All rights belong to Hajime Isayama.

It had been an easier few months than Gabi would have thought. It was a rough few days to be sure, given the fear of being killed by an island devil at any moment and an incident with a horse. But now Gabi is confident that the devils aren't going to kill her, at least not as long as they think she's one of them. However, she suspects that they might know. Why else would they be acting so nice? These are monsters, they should be backstabbing each other over the smallest things. Instead, they made sure she had plenty to eat, asked her if she needed any help with her chores, and checked her head after she had a rather unfortunate incident with a horse. There were times when Gabi almost considered them real people, but she wasn't about to be swayed. Especially not today, when the plan is about to fall into place. She is working in the field gathering hay with Falco and some other kids while Ben is helping the older ones brush the horses.

"You know, they're very nice," Falco tells her.

"They don't know who we are," Gabi scoffs. "Though I suppose it makes sense for devils to be decent to their own."

Mia is across from them working with a a few other "devil" kids. Gabi has had her eye on her old neighbor. She was nice enough to tell her which children are from Liberio and which are native devils. Although she couldn't openly interact with any of them, least she look suspicious. Though she did try to work with the Liberian-Eldians as often as she could, she is confused and concerned with how they willingly interacted with the Paradisians.

"Hey, Randy are you ok?" Mia asks as she shovels hay with a sad-looking Paradisian boy with sandy blonde hair and glasses.

"Huh? Oh yeah, Mia, I'm fine," Randy says, unconvincing.

"No you're not, tell me," Mia says.

Randy sighs. "Ok, today is my mom's birthday."

Mia turns guilty. "Oh, sorry."

"What's wrong with that?" Falco/"Tristen" asks.

"Tristen, it's personal," Mia says.

"No, it's ok," says Randy. "It's just that…my mom was one of the people eaten by Titans when the Wall fell."

Several people around him wince. Falco/"Tristen" lowers his head in shame, though Gabi/"Thea" remains stoic.

"It's been six years, but whenever it's her birthday the whole family gets depressed," says Randy, becoming more sad. "We all miss her. And she was eaten by a Titan too. Such an awful way to go."

Gabi feels a fire burn inside her. How dare this devil-boy try to make her feel bad over his devil-mother receiving karmic justice. He's acting like he's the victim when his ancestors subjected the rest of the world to the exact same fate.

"Sounds to me like you haven't acknowledged your sin yet," Gabi says, glaring coldly at the boy.

Falco/"Tristen" looks at her with worry and shock. Mia looks at her horrified. Randy looks at her hurt. And everyone else is just confused.

"What?" Randy asks.

"Don't act like your mother was some innocent victim," Gabi/"Thea" says, coldly. "She had done nothing to atone for the blood on her ancestor's hands. Only when an Eldian acknowledges their sins and works to atone can they earn forgiveness."

"Thea! Don't say things like that!" "Tristen"/Falco shouts.

Mia groans. "I thought you were here to get over this!"

"What?" Gabi asks confused, as Randy starts to cry. "I am simply stating irrefutable truths!"

"You don't get to say that someone's mom deserved to die!" Mia shouts.

"Wait a second," one of the other boys says. One of the ones that Mia pointed out to Gabi was a Paradisian. "Thea, are you a Marleyan-Eldian?"

Gabi and Falco freeze.

"What?" Falco/"Tristen" asks.

"Are you two from Marley?" the boy asks again, catching the attention of everyone else around them. "My dad says that some of them talk like that because they were taught by Marley to hate themselves."

Gabi turns cold. She takes a few steps and grabs the nearby pitchfork. The devils have discovered who they are. They are going to turn on her and Falco now. Torture them. But she won't go down without a fight.

"Uh…" Falco/"Tristen" is lost for words.

"Listen, it's cool if YOU are, man," the boy says. "We don't hold it against the rest of you. I mean, we like Mia and she's a Marleyan."

Gabi's eyes widen and her grip loosens on the pitchfork. She'd naturally assumed that Mia and the other Marleyan-Eldians kept their heritage secret to blend in with the devils. But this whole time, they knew Mia was one and they treated her so well. It was unfathomable.

"I'm sorry, what?" Gabi/"Thea" asks.

"Oh, Mia's from Marley too," the boy says. "You didn't know that?"

"She told you that and she's still alive?" Gabi/"Thea" asks confused.

"I kept it secret at first, but after a while, it just came up in a conversation," Mia admits.

"You guys really don't care?" Falco/"Tristen" asks.

"Well Mia was nice enough," says another boy. "And we know that Marley wasn't nice to you guys either. Besides it wasn't her that broke down the wall. But as for you, Thea, what are you saying?"

"She's just parroting what Marley told her," Falco/"Tristen" says, defensively. "She doesn't really mean it!"

"Yes, I do!" Gabi/"Thea" shouts, and Falco/"Tristen" sends her a look that says: 'Shut up you idiot!'. Gabi resumes her furious rant. "There's a reason why the world hates us! If you won't fight for Marley to atone then you could at least accept it!"

Mia shakes her head in dismay. Those of them from Marley look at her with pity. Those from Paradis look at her with anger. But Randy is just saddened and confused.

"What reason did my mom have to die?" Randy asks.

"Randy-"

"No, Mia. I want to hear her reasoning. Thea, tell me why you think my mom deserved to die."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten!?" Gabi/"Thea" shouts in outrage. She can not believe the nerve of these devils. "Are you not aware that the Eldian Empire slaughtered people for thousands of years!? Your kind used the Power of the Titans to trample the world for millennia! You wiped out whole cultures, murdered countless people, and forced them to bear children. DONT ACT LIKE YOUR THE VICTIM HERE!"

"OUR people, GABI!" Mia shouts.

Gabi gasps in shock at Mia having said her true name out loud. The other children around her gasp and whisper to themselves, wondering why she called her that.

"Uhh…Mia-"

"No, "Tristen"," Mia says. "Look missy. I know you think that we are exempt from that bad history just because we were born in Marley but-"

"No, that just allowed us to escape the bad influence!" Gabi/"Thea" shouts. "We're good Eldians for fighting for Marley."

"But wasn't Marley doing the same thing?" the boy asks. "You say that we are guilty because our ancestors used Titans in our wars. How is that different from what Malreys doing!?"

Gabi's once confident face is briefly shaken until she remembers what her aunt and parents told her when they first arrived on Paradis.

"Our ancestors were pawns of the devil, that's different," Gabi/"Thea" says, although the look on her face indicates that she's trying to convince herself.

Her fellow Marleyan-Eldians look at her with sympathy while the Paradisian's glares turn dark. Randy speaks up again.

"But Thea, Gabi, whatever your name is. My mom never made a deal with the devil. She spent her whole life on this island. Why should she have had to suffer for something other people did a hundred years ago?"

Gabi's confidence is shaken. That was a question that she had been asked many times since coming to Paradis. She hated this. life was so simple back in Marley, our ancestors did bad things so they had to redeem themselves by serving Marley and wiping out the worst of their kind on this island. Ever since coming here, she's constantly been given doubts about the logic behind this, but she refuses to let the devils brainwash her.

"T-the sins of Eldia are so great that they carry onto you."

"How is that fair?" Randy asks, shouting. "Why should innocent people be punished for something a relative of theirs did before they were even born!? My mom was a doctor! She was dedicated to helping people! How had she sinned?"

"Your people aren't innocent!" Gabi/"Thea" shouts, unconfidently. "Your queen took us from our homes, and plunged our country into ruin!"

"We were not involved in the queen's decision!" Randy shouts. "And my mom died six years ago so don't blame her for that!" "I-I'm telling you, your ancestors-"

Randy grabs Gabi's shoulders and shakes her violently while crying.

"Tell me, Thea! What did my mother do to deserve to be eaten by a Titan!? She never killed anyone! Why did any of us have to suffer like that!? There has to be a better reason than a hundred years ago! It's madness if there isn't!"

Gabi is completely caught off guard by this. The last thing she ever expected was to see a devil cry. And she couldn't think of an answer to what she was being asked. She glances at Mia, who shakes her head.

"You don't have an answer, do you?" Mia asks. "You've just been parroting the things that Marley told you your whole life and you were never given any other viewpoint." Mia turns to the rest of the kids. "Everyone, please don't judge her too harshly. The Marleyans told her that if she devoted themselves to them that, one day, they would be forgiven for their sins and be accepted as actual people. So she and her family immersed themselves in it. Told themselves that they and Marley were good and anyone against them is bad. Marley is ruthless so they were taught to be ruthless. And this girl is too young to have been given any other viewpoint. When she came here she told me that she was here to change, but-" Mia glares at Gabi. "-I guess that was a lie."

"Mia, why did you call Thea "Gabi"?" a girl asks.

"She….No, it's not my secret to share." Mia looks back at Gabi. "And you, I had an older cousin who was in the warrior program. He told my family some things that I think your own cousin must have realized. I suggest before you do anything else, for Marley, you talk to him."

Mia stomps away. Everyone else looks at "Thea"/Gabi for an answer but she remains silent. "Tristen"/Falco looks Randy right in the eyes and speaks.

"Marley sent the warriors to invade this island. They were given specific instructions from the highest authorities to seize the Founding Titan and destroy the Walls. Any defiance would have resulted in their replacements and the execution of their families. You and your family were caught up in it. Your mother didn't do anything wrong. I am sorry."

Randy sniffs and wipes away a tear.

"Thank you for telling me, Tristen," Randy says.

"You just leaked secrets to the enemy," Gabi/"Thea" tells Falco/"Tristen" harshly. "And why apologize?"

"What is wrong with you!?" a different Marleyan-Eldian girl asks.

"What is wrong with you!?" Gabi/"Thea" shouts standing up. "I'm fighting for every one of our kind back home and here you all are mingling with the enemy! Well, I don't care how nice they act! I'm a good Eldian! I'm not a traitor and I never will be!"

"So basically you want to believe that we're bad so you can kill us without feeling guilty and impress a bunch of people who hate you?" a Paradisian boy asks critically as many others scowl at Gabi/"Thea".

Gabi/"Thea" winces before screaming and running off. Falco lets out a long-suffering sigh and leaves to find her brother.

Braun Butcher Shop; Wall Maria

Karina Braun is wiping the counter clean as her brother, who owns the butcher shop, is cutting pork into slices. After arriving in Paradis they opened their own butcher shop, just like what they had back in Liberio. They had also used this business as a means of communicating with their Marleyan and Liberian allies, sending "customers" out with notes in their bags of meat. Exchanging information and meeting times. And soon the first phase of their big plan will be in effect. The bell on the door rings and Karina looks up to greet a new customer. However, her face falls when she sees that it is none other than her son, Reiner. Karian stops cutting as he stares at his nephew. Neither he nor anyone else in their family has seen or spoken to Reiner in the year since Karina told everyone that Reiner was a traitor and a failure. Seeing him in his shop was a big surprise.

"Hello, mother. Uncle."

"Reiner, what are you doing here?" Karian asks. "Shouldn't you be…moving something?" "I'm on my break," Reiner says. "Connie and Jean are outside. I just came here to talk."

"Unless you're here to say that you are willing to help us fight the devils then you should go," Karina says.

"I'm here for the family," Reiner says. "I was talking to Pieck and she heard from Porco that Gabi is undercover at Sasha's parent's house." "We thought that our children could use some hard work and fresh air," Karian says.

"If you're involving my little cousin in a scheme against this island then I suggest you stop it now," Reiner says.

"Gabi no longer considers you her cousin," Karina says. "And she's doing her duty as a good Eldian."

Reiner growls. "Mother! Everything Marley told you was a lie! They were never going to let us go just for fighting for them! Have more conscripts for their wars!? Cheap labor!? Why would they willingly change a system that benefits them!?"

"Your time on this island has warped your mind!" Karina shouts.

"No! Since coming here my mind has become clearer!" Reiner shouts. "When I lived in Marley I was just a stupid naive boy that didn't know anything except for what I was told. But then I came to this island and I started thinking. I met people. Good and decent human beings. I tried to tell myself that they were devils for a long time while still having to be nice to them for the sake of the mission, but thinking like that didn't do me any favors! I'm done being a tool! I'm done being a murderer! I'm done lying to myself! And I'm done being lied to!"

"It's that devil queen that's lied to you!" Karina counters.

"No," Reiner says, harshly. "For the first time in my life, I've been surrounded by people who are honest with me. And that doesn't include you!"

Karina gasps offended. "Excuse me!?" "Reiner! You can't talk to your mother like that!" Karian shouts. "Mother, when we came to Paradis you told me that my father died before I left on my mission and he wanted to be with us!" Reiner shouts. "Well, guess what? I met him right BEFORE I left!"

Karina's eyes widen. Karian sets down his knife, clears his throat, and goes into the back room.

"You must be mistaken. Your father-"

"I went up to him and I told him that we could live together!" Reiner shouts. "He was terrified, crying. He accused me of being sent by you to torment him! He said that his FAMILY is still screwed even though we were honorary Eldians! He said that you only made me become a warrior to spite him for leaving us!" "Oh…."

Reiner chuckles bitterly. "You know, I was hoping that you would tell me the truth. I thought that maybe you might have just been delusional and honestly didn't know how he truly felt about us. But no, you were lying to me ever since I was a kid." Reiner cries tears of anger. "You used me, mother, as a tool for revenge." "It wasn't just against your father," Karina says, actually looking a little guilty. "Marley needed warriors to fight the Island Devils. Who left us behind to suffer on the continent. I would have applied myself but they were only accepting kids. It was to help ALL of us!"

"You were still using me as a tool!" Reiner shouts. "If it wasn't for Historia, I would be dying right now!"

"Reiner, I-"

"And you know what, I agreed with Historia to bring Liberio here. I thought you would come to like it and we could all be a family here. But I was wrong." "You thought I would like it here?" Karina asks, irritated. "I spent my entire life in Marley and the next thing I knew I was being forced to move. I have had to adapt to a new house. New social customs. New writing styles. I wanted my home to be better, not a new one! You took me from my home! Our home, Reiner!"

"When was the last time you ever did anything for me as a mother!?" Reiner shouts. "Name one time that you did something for me, out of genuine motherly love! Not as a weapon, a soldier, a tool, or anything for Marley. Tell me just one time and I will apologize!"

Karina opens her mouth, but no words escape. She thinks back to her son's childhood. How pleased she was when she found out that she was pregnant with her Marleyan lover's son, because he would be a symbol of their triumph over the devils. The joy she felt when her son showed her his new armband, marking him as a warrior, so she could have a better life and finally see that hated island fall. Karina gasps and covers her mouth. Her knees become weak and she uses her free hand to brace herself on the counter.

"I…I can't," Karina says, regretfully.

Reiner closes his eyes and tears roll down his face. "I know."

Reiner exits the shop, leaving his mother crying alone.

Shiganshina District, Wall Maria

Porco is meeting with Pieck, while the guard who is supposed to be watching her sleeps. She has had a long day of community service work and she wants to return home to her father. Porco, on the other hand, has just gotten out of school. He dreads that he has to spend all day surrounded by devils and taught a false history. A girl came up to him and asked him on a date. Proco was flattered at first until he realized that she was a Paradians-born Eldian and he nearly threw up from the thought of being attracted to a devil. It was so difficult to find his own people in the crowd, but luckily he was able to find a club that was composed of non-Paradisian Eldians. Now, he was meeting with Pieck as he usually does.

"Today's the day, Pieck," Porco says. "The Brauns kid told us that the Female Titan will be returning to her home. But she will be in for a big surprise."

"And your sure this will work?" Pieck asks.

"Well with the information you provided for me on how the devil shifters act we have an idea of how she will respond. I must thank you for that. Especially since I know kissing up to that Horse-Tian must not have been pleasant."

Pieck averts her eyes. "I have something for you." Pieck reaches into her pocket and pulls out a glass bottle of off-color liquid. "It's the kind of serum used for healing. My dad has plenty of it."

"Good, we can use it if one of our own people gets hurt."

Porco tries to reach for it, but Pieck pulls her hand away.

"You're not planning to hurt anyone, right?" Pieck asks. "You just want to lure Sasha Braus to where you want for her spinal fluid. I sent you that letter from Zeke on how a shifter's spinal fluid can be safely extracted. No one has to die if we play our cards right."

"What does it matter if we are going to kill this whole island anyway?" Porco asks.

"We do have to do that," says Pieck. "Once we have the Founder-"

"We were given orders to destroy this island and we will!" Proco says. "If not then Marley will. You said it yourself, as strong as Paradis is they don't have the numbers or resources. The Rumbling is their ace in the hole and without it, they are sitting ducks!"

"We can convince Marley that it's beneficial to leave the general population alive," Pieck says. "I think we owe them that much for sparing us."

Proco looks at Pieck with a hint of jealousy. "It's about the Beast devil, isn't it?"

"What? Pock, don't be ridiculous. It's just the humane thing to do."

Porco grabs Pieck's shoulders and screams in her face, making the dark-haired girl flinch.

"Don't lie to me!" Porco shouts. 'I know you've been flirting with him! I didn't mind before since it was your cover, but have you fallen for him now!? Are you two doing it!?"

"Porco, you're hurting me."

Porco shoves Pieck away. Pieck looks at her friend in shock. She sees no regret in his eyes, only anger. Pock was always angry, but he was passionate, driven, and had a good heart deep down. It was why Pieck had a not-so-secret crush on him when they were kids that lasted until they were teens. But this wasn't the same boy she knew then. He was sheathing like an animal.

"Porco, what happened to you?"

"This island happened to me!" Porco shouts as he snatches the bottle out of Pieck's hands. "I'm doing this for my brother, Pieck. I swear, I won't rest until these whole walls are burnt to the ground. We'll come get you after we have the Titan."

Pieck watches Porco as he stomps away, and wonders if she had made the right choice.

Braus Family Ranch, Wall Rose

Gabi is staring at her armband, crouching down in the forest by a stream near the Braus ranch farm. She couldn't believe that Falco had taken their side. Though she supposed it wasn't that surprising since he only came with her and Ben to talk them out of it. Falco even asked his brother from the warrior's program to stop by and tell them they are better off no longer subservient to Marley, but the Braun siblings would not be swayed. No matter what anyone says it will not change her mind. She is a Marleyan soldier and she will never betray her country. She won't stop fighting until the Eldians of Marley are given TRUE acceptance. So as long as Marley wants this island destroyed she will make it happen, no matter the cost. No matter how nice they act they are still devils at their core anyway so there's no reason to feel bad about it. That's what she reminds herself.

"Stupid Falco," Gabi mutters, oblivious to the footsteps approaching behind her. "You were never a true soldier anyway. Too much pity for the enemy. And Mia, the traitor. Well, I'll show her. I'll show all of them what a real Eldian looks like."

"And what does that look like, Thea?" asks a girl behind her. "I lost both my parents to Titans too thanks to Marley. Are you saying they also deserved it?"

"All you island devils-" Gabi stops when she sees who is talking to her. She sees about five of the older kids glaring at her with spite. Gabi instinctively picks up a rock and stands up. "Stay back! I'm a trained soldier!"

The big kid who spoke to her just kicks Gabi in the stomach. The little girl falls into the stream with a bruised belly, dropping her rock. Gabi sits up but another of the big kids grabs her by her collar and grips one of her wrists. Gabi winces in pain as she tries in vain to break free.

"So you think you're so much better than us, huh? That you can come to our home and kill us for no reason!?"

"Let's teach the brat a lesson," says another big kid.

Gabi bites the big kid's arm and he lets go to couch it. Gavin tries to run as the other kids call out for her to come back (calling her a little shit). But Gabi slips on a rock in the stream and hits her leg on a larger rock. A cracking sound is heard. Gabi screams and cries in pain as she clutches her throbbing leg. The pain is excruciating and she can't run anymore, just lay on the sandy part of the stream as water rushes over her other leg. Gabi breathes heavily, and her fear intensifies as she sees the three big kids loom over her.

"Get her!" They raise their legs or fists and prepare to wail on Gabi. But, they are interrupted by a whistle. The big kids look over and they see Artur Braus and Kaya, both looking disappointed and angry. By their side is Falco.

"Mr. Braus! We-"

"Wha do ya boys think yer do'in?" Artur asks, harshly. "Attac'n a litt'l girl?"

"She's a Marleyan-Eldian!" shouts a boy.

"And not the good kind!"

"She said it's a GOOD thing that our parents died!"

Artur looks at Gabi. Gabi gazes up at the man in fear, sure that he will allow the boys to resume what they are doing. Or perhaps he would join in as well. She is too scared to move, not that she can with her leg which is likely broken.

"Mr. Beaus, please," Falco says. "Thea-"

Mr. Braus raises his hand to make him stop. "Thea, how's yer leg?" he asks Gabi/"Thea".

Gabi stares at him in surprise. "I….it hurts. It hurts so much."

"Hmmm. Ya had a bad fall. Tis probably broken. Kaya, pick Thea up gen'ly. We'll tak' a look a' it back home. Tristen, help yer sis'er too."

"Yes sir!"

Falco rushes over to Gabi along with Kaya. Kaya tells him to lift her foot up gently while she Carrie's Gabi bridal style. The entire time, Gabi's attention is focused on Artur in disbelief.

"Didn't you hear us?" one of the boys asks. "She hates us! She wants to kill us!"

"Yeah, why do you care about her!?"

"Hav' I told ye boys 'bout my daughter, Sasha?" Mr. Braus asks.

Everyone is confused. Paradisian and Marleyan.

"Back when Maria first fell, she was an'ry cus things wer changin. The forest was gettin smaller to make room fer crops. We wer loosin game. An the government offered us a ton of money to raise horses fer them. I didn't like it, but we decided tha' it was best ta let go an old thinkin for the sake a others. Sasha did'n like that. She became a soldier. Wen from one forest ta another. An I worry fer her ev'ry day." Artur looks at "Thea"/Gabi who is looking at him in shock. "See, the world is one big forest. Som' folks think it's eith'r kill or be killed. They hold on'ta old grudges. It rots em from ta inside. So they 'urt others. Then they 'urt others. That's why we gotta keep children out'a the forest. Er else nothin' gonna stop wha' happened in Maria from happenin again. It's up ta us adults to should'r ta sins of the past. Not the kids."

One of the boys frowns.

"No! Your wrong! We need to teach this girl a lesson!"

"Wit logic and love, not violence," Artur says. "An I'm tellin yer parents wh't ya did er today."

"Go ahead! My widowed dad will take my side!" says one of the boys.

Artur huffs and looks at "Thea"/Gabi who is staring at him confused.

"Ar ya ok? Thea?"

"You really don't hate me?" Gabi/"Thea" asks.

After they returned to the ranch, Mrs. Braus and Kaya gave Gabi/"Thea" some painkillers and wrapped her leg in a cast. Falco/"Tristen" was by her side the whole time. Her brother Ben/"David" rushed into the room and immediately threatened to beat all the devils responsible to death, but Artur assured him that they were being sent home to be punished by their parents. Throughout the entire time, Gabi thinks about what Artur did for her. Artur leaves to notify her parents about her condition but Kaya stays behind.

"I know your Reiner Brauns cousins," Kaya says, causing the three Liberian-Eldians to look at her in shock.

"What?" Gabi/"Thea" asks.

"I heard you and Mia talking when you first got here," Kaya explains.

Gabi/"Thea" gasps. "What-but that was months ago."

Falco grabs his head and has a breakdown while Ben looks shocked. "Oh, you knew all along," Falco laughs. "This is so embarrassing."

"Who have you told?" Ben asks.

"No one," Kaya says. "This is your secret. I had no right to tell anyone. And I understand. If you were open about who your family is that would have just caused too much trouble."

"Aren't you worried about why we're here?" Ben asks. "Especially after her outburst?"

"I don't know why you're here," Kaya says. "But I was hoping that if you stayed here for a while. Got to know us. You could see that we aren't so bad."

Kaya smiles at the three of them. She goes to the door and leaves the bedroom. Gabi looks at the cast on her leg, hand-wrapped by Kaya and Lisa.

"Why did they help me?" Gabi asks. "They are devils?"

"Who are you trying to convince?" Falco asks. "Them or yourself."

"The devils of this island hurt my sister," Ben tells Falco.

"You're right, people on this island did hurt her," Falco says. "And believe me, I hate them for it. But just them. Other people helped her and I appreciate that much."

"They-"

"It was still wrong, but I want to remind you that they only acted that way because they lost people they cared about because of what we did to them," says Falco.

"Were you there?" Ben asks. "Neither was I."

"So what do you think happened then?" Falco asks.

"Look, it doesn't matter how nice a few of them can be now."

"Are you going to say that them helping Gabi doesn't matter?"

Ben is silent.

"They are devils," Gabi says, though with a blank stare.

"Including Mr. Braus, Kaya, and Randy?" Falco asks. "Even after two of them helped you?"

"…Yes."

"WHY? Gabi. WHY?" Falco asks.

"They just are."

"You know what I think?" Falco says. "I think you don't really believe that anymore. I think that you're just trying to convince yourself that it's true so they can die without you feeling guilty. And I think the only reason you want to kill them is because you think the Marleyans might love you for it. That's so selfish."

"They want this island," Ben says. "Historia single-handedly brought ruin to our country. Once we take her down they will love us and free our people. They will have to."

"Why would they?" Falco asks. "If we're willing to go to such lengths to get on their good side. Maybe they might treat us better, but do you really think they will free all Eldians if they would be motivated to go the lengths we have?"

Ben and Gabi exchange looks with each other.

"Gabi, do you remember when my brother visited?" Falco asks. "Colt spoke with Reiner and Bertolt. I know you don't think highly of your cousins but they BOTH told him what he told us. And he was in the Warrior Program too, in the field. So he knows what he's talking about. The Marleyans never mention their war efforts, and when they return home regular Marleyan citizens treat them the same. Their superiors barely respect them, if at all. And they always force our people on the front lines, say they will earn redemption, but treat them just as bad even when they return home broken."

"But Eldia is their greatest enemy!" Ben shouts. "And after we get praise for ourselves we…we can…do stuff to influence them?" "Why can't we just stay here?" Falco asks. "Paradis is making allies with other countries, not waging war with Titans. They are working towards freeing Eldians throughout the world."

"But this isn't our country," Ben says. "Were Honorary Marleyans, and we have a duty to our motherland."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Gabi says. "Aunt Karina and the others will be here soon enough."

"Can we at least convince them to spare the nicer so-called-devils?" Falco asks, stressing this.

"…If Marley deems them worthy of it," says Ben.

Three Hours Later…

The Female Titan runs through the Forest. After the week she's had, she wants to reconnect with her parents and stop thinking about her fight with Niccolo. She feels pretty bad about some of the things she said to him, and she hopes that he didn't mean the things he said either. Maybe when she goes back she can bring him some food from a restaurant for once and they can start over. She would like that.

When Sasha is about 15 meters from the ranch, her Titan knees down and Sasha emerges from the nape. She slides down her Titan body's shoulder as the whole thing evaporates away and approaches the ranch. She walks to the front door and starts to open it.

"Ma! Pa! I hope I didn't scare you with my Titan. I just-"

Sasha gasps when she opens the door. The living room is trashed. Things are broken. Furniture is moved and knocked over. it looks like there was a home invasion. Sasha looks around, hoping to see a sign of her parents or the kids who are supposed to be here, but there isn't any. Then Sasha looks down at the ground. Down at the blood-stained body, with a sealed envelope placed on top of it, at her feat. Sahsa gasps and tears swell in her eyes.

"Pa?"

I know I said last chapter Zeke is watched, he has his methods for exchanging letters with Pieck. Specifically, he gains permission to talk to Pieck on the phone during her break hours as long as he is monitored closely by a Paradisian guard. Although they speak in a code that only the warriors know as part of their training. He also sends them notes disguised as a letter on how his days are.

For those of you who think Porco is too crazy, remember this is a version of him that didn't get his revenge for his brother's death partly satisfied by eating Ymir (his brother's killer) and he is now actively working with a group whose main objective is destroying Paradis instead of just doing what Marley says. He's also suspected that Peick might actually like Jean for a long time and its made him jealous.

Thank you for reading. All comments are appreciated