Pieck and her group returned to Azari at dawn, this time completely completely certain of their plan, or at least its first steps. Jonathan and his convoy were about to leave for Trost; this was an opportunity they couldn't miss, whatever their next moves would be. Pieck doubted its practicality even now, but it was time she made peace with the fact that anything they attempted to do in Paradis would be a huge risk; every misstep could lead to death.

But for now, their future didn't look too dim.

"Here he is." Pieck pointed at the group ahead of them. "I'll do most of the talking; I don't think he'll ask many questions, but try to answer as best as you can if he does."

"I have a bad feeling about this… " Falco sighed.

"We don't have much of a choice, " Oliver added coldly before the group moved forward.

"Jonathan! " Pieck shouted, making the Yeagerist turn around and look at her.

"Ah, Liza! " The man gave her a welcoming smile, allowing Pieck to relax for a moment . "And here I thought you decided to stay. "

" If only there was a place for us…But I'm afraid the village is full."

" Told you. " Jonathan looked over her companions. "You've got quite a family. Mind telling me who is who? "

" Not at all. You know me already. My brother, Victor, and my cousin, Agatha, are here. "

" Hiya, " Gabi responded, trying to be as calm as possible

"And my parents here, Oliver and Karina. "

" Glad to meet you. " Jonathan smiled before noticing a change in Karina's expression the moment Pieck called her 'my parent. '

"Are you alright, Mrs. Karina? "

"Yes, I'm fine . " She said in a slightly snappy tone , Pieck approached Jonathan and spoke in a quieter tone.

"I'll appreciate it if you don't pester them; it's been very difficult …For all of us."

" I see. " Jonathan nodded. " Alright, I can take all of you with us , we'll reach Trost tomorrow if there are no unexpected surprises. "

" That sounds perfect. "

"A word of warning though…I know a few places where you can stay, but the people there would expect every single person in the city to help with restoratio n. " Jonathan explained. " Everyone's got to do their part, and if you are planning to stay for long, it'll be expected of you, too. You ready for that? "

"Doesn't seem like that big of a price for a new home, " Pieck responded.

"Good… Let's go, then. We're about to depart."

…

She wished she could simply forget. To focus on the present, to begin a new fight for her place in this new, broken world that was about to be reborn. Everything Pieck once stood for, all of her ties to the past, to reality, she knew all of her life were annihilated. All but four people put their trust in her, much like all Liberio Eldians put their trust in the Warriors. Yet every time she closed her eyes, the dreams would resurface.

Pieck remembered rushing across the woods of Rose District, bringing forth Marleyan infiltrators, supplies, and most importantly, Zeke. Pieck helped set up the operation, helped spread the spinal fluid across the town within. If memory serves her right, it was named Ragako. All those people, not knowing what awaited them, believing they were safe behind the wall that guarded them. Then, a single roar from the outside, and they all became monsters and lambs to the slaughter. She doomed those people back then.

And now she was sleeping in one of their carts as a welcome guest who was helped by utmost patriots without even realizing who she truly was. Perhaps any belief she had in her virtue was a simple delusion after all.

…

When Pieck opened her eyes, she desperately tried not to scream. She still felt as if she was amidst that chaos and wanton destruction of the Rumbling, hearing the desperate screams echo in her mind. All those people that she couldn't save, that she outlived. The places that she called home were annihilated by Eren in a matter of days. How could she sleep after all the horrific destruction Pieck had witnessed? After everything that she lost and sacrificed, with one final task still lying ahead of her?

At least the others managed to sleep uninterrupted. The group stayed in a cart that was carried by a number of horses, and Yaegerists rode each one. Gabi, Oliver, Karina, and Falco were all asleep, probably finding this cart quite comfortable compared to sleeping outside. Pieck hoped that they would have a fitting rest, though a similar hope she had for herself was long gone. Pieck moved towards the cart's edge in an attempt to get some fresh air. This hasn't gone without notice on Jonathan's part. He was riding a horse quite close to the cart by the time their eyes crossed. Pieck could see surprise in his eyes for a quick moment, but his confidence reappeared very soon.

"You alright? " He spoke quietly, but he was close enough for her to hear.

"Yeah, I'm fine, " Pieck said calmly. "Just have some trouble sleeping. "

" You should try your best. Tomorrow's a big day , there'd probably be many people moving to Trost while the wilderness is still dangerous. And everyone will have a lot to say about what happened in the last few days… " Jonathan sighed with visible disappointment, leaving Pieck curious.

"You think they won't approve? "

"Many won't . " The man said with a pained voice. " And some will get way too enthusiastic about resisting. I'll be there to try and keep up the peace …And clean up messes if necessary. "

" Is that what you Yeagerists do now? " Pieck said with mild amusement, trying to distract herself away from the nightmare. It was comforting to be with another loyal soldier, even if they were on different sides. "Clean up messes? "

"That's what we did since the beginning. Eren tried to keep the world in peace , to undo the mess that countless people created. He found a way… " Jonathan's lips quivered. "Though it's not the one everyone would approve of. "

"Many people in Netero were skeptical about the Rumbling, I take it. "

" Because they were concerned for the world or simply didn't want to get crushed by the wall? " Jonathan chuckled.

"Everyone had their reasons. "

"I don't blame them. Very few cared to understand Eren's perspective, and most just went with the flow. Then again, he's seen much more than anyone else…Perhaps we can't understand. At least we can give him some respect. "

"Eren's perspective? " Pieck raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like he considered the perspectives of others, his own people included. Not when he allowed the walls to crash! " Pieck's voice grew louder, though she held herself back to avoid awakening her group.

"You're an opposer, too? " Jon said with intrigue, causing Pieck to pause and doubt for a moment . She had no chance of portraying a loyal civilian, but she didn't have to. If anything, considering the narrative she spun, it would be highly unrealistic.

"I am. " Pieck took a gamble and said with stark confidence. "Because I didn't want the walls to come down, yes, but also because…Was the world outside really that horrible that there was no other way? " Pieck said it with conviction as if she truly meant it, but even thinking back to Liberio, she understood why Eren came to the conclusion he did. He saw all the hatred and militarism, how Marleyans and Eldians alike were rallied to destroy Paradis after years of torment. After Marley sent its warriors to strip Paradis of the coordinate and thus, end countless lives in the process. She was among them , and she didn't think about what would happen if Paradisians bit back until it was too late, until everything she knew came crashing down.

"Hm… " Jonathan paused. "Tell me, how many people would you kill to save your family? " This question left many confused and hesitant, but Pieck decided to do it for herself a long time ago.

"A lot, if it is necessary. I think most other people would, too . "

"That's not a precise answer. " Jonathan shook his head. "You have some people purging entire nations like it's nothing and then others who think that killing a couple of people would already be too a lot. Would you kill every single person in the world except for your family if it was the only way to save them? "

" I… " Pieck paused, genuinely focused on the question.

"Eren made his choice. The world had to die so that Paradis could live."

"And you supported him? "

" He hid the truth from most of us until it was too late to stop him. I have friends who protested but as for myself…Eren chose to not concern himself with how many is 'too many'. Better to kill them all and finish all the work than show weakness and allow the remaining ones to strike back. Not sure if I could've made that choice, so I'm grateful that we had someone who could."

" And do you think our people wouldn't find something to start another conflict over? Between ourselves, this time. "

" And that's why Yeagerists are staying . " He said coldly. "That said… That's very confident of you to say something like this in the face of a Yeagerist. Most would lie."

Pieck has lied about far too many things; allowing herself to be honest in this swift moment was a respite.

However, before the two continued their conversation, they heard the sound of a horse collapsing on the ground, immediately making both Jon and Pieck turn around towards the front.

"What's going on? " Jon wondered as he looked around, though his soldiers seemed to be just as confused as he was.

"Look! " Pieck pointed as one of the horse on the edge , the animal suddenly collapsed on the spot, causing the Yeagerist who rode it to fall to the ground.

"Ah, fuck! " He shouted, and the horse weighed on him. "What the hell is this? "

"Quiet, " Jonathan commanded with suspicion in his voice. He jumped down and made his way towards the fallen soldier and helped him to get out. "Check the horse. " He commanded another soldier.

"There was nothing wrong with it… " The fallen Yeagerist spoke. "Just fell of a sudden in the middle of the road!"

The other soldier examined the horse.

"It's breathing but seems completely unconscious. "

" Hm… " Jonathan pondered before looking around them. The area the group entered was surrounded by various bushes. It would've been easy to hide within them. "Liza, get to the cart. "

" What, why? I can help… " Pieck reassured him.

"No time to argue. We might have guests…Get ready, everyone!"

The soldiers began to enter a formation, but before they finished, four silhouettes emerged from within the bushes. As if in unison, the four of them unleashed darts that pierced the horses' legs and caused them to fall to the ground, leaving Yeagerists without their animals.

"Defend the convoy! " Jon shouted and took out his blade, as did his other soldiers. There were multiple assailants emerging from the bushes; Pieck could count at least six of them. All attacked the Yeagerists directly. A few even managed to wound the soldiers before them, forcing the convoy defenders to lose their ground. For the first time since escaping Eren, Pieck felt the thrill of battle emerging within her once again. This chaos, the blades, screams, and sounds of the war raging before her. Any wound the assailants dealt, the defenders returned twofold, killing them one after the other. Pieck wondered who those people were and why they even decided to attack? There were fewer of them compared to the Jaegerists, and this battle was lost before it even began. However, she soon realized the answer. Their tired, despairing faces, their worn-out uniforms, empty rifles…Those were the people of Marley, the few squad members that were left behind when the Rumbling began, perhaps the same ones that Jon spoke of earlier. People of the world went on a valiant mission to stop the Rumbling before it started, only to see everything they fought for doomed to destruction. They had nothing but rage and despair left in their hearts now.

Pieck saw Jonathan fighting two Marleyans alone and felt a desire to help. There was no Marley, no duty to her people, only those who could help her and those who couldn't. Jonathan was among the former; as for the Marleyan soldiers, Pieck wasn't so sure, considering their condition. The woman charged forward and jumped at one of the Marleyans to distract him from Jon.

"What are you doing ?! " Jonathan shouted at the sight of her jumping at the Marleyan while still evading attacks coming from his opponent .

"I'm helping you. Just finish him off! "

" Get back to the cart; it's dangerous out here! "

" Not until we're done here. " Pieck insisted, and eventually, Jon backed down as he continued to fight his opponent.

The woman turned towards the wounded Marleyan man before her, noticing his face. His face was full of seething hatred, which masked something far more unnerving, Pieck could only catch a small glimpse of it. The sheer feeling of emptiness and void, the truest depths of human agony and hopelessness. This soldier still fought, even when there was nothing left to fight for. Only the echoes of forsaken hymns and his insatiable desire for vengeance still echoed in his head.

"Should've stayed away! " The man shouted and grabbed Pieck, pulling her towards him from her back. He took out a knife and reached for Pieck, probably trying to kill her quickly and without much noise. Much to his surprise, however , Pieck ended up stronger than he anticipated. She pushed him away when his grip got a little weaker and immediately disarmed the soldier, tearing the knife away from his hands. This was the moment when the man could finally get a proper look at her face. This made him freeze and recoil, allowing horror and disbelief to emerge in his expression. It took only a few seconds for her to realize what happened. "P-Pieck? "

The woman froze on the spot, her heart skipping a beat. This wasn't a good time, not at all…The Yeagerists kept their distance and luckily couldn't hear the man yet, but this could change at any second.

"B-but…How? " He spoke with a quivering voice, making Pieck take drastic steps. She clung to the knife and ran towards him, forcing the man to run away in purest horror. He could've fought back, yet the realization must have frozen him; it must have been as if he just saw a phantom, and there is nothing a simple man can do to strike down a phantom. He was willing to abandon his remaining comrades that would soon fall to the Yeagersits, and then they would chase him…No, they couldn't be allowed to reach him first.

Pieck chased the Marleyan soldier as quickly as she could, rushing further into the woods. Eventually, she chased the frantic man down and leaped from behind, forcing him onto the ground. He was weaker than she expected. Perhaps the shock of the revelation did its part.

"Stop and look at me! " Pieck said in a commanding tone, finally staring into the man's eyes as she wanted to apply the necessary pressure for him to calm down.

"Is this…Really, you?" He spoke, still in disbelief.

"Yes…Yes, that's me. Just stay quiet. " Pieck said in a quieter yet still commanding tone.

"H-how…How is this possible? You went after Yeager, they said that the Rumbling was complete, that …No one could survive this!"

" I was there with Reiner, Annie, and everyone else , I… " Pieck stuttered. "I couldn't save them, I'm sorry…But I escaped . Me and a few others."

" That means…You can help us! T-take me to those others, I… "

Pieck heard the approach of heavy steps behind her , one of the Yeagerists was approaching swiftly, she had but a few seconds to act.

"Wait… " The soldier spoke up. "Why were you…With them?"

Pieck raised her hand as swiftly as possible and slit the soldier's throat; he could only let out a single painful groan.

"I'm sorry… " Pieck whispered to herself as she realized what she had done, but she knew that there was simply no other way. Eventually, the Yeagerist reached her.

"Liza! " Jonathan shouted, and he rushed forth, ready to fight, only to see silent Pieck standing above the corpse of a lone soldier. "Oh…You alright? "

" He resisted," Pieck said coldly and with barely any emotion, and in this moment, she truly wished that he did.