little girl, the crazy lady told him those were simply memories of Bertholdt.

But then he got to the part of the woman with blonde hair. At that point, for the first time, the crazy lady looked lost for words, taken by surprise, but the answer came in the form of King Eren, who approached them. Marlowe was about to bow his head, but he quickly raised his hand, stopping him.

"The woman you saw is the Founder, Ymir. As for why she was there, I think I know why, but we need to test it first. Tomorrow, you will go to the Titan Training Field; ,you have enough space to fully transform there." The King told him with a look of intrigue; Marlowe still didn't know why this was a big deal. Sure, according to him, the Founder Ymir had visited him, but what did that mean? Marlowe knew better than to ask questions right now.

Soon, they let him walk back to his room but warned him to avoid any injury until he got his abilities under control. But as soon as he walked into the room, Marlowe thought it would be better to sit down and rest when he heard a knock on the door.

"Who is-" Marlowe's words trailed off as he opened the door, and Hitch stood in front there, suddenly stepping into the threshold.

"Hitch. Can I do something?" His words were silenced when her lips found his. This took him aback but quickly kissed her back, his arms going around her waist. Her lips were soft, warm, and delicious.

Eventually, they pulled away; Marlowe was caught off guard but still smiled like an idiot as their foreheads touched. "W-what brought this?" He couldn't help but ask. Sure, he knew she was beautiful, she was gorgeous, and despite how much he tried to make it seem like her teasing didn't affect him, he always found himself blushing because of her teasing, especially sometimes when she kneeled a certain way to show off her perfect bum to him.

Hitch looked away; the girl who always loved teasing was the one getting flustered. "When you turned into a Titan today when I saw you. I was afraid that you would never come back. I know everyone told me that the ceremony would go off without a hitch, and even the King has a way of turning you back into Human if something went wrong, but I still-" "Is that why you were against me becoming a Titan Shifter?" Marlowe asked with a knowing smile, his finger under her chin, making her look at him.

Slowly, she nodded, her face showing guilt. "You didn't have to get worried about me, because I will always return back to you. You are often annoying, but I know you are a kind girl, and that's all I will ever need." Marlowe said softly for the first time. It was Hitch's turn to blush, but that quickly grew when he closed the gap between them and kissed her lips.

Now

"This is... Shiganshima," Jean said with an almost disbelieving look as they all rode through the destroyed gates and into the town.

This place was familiar only to three people in particular. Eren looked at the houses; almost six years had passed. The buildings seemed ready to fall apart, and nature had grown all around them.

Eren's eyes found the old school of Shiganshina. Its roof had fallen into the buildings, the grass had conquered every piece of land, and small animals were scattered everywhere. He saw a squirrel look at them before running away in fear. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the voices of the people who used to live here—the people he saw every day. All of them were gone.

Even the stone streets weren't left alone; grass had grown in the spaces between the stones, and the forty-meter-tall bell tower was no longer there. Eren saw that the top of the tower had fallen on top of houses below.

"This was the market." Armin's voice made everyone look at him as they passed through a wide street. He seemed to be holding tears as his horse rode slowly across the market street, but all the tents and desks people used to sell were abandoned. Whatever those tents used to sell was no longer there, except for one. One desk was full of wooden toys, some still holding the price tag.

"My grandfather bought me a toy here once," Armin said with melancholy as he stopped his horse in front of the tent that sold toys; the wooden sign had fallen down near the tent.

"My father once brought me a bird toy," Eren said with a distant look as he approached Armin. Mikasa was right behind them, and they kept looking until Armin suddenly rode away.

"Oi, Armin." Eren quickly followed behind with his horse. Turning to the right, Eren quickly realized where they were going as Armin stopped in front of a house. This one wasn't destroyed, but it was covered in a thick layer of dust, and the grass had started growing inside. Armin ran inside, with the others waiting outside; soon enough, Armin returned, holding a book under his right arm.

"That's the book about the outside world." Jean guessed, remembering the many times Armin had talked about it.

"Yes, it belonged to my grandfather. I want to keep it, and one day, I will give it to my children," Armin said with a bright smile despite his red eyes. The others understood as Armin mounted his horse and put the book inside his bag. He was approached by Mina, who started talking with him.

They quickly rode away; soon, they reached the hole of Wall Maria, where the Colossal Titan appeared many years ago. The group reached a large circle clearing with a fountain in the middle; giant footsteps were still visible on the ground.

"No Way. The Wall is Fifty Meters tall."

"It's them. A Titan."

Eren blinked; he could almost see his younger self standing in the same place he was standing many years ago. He looked up. The parts where Bertholdt had held into the wall had caused the wall to crack; a black mark was left where his hands had been. What were you thinking that day, Bertholdt? Eren wondered.

"Alright, Eren. You are free to go." Hange shouted before firing her green flare. There were no Titans anywhere; they all figured that all the Titans of the island must be inside Wall Maria territory. Eren quickly bites down his hands.

Everyone watched from afar as Eren sat and quickly filled the entire hole with his Titan form before turning into a giant crystal covering the hole.

"Yeahhh, The Walls are Safe now."

People cheered as Mikasa quickly helped Eren pull himself out of his Titan. At the same time, Annie bit down her hand on the other side of Shiganshima. Using her Hardening Ability, she quickly covered up the second hole.

Offically, Shiganshima was completely sealed off, and with no Titans anywhere, the scouts knew they were safe. The scouts had already checked every corner, but there was no sign of any Titans, not even small ones.

"Shiganshima is Safe. The Walls are finally Safe," Erwin said with a voice as if he couldn't believe his own words. He stood atop the wall, looking down at the town, with Hange nearby. The rest rested after a long day of riding across Wall Maria territory.

"Yes, but it's not over yet. We still have to deal with..." "The entire world," Erwin finished for her; she sighed wearily before nodding along.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted despite sealing the holes. Now, all that remained was to get rid of the Titan problem, and people would be able to use the Territory of Wall Maria safely, but Hange didn't feel like celebrating, knowing this wasn't the end—it was just the beginning.

"How are we supposed to do this? I really want to believe that it's impossible for the entire world to hate our guts, but everyone from Marley keeps telling me the same things." Hange said, throwing her hands around before gripping her own hand; feeling exasperated, her eyes flickered at Annie, who was talking with Ymir and Mina down there.

"It will be difficult; no one ever said it will be easy, but do you not remember what the Survey Corps stands for? For decades since it was created. The Survey Corps has bled and sacrificed its soldiers for the good of Humanity. They all knew what awaited them but still fought head-on, without fear, and now. It's our turn to give our lives. To make sure they all rest easy." Erwin said with a distant look before turning around and looking at the lands beyond Wall Maria.

Hange giggled. "You always had a way with words Erwin, even we were ready to surrender, you always managed to inspire us. That's what makes you a worthy leader, one I would follow to the very end."

"I made many mistakes, Hange." Erwin reminded her. Looking down at his feet, he could almost see them. The mountain of Corpses he was standing on was people he had sent to their deaths, people he knew would die, but he had still made these decisions.

"We all have, Erwin, including me, but right now, I want to make sure that we do the best-" She turned and looked at Eren, talking with his friends in the distance. "For the new generation. As Eren put ls it, we all might die, but as long as our sacrifices mean that the future generations will be born free and not have to worry that an army coming one day will kill them all, then I will die with a smile on my face." Hange finished with a bitter smile; Erwin looked at her before looking at the walls or what was inside them. He knew they never really talked about them. But he remembered, as did Eren.

"If it gets very bad, then... there is another way." Erwin murmured under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Hange asked, who seemed to have heard him, but before he could answer.

"Commander, we are going to Eren's Basement."

The two quickly turned their attention to Eren and the others. "Well, let's not keep them waiting," Erwin said almost in haste before walking past Hange, who quickly followed behind.

With the help of their horses, they quickly found the place. Eren was the first to dismount, followed by Mikasa. They looked up at where the house used to be. The rock that had fallen on top was still there, and white birds were standing on top and chirping.

"If you want to save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else... You must learn to control this ability!"

Eren remembered the last words his father had told him as they walked up to the house, followed by Armin, Erwin, Hange, and Levi.

"Eren. Promise me that you will take care of Mikasa."

"Eren. Mikasa. You two have to live."

"Eren, are you alright?" He blinked several times before looking at Armin, who looked back at him with concern.

"I'm fine," he answered curtly. They moved away from a few rocks before finding the door to the basement.

Opening it, they walked downstairs and found the door that led inside the basement. Eren tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge; thinking he needed to use the key, he quickly grabbed it and slid it inside the keyhole, but it wasn't fitting.

"Is not opening!" Eren groaned, trying to open the door forcefully.

"Are you kidding me? Why even give you the key then?" Hange complained the loudest; Levi murmured 'Kids' under his breath before telling them all to give him some space,

"What are you-" The door broke down as Levi kicked it open. The rusted hinges couldn't handle it, and the door slammed down on the floor.

"I don't remember the Survey Corps teaching you this," Erwin commented with a teasing smile. Levi rolled his eyes. Soon, they all walked inside. At first glance, it looked like just another Doctor's office, with books stacked all the way to the low ceiling and many other doctor tools.

"Well, these are all just books about sickness, the human body, and other things about Medicine," Hange commented, holding several books on her arms.

"Search around. Grisha must have hidden it in case the military police ever searched this place," Erwin ordered, as Eren looked at some books.

"Eren, here." Everyone turned to see Mikasa kneeling down and pointing his finger at the side of the desk. He walked up to her and noticed a small hole that seemed like a keyhole. Quickly, he put the key inside, and with a twist, a secret drawer opened, but it was empty once Hange opened it.

"It's a fake bottom." Levi said quickly, removing the bottom and revealing three books underneath.

Erwin grabbed them carefully before placing them on the desk. "King Eren. I think you should do the honors."

Eren nodded before touching the first book. Slowly, he opened it, and on the first page was a very detailed drawing of his father with a woman and a little kid.

"This must be my father, Dina, and...Zeke," Eren said in a quiet voice as he picked up the drawing. As he looked closer, he couldn't help but notice how detailed it looked.

"This can't be a drawing, it looks so realistic." Hange pointed out, looking at the drawing from different angles.

"That's Grisha's writing." Mikasa pointed out at the back of the photo. They turned it around, and Eren recognized his father's writing.

"This is no illustration. Instead, this uses light reflected off a subject and burns the image on a special paper. It's called a photograph." Hange read the words, not looking even more amazed.

"This is incredible," Hange shouted excitedly, the same way she used to do about Titans. Levi rolled his eyes as Eren flipped the page. On the second page was a folded letter inside an envelope, and on top of it was written.

"For my Son, Zeke Yeager." 

Eren's eyes widened, and he carefully grabbed it.

"This makes no sense, why would Doctor Grisha even leave that letter." Hange quickly pointed out, trying to snatch it from Eren's hand, but he quickly moved it away before she could do anything.

"Maybe, he hoped that Zeke was still alive, and would one day, somehow, get hold of this letter." Mikasa suggested, but she knew this was too convenient.

"Is almost like Doctor Grisha knew Zeke would be with us." Armin said what everyone else was thinking.

"What will you do with that letter, Eren?" Levi asked, knowing that the monkey was just outside, being watched over by Ymir and the Mike Squad.

"I will give it to Zeke, my father wanted him to have it, and I want to fulfill his wish." Eren said with a tone that made it clear that he wouldn't change his mind.

"Very well. We have brough enough food to last for a few weeks. We still need to find Dina Fritz, and then return back to Wall Rose, with her and the books of Grisha Yeager." Erwin explained as they opened the three books and started reading.

Eren walked outside without saying anything; thankfully, Zeke was waiting nearby, drinking coffee with Mike Squad, while Ymir seemed busy talking with Annie, who noticed Eren approaching them.

"Can you all leave me a moment alone with my brother?" Eren said with a demanding tone. Mike didn't even question him; instead, he stood up and walked away without saying a word, quickly followed by the rest of his team. Zeke seemed to be in a happier mood now that Eren was with him. He took a sip from his coffee before addressing his little brother.

"So, what did our old men leave behind in the basement?" Zeke asked, not sounding that interested. Then Eren extended his hand, holding the photo that his father had saved. The cup with coffee fell from his hands, shattering on the ground, spilling the coffee on the ground.

"W-where did you get this?" Zeke gasped as he slowly grabbed the photo from his hands, his eyes showing disbelief. He knew how Eren had gotten his hands on it, but he didn't want to believe it.

"Our father kept it, Zeke. He must have dearly loved you two to keep this photo after such a long time," Eren said, but Zeke shook his head in denial. He gripped the photo, almost tearing it, but eventually, his hand relaxed.

"That's not who our father was, Eren. You don't know him like I do," Zeke said with anger in his voice. For the first time since meeting him, his big brother was losing his calm.

"I might not know him like you did, but that wasn't all." Eren extended his other hand, holding the letter inside the enclosure. "Father had this hidden in the books he had written about the outside world. I didn't open it. I think you should read it." Eren said with a sympathetic smile.

Zeke stiffened in place like a statue, staring at the letter for the longest time. His hands moved on their own, and he slowly grabbed the letter from his hand.

"I will leave you alone to read it, brother." Zeke heard Eren say before walking away from him.

Zeke just stood there, his back against an old house wall. He stared at it, and he knew better than to read it. Whatever his father had written was a lie. A way to screw with his head even beyond the grave, he grabbed the edges of the letter, ready to tear it apart, but just as he was about to, he stopped. His father was dead, and he knew who he truly was; this letter, whatever was written on it, could not hurt him. His father was dead. That's all that matters.

With a bit of force, he opened it, grabbed the folded letter inside; and unfolded it. Despite so many years, Zeke recognized his father's writing.

"Zeke, my son if you are reading this, then you have met Eren, your little brother. Zeke. I know whatever I write here will never be enough to pay for what I did to you all your life, even now. I really wish I could go back to the day you asked me if I wanted to play baseball. I wish I could go back and play with you, but not just that day. Every time I used to pressure you, I wish I could have go back and slap myself for saying such harsh words to you. I know the past can never change. I Wasted all the time I had with you, I wasted it all, and hurt you more than I can imagine. I know you hate us, and you have every right to hate us, especially after everything we did to you, but I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart. I Love you, Zeke, as does your mother. Even in her final moments, she loved you. I never blamed you, and never will for what happened. I just hope you become a good brother to Eren, he is a bit hotheaded, but he has a good heart deep inside. There's so much more I wish I could do, I wish to hold you, to kiss your cheek, and talk about all the things we could have talked, but never did. I wish I could play tag with you, but I know that time can never return. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I know I Don't deserve it. But, I want you to know one thing. Whatever you decide to do with your life. Whatever road you decide to walk. I Want you to know one thing. No matter what. I will Love you Always."

Zeke's knees turned wobbly, and before he knew it, he was on his knees, holding the letter with his hands; tears ran down his face, and as much as he wanted to stop them, he couldn't. He had thought Grisha would use one more trick to try and mess up with his head; instead, he admitted to everything he did. No last ploy, but admitting to what he had done. He wanted to remind himself what his father had done, but he couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard he tried.

As he sat there, with his forehead touching the ground. Zeke Yeager had one thought on his head.

What should I do now?