Chapter 33

Just then, Petra and Levi rush in, Petra says, "Your Highness, Zeke is here."

Dina nods as she, along with Eren, Katrina, Aya, Mikasa, Gloria, and Sasha go to Zeke. Zeke's body is slowly healing, but the Thunder Spear on the neck is still a problem. Eren frowns as he takes it off, without exploding it.

"Mother..." Zeke looks at Dina, who kneels with tears in her eyes, "Zeke. You've grown so much…"

She then throws her arms around him and begins sobbing. Zeke is utterly shocked, and, unsure of what else to do, awkwardly wraps his arms around her, completing the hug.

"Your father and I...we put too much pressure on you. We treated you terribly. I'm so sorry."

Zeke feels his eyes watering. "I should be apologizing. It's because of me that you were…"

Dina shakes her head. "I know you didn't have a choice. You did it to save yourself and your grandparents. I forgive you for that. However, I still think that euthanizing the Eldians is still wrong."

This causes Zeke to gasp in shock. Eren says, "I'm sure that Petra already told you everything, it is true that Eldians outside of this island is now unable to bear children. However, we are not going to let Paradis Island be taken by enemies."

Zeke finally mutters, "As long as Eldians exist, this hell will never end! If you don't go through with it, the bloodshed will never stop! All we've been through will just cycle for eternity. Why won't you?"

"Because we're born in this world." Aya says.

Zeke turns to Dina and asks, "You brainwashed them again?"

Dina says, "I have not brainwashed them. They already know the plan before they even free me from the nightmare of being a Titan."

"So that means it is our vile father again..." Zeke says.

"Stop it, it is pointless." Eren says as his eyes glowed.

In the paths, Eren says, "Now that nobody is hearing, let us tell you the truth. My father never brainwashed me, although I inherited the memories because I ate him for the Titan powers. Aya also agrees with me of her own free will, she's also an Ackermann, so I won't be able to brainwash her."

"And we're going to show you the memories of the past." Aya says as Eren calls Founder Ymir, who nods and shows the scenes. The first one is the moment when Eren and Katrina are born. Zeke says, "How happy he looks considering he's living his life after sending his friends and his "old" family straight to hell."

"So? What are you going to do?" Eren asks.

"I'll make you understand just how Grisha Yeager brainwashed his son, his daughter, and Aya and planted those seeds of nationalism into you for as long as it takes." Then he turns to Grisha and says, "Isn't that great, Grisha? No one will cast blame on you here for forgetting everything about your first family, to enjoy this happy life. Even if you forgot everything about the son you once had."

Then when they go into the memory where he's taking care of one of the royalty, Zeke says, "Look, Eren, Aya. This is who he truly is. He used his position as a doctor to nestle up to those with power inside the walls. All to pin down their king and steal the Founding Titan. Of course, if he messed up, his wife and son wouldn't get off scot-free. Yet he continues to take these risks. Do you understand why?"

"Because my shitty old man was such a big piece of shit that he'd throw his wife and kids into a pile of shit if it meant restoring Eldia." Eren says.

"I see now, we were wrong, we never should have been born. we're no longer brainwashed." Aya decides to say in a boring matter.

"We have all the time in the world. No need to rush." But just as they go through the memories, they also see how Grisha finds where the Founding Titan is located.

"What is this place?" Zeke asks.

"This is the king of the walls' base." Eren says, but then as Zeke watches, he gasps, "Impossible. Grisha should have stolen the founder the day the walls were destroyed. That's years from now."

Then they see Grisha leave without doing anything, and he also goes back home and hugs the baby Eren and Katrina. "I see... it seems he did love his second son, enough to put his mission from the restorationists aside. It's almost nothing like what happened to me. It does seem he'd learn from his "past mistakes". But now you do exactly as he wanted. You've lost your true self. You'll see that soon enough."

Just then, he hears Grisha, who is nearly sleeping. "Zeke... I'm so sorry..."

Zeke flinches a little, and Grisha opens his eyes and mutters, "Zeke? Is that you there?"

After staying silent for a while, Grisha holds his head and says, "Heh... don't be ridiculous. Why would that bearded old man be Zeke? It's just a dream."

"What..." Zeke is confused, Eren says, "You'll know what's going on. Let's go to the next memory."

Then they see Eren and Katrina bringing Aya into the family. They see how Aya hugs both Grisha and Carla at the same time. Eren says, "If my old man has the Founding Titan right now, Aya's hair would have changed for now."

Zeke notices the reaction and says, "Grisha has loved you and raised you freely. So... our father never brainwashed you...?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Eren says."We never had to wander his memories for years."

"But then, why did you betray me? He passed his Titan down to you without telling you a thing." Zeke says. "Yet, you keep fighting just as he wished. Eren, Aya, why did you refuse to end this conflict? What did you plan on doing with the Founder's powers?"

Aya says, "Something that should've been done in the first place. And who said we refuse to end the conflict? we are just us, we always have been."

Then they watch how Eren saved Mikasa, and Eren continues, "I guess you thought the two of us were the same, but you're wrong. If someone tries to steal my freedom away... I won't hesitate to take theirs. Our father didn't make me that way. I have been like this since birth."

"Since... birth?" Zeke is confused.

"You won't find the pathetic little brother you waned in me or someone who conveniently shares your emotional scars either. If you ask about my sister, I'm sure she'll be saying the same thing." Eren says.

"What I see here is a man who can only define himself through the continued denial of Grisha Yeager's wish to restore Eldia. A pathetic man still haunted by his dead father." Aya says.

"If so, this man is grateful to that father. For his acts opened his son's eyes, ultimately saving the world from the danger Eldia poses. You could even say it was that father who saved this world, ironic, isn't it?"

Then they watch how Eren wrapped his scarf around Mikasa, then they change into the basement where Grisha is writing the three books.

"Humanity has not perished." I see. What grand words he left behind." Zeke stares into the book and mutters.

And then the time changes to the day when Bertolt broke the wall. "Eren and Aya said he wants to join the Survey Corps." Mikasa said to Carla.

"Eren! Aya! What were you thinking? Do you know how many people have died because they dared to venture outside the wall?" Carla scolds them.

"We know!" Eren says with panic and so is Aya.

"Eren, Aya...why do you want to go outside?" Grisha asks.

"I hate the idea of spending my whole life inside the wall, ignorant of what's happening in the world outside." Eren replies.

"Me too! If there's no one to carry on, everyone who died up to now will have died in vain!" Aya continues.

"I see..." Before Grisha can leave, Carla says, "Wait, honey! Talk some sense into your son and Aya!"

"Carla. It doesn't matter what anyone says. There's no holding back an inquisitive mind." Grisha says. "Eren, Katrina, Aya. When I get home...I'll show you what's in the basement that I've been keeping secret all this time."

"R-really?" This causes the three to gasp in surprise, and Grisha smiles while revealing a key hanging from a string on his neck.

After Grisha left, his face turned into dread as he was walking towards the Reiss Chapel. He is not alone, he's with Wade Wolff and Jane Fischer. The three of them are confronting the family. Wade yells, "We are Eldians and we have come from beyond the walls!"

Jane says, "We... like you, are subjects of Ymir! King of the Walls! Please! You must kill the Titans attacking the walls at once!"

Grisha says, "You have to, before my wife... and our kids! Before the people of the walls are eaten!"

"We can't escape our sins. The time has come for the subjects of Ymir to face judgment. Man is far too weak in the face of such massive power. The tragedy of the titan war opened my eyes, to that someone must keep the power of the Titans out of human hands. If the power of the Founder were to again fall into the hands of the weak, the world would be turned to hell once more. In order to protect the world, we must accept our sins. Our only choice is to perish."

Zeke, Aya, and Eren were watching as Zeke says, "I feel as if I would have gotten along with that lady. But this family will soon be slaughtered by those three people. You said you saw this memory before, and that it made you lose all hope in our father. Was that... another lie?"

Eren and Aya say nothing as they continue to watch. Grisha continues, "My home is beside the breach in the wall! I live there with my wife my son, and my daughter, the people who live in these walls know nothing about the crimes committed by their ancestors!"

Jane says, "All because you stole their memories! You call this atonement? Domming us to be eaten by titans, ignorant to the end?!"

"No, no matter how we may repent, we Eldians can never return the human lives we took. But what we can do is never take another life beyond our walls. So long as we remain ignorant and accept the world's rage... we Eldians will be the only ones who have to die. There is no point in trying to convince me. And... even if you do take the Founding Titan from me, you can't..."

"Who said I can't?" Grisha suddenly says, which causes them to be shocked. "I know Frieda isn't the one that's talking. It is Karl Fritz. You would have realized that my wife is your descendant. And I am the descendent of the Yeager Family, the Royal Family that holds the Attack Titan. Thus I'll be able to use the full power of the Attack Titan. From a long time ago, the inheritor of the Attack Titan never obeyed others, and I know why! It's all been to resist the self-righteousness of the king! Yes, for this one moment. It's we've all been led to this memory! The Attack Titan is capable of manipulating time! Thus we can see the memories of its future inheritors. In other words, it is capable of knowing the future!"

"The future... I don't understand..." Zeke gasps.

"The Attack Titan's wha - I've never heard..."

"I also knew that you would be unaware of this. Because even if you ARE the true royal family of the Founding Titan, the vow to renounce war keeps you from using the Founder's full power as well. I will eat the Founder here and we will end this ridiculous vow that is the future already set out for us!" Grisha yells.

Just as Grisha was about to transform, Frieda was trying to protect her family. But just then, Grisha kneels down and Wade asks, "Grisha, what the hell are you doing?"

"Yeah, don't tell me you chicken out again..." Jane says.

"I can't... I could never kill children... I... am a doctor, I save lives..."

"Impossible... but Grisha did take the Founder. He massacred this family, didn't he? It's not as if the past could have changed, right?" Zeke asks.

"Didn't he say... The Attack Titan can manipulate time?" Eren says in a cold tone, and just then he walks towards Grisha.

"What are you doing? Stand... father! Did you forget why you came here? Isn't it to get revenge? For your little sister who was being eaten by dogs? For your fellow restorationists, for Dina, for Kruger, for Sarah, you advance on to avenge them, even if you die, even after you die. Dad, you started this story, didn't you?"

And after that, Grisha did the thing and steal the Founder from Frieda. Jane and Wade also transform into the Ocean and Sky Titans, killing all the other family members except for the father.

Back outside, Grisha kneels and yells, "Eren! Aya! We killed them! Even those children! We killed the Reiss family! All but their father, are you happy now?! Is this what you wanted? Was this what we needed to do to save Eldia?"

Jane and Wade frown as they look at Grisha. It is then Carla rushes towards them. Carla says, "Grisha!"

She hugs him, and it is also the moment that the vow is broken. Grisha asks, "How... are the kids?"

"Hannes saved them, but Shiganshina is gone..." Carla frowns. "You killed Frieda and the others, don't you?"

"I... I have to... or else they will take back the power and doom Eldia..." Grisha frowns. "And now I only have 13 years left to live..."

Then he notices Zeke. "You are there, aren't you? Zeke?"

Zeke gasps and Grisha rushes to him and says, "From here on, you won't get what you want. It will all be going Eren and Aya's way."

"What are you saying?" Zeke asks.

"The Attack Titan not only can see the future memories, but he can also show the memories to other shifters... Before the Great Titan War, our ancestors predicted what will happen and show the visions. At that time, the 10 shifters agreed to unleash the Rumbling and made a vow so that only the royal shifters could see them... it was terrible..."

Grisha says while raising his head. "Zeke, is that you?! Oh, how you've grown..."

Then he stands up and says, "I'm sorry. I was a terrible father, I put you through so much suffering, Zeke... I love you."

He hugs Zeke and mutters, "If only... I had spent more time playing with you."

"Dad..." Just then, Eren and Aya bring Zeke back to reality.

Zeke says, "Eren... you were the one who pushed Dad to fight the King of the Walls and the World? If the Attack Titan does have the power to manipulate time, you should also have the ability to affect the past by showing Grisha only the memories that would serve you best... Fa- Grisha hesitated to carry out his duty as a restorationist. If what I saw in your memories was true... and yet he did steal it and entrusted both to you. That's because he saw the memories further into the future. You showed him something, right?"

Eren says, "We manage to unite the 12 royal families who caused the Great Titan War into one again, and all of them will be the final inheritors of the power of the twelve. The world wants us dead, so I'll take their freedom first by unleashing all the Wall Titans to trample the earth beyond the island. Hizuru volunteers will save innocent children and those who want to join our cause."

Aya says, "We've tried to avoid the outcome from happening, that's why with the help of the only member of the Tybur Family that's also in the volunteers you sent, I tried to warn them, but they ignored my warning and also trying to kill us because we're Eldians. We've also noticed their technologies firsthand, they've already had the means to prevent being killed by the Rumbling. So why should we spare them by having us killed?"

Eren says, "Even if my Dad got the Founding Titan, he still has 13 years to live because the curse starts the moment he ate the Founding Titan. Yet he decides to pass down five titans to all of us that day. He wants this as well, they all want this. So, Brother, I'm sorry, but today is going to be your final day. We're going to have you being devoured by the true Beast Royal Family."

Zeke can only kneel in defeat, as he knows that there is no way to change the minds of his family.

Here is a new chapter, and I decide to fast-forward to the Zeke seeing memories scene. I hope you like it.