TWO YEARS AGO

The gulls cried out to each other as they flew overhead. Aside from the sound of the waves ebbing and flowing along the shore, the area was calm and quiet.

The wall Marley had used for so long to turn Eldian criminals into Titans now acted as an unofficial outpost for the islanders to keep an eye on the coast.

A pair of horses were tethered near the base of the wall, while two young Scouts sat on top of the wall facing out toward the sea.

Sasha fanned herself with a sheet of paper in a vain attempt to ward off the heat, feeling bored. While she was grateful that her life as a Scout was much less dangerous then she had initially expected, it was still a little jarring how quiet life outside of the walls had become. After all those years of training to kill and avoid Titans, of having it repeatedly drilled into their heads how dangerous it was out there beyond the walls, it had come as a surprise when she found that they no longer had to worry about Titans, and that it was other humans who were the enemy now.

So far, however, there had been no sign of these other humans at all. No ships had been sighted along the coasts at all, and it was commonly believed that the movement and subsequent new placements of the Wall Titans had scared any outsiders off. Still, it was only a matter of time before they returned, and so they had eyes all along the coast in order to prepare for that inevitability.

In the meantime, though, life continued to move along.

Sasha glanced at her partner with a smirk. "So, the big day is in a little over a month."

Connie set down the pair of binoculars he'd been gazing through before nodding.

"Yeah. You remembered to request time off then, right?"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "I'm not that stupid. Of course I remembered. I wouldn't want to miss Eren and Mikasa's wedding."

Connie smiled softly. "Good. Though I'm not sure how much we'll get to see them, given how many people are going to be there. Apparently the Founding Titan getting married is a big deal."

"Well, it is." Sasha glanced at him. "Say, did you ever hear back from your folks?"

Connie nodded. "I did, and fortunately they will be there. It'll be nice to see them in person, since I haven't been able to since we were stationed at Port Dina."

As the Southernmost district and the biggest settlement along the coast, most of the Scouts were now stationed at Port Dina in preparation for any future invasions, since any attacks would most likely come from the South. The rest of the Scouts were based in the eastern, western, and northern coastal districts, with the Garrison looking after the four districts of Wall Historia.

With the large number of restored Eldians living in Wall Historia and the Coastal districts, the total population of the island had increased greatly, and the Scouts and Garrison had seen a large influx of new recruits from among the former Titans.

The only regiment that had not seen a large increase was the Military Police, which was still mostly content to remain behind Wall Rose and Wall Sina, and leave the more dangerous and uncharted work to the other two branches of the military. As a plethora of new opportunities and territories now lay beyond Wall Rose, the laziness and cowardice of the MPs went mostly unchallenged.

Sasha smiled. "That's good. My parents will be there as well. I haven't seen them since...gosh, when the reconstruction first began.

Her face turned slightly red as a sly grin came onto her face. "If they approve, maybe we can tie the knot before long too."

Connie looked away, his face turning red as well. "Maybe. Though I'd want it to be a smaller celebration then what Eren is getting."

He looked through the binoculars again in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Sasha snorted. "I think that's a guarantee, since you're not that important."

Connie smirked. "I'm hurt. I…"

He froze, before abruptly standing up.

Sasha frowned as she also stood up. "Connie? What is-"

He passed her the binoculars, and as she looked through them her expression became grim.

The line of smoke on the horizon could only mean one thing.

Marley was on the move.

The Marleyan ship crept along the coast, looking for a good spot to land and send out their scouting parties. The captain had waited until night had fallen before getting close to the shore in an attempt to remain undetected by the island's inhabitants. Now the crew was readying the smaller lifeboats and preparing to go ashore.

Yelena observed all of this with a passive air, barely listening to the captain's orders as the crew moved across the deck of the ship. It's not like any of it really mattered.

Nothing mattered anymore. Years ago she'd become disillusioned with Marley, finally seeing her home nation for what it truly was, a self righteous, violent imperial power that was no better than the Eldian empire they had defeated long ago.

Between everything she knew about the internment zones the Eldians were kept in, and the horror stories she'd heard from the conscripted soldiers whose home countries had been forcefully annexed by Marley, she'd been overcome with loathing for what her country had become.

At first she'd been overcome with a sense of hopelessness, because while she had finally woken up to the truth about what Marley had become, there wasn't much she could do about it. After all, she was just one person within the vast machine of society. What could she possibly do against the social and political systems of Marley that had become entrenched for almost a century?

Fortunately for her, life had provided her the answer on the day she met Zeke. Here was a powerful man, both in terms of physical abilities and social status. A man who also recognized the sins of Marley, and the need for something to be done.

And just like that, her life suddenly had a purpose, a reason for her to be. For all his power and influence, Zeke was still closely watched by the Marleyan government, and so could not move freely. But she could. She could carry out the tasks he needed her to complete, she could gather allies he would have been unable to contact on his own, and she could bring his dream of liberating Eldia and bringing down Marley ever closer to completion. She was needed, she was important.

Yelena let out a long sigh as she stared out at the dark waters surrounding the ship. Alas, it was not meant to last, as Zeke had tragically perished at the hands of the island devils. She'd thought him to be nigh indestructible, but it seemed that the islanders had recovered the power of the Founding Titan, and not even Zeke was able to stand up against it.

Now Marley was embroiled in yet another war, while also faced with the disturbing possibility of the island devils making good on the threat they had left behind one hundred years ago. Despite these larger threats, all Yelena could think of was Zeke's untimely death, and the emptiness she now felt as a result. He had given her life meaning, something greater than herself to strive for. He had been her rock, her anchor. But with him gone, it felt as though the ground had collapsed beneath her, like an earthquake-

For a split second, Yelena wondered why her thoughts had turned to earthquakes, when without warning the smaller vibrations that had been permeating through the ship were abruptly replaced with a more violent shaking as the entire ship began to tilt.

Yelena hastily grabbed the nearby railing, trying and failing to stay on her feet, while hearing the panicked yells and shouts of the rest of the crew.

Yelena tightened her grip on the railing, which was the only thing that prevented her from sliding toward the back of the ship as the deck was tilted downward.

How is this...wait...no...the only thing that could be causing this...it must be a Titan…

Sure enough, before long the ship was lifted out of the water and carried a short distance before being set down on the shore.

While the ship was placed on the ground as gently as possible for a Titan, the impact nonetheless still managed to shake the whole ship and send a tremor that Yelena could feel throbbing through her whole body.

She craned her neck around to get a look at the Titan that had captured their ship, and abruptly froze in shock.

The Beast Titan looked down at the terrified Marleyan soldiers and spoke.

"Soldiers of Marley, welcome to Paradis island."

Yelena gaped in amazement. Long ago, on that fateful day, the Beast Titan had saved her life and held up the boat she had been in as easily as if it were a toy. And now…

It took her a moment to find her voice.

"Zeke? Zeke, is that you?!"

The Beast Titan sharply turned its head in her direction before its face broke out into a relieved smile.

"Yelena, I'm glad to see you're alive."

"Same to you! We thought you were dead! What's going on?"

The Beast Titan shrugged. "When life gives you an unexpected opportunity, it is often wise to seize it. I am now loyal to Paradis island."

While the other Marleyan soldiers began to scream and shout insults, calling him a traitor, Yelena fell silent as she let this new information sink in. Shocking as it was, she was nonetheless elated to see that he was still alive, and figured he must have a good reason for his actions.

Before long the Marleyan soldiers were taken prisoner and rounded up by the Scouts, and Yelena was escorted off the ship by Zeke, who had exited his Titan, and a man named Levi.

Levi looked at her curiously. "So, this is Yelena?"

Zeke nodded, looking at her fondly. "Yes. She was one of the volunteer soldiers I recruited to help bring down Marley. She's been a loyal comrade and a good friend."

Yelena blushed at the praise, while Levi glanced at her curiously.

A short while later, Yelena found herself in front of Erwin Smith, the commander of the Survey Corp, and the man who Zeke now answered to.

Erwin looked at her carefully. "Tell me, why did it take so long for Marley to begin sending ships to investigate the island more closely?"

"Marley is currently at war with the Mid East Allies. For the past six months they've been too occupied to think about anything else. It's only recently that the war has cooled off a little to allow them to check up on this island."

She jerked her head in the vague direction of the captured ship. "Or at least, try to check up on it."

After asking a few more questions, Erwin let her go.

"I'm sure we'll have more questions for you in the morning, but for now get some rest."

Yelena nodded. "Very well. It's been a pleasure to meet you all."

The next few days were rather surreal for Yelena. After months of gloom and despair brought about by Zeke's apparent death, all at once her world had been turned on its head. Not only was Zeke still alive, but now she was living on the island she had been taught all her life to fear. An island that, contrary to what she had been told, was a downright lovely place.

In addition to the natural beauty of the coast and the nearby forests and sand dunes, which were still mostly untouched by human activity, the city of Port Dina was certainly a sight to see. Its most notable feature was the fifty meter high wall that encompassed it on all sides, which would shield its inhabitants in case of an attack. But it also had four gates which allowed people to come and go as they pleased, and there was already a small harbor along the shore a short distance away from the city walls.

The city itself was already home to tens of thousands of people, and was the main headquarters of the Survey Corp. As Yelena walked down its streets, she could only stare in awe at its size. Such a city should have taken years if not decades to build and grow, but with the power of the Founding Titan it had been completed in just a few days.

And the smaller track of the wall just north of the city that provided a road back into the interior of the island showed that this was just a small piece of the island's impressive new infrastructure.

In addition to being shown around the island, Yelena and the handful of volunteer soldiers that had been on the Marleyan ship assisted the Scouts by providing them intel about the outside world, and what had been going on between Marley and the Mid East Allies.

While Zeke was still a member of a military, and Yelena followed his lead, she could already sense the difference between Marley and Paradis when it came to the power dynamics.

In Marley, all Eldians were treated at best as second class citizens, and at worst as subhuman. Even high ranking and well respected individuals such as Zeke were still subject to this kind of discrimination.

On Paradis, though, there was no such discrimination. Everyone was treated as equals, and people were judged by their merits, not their race. It was a refreshing change that Yelena found she quite liked.

About a week after arriving on Paradis, Yelena found herself alone with Zeke for the first time in months. All the other times she'd seen Zeke he'd been with someone else.

She briefly glanced around his apartment before returning her gaze to him.

"So, are we just going to help Paradis from now on?"

Zeke was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"No."

Yelena frowned. "Zeke?"

Zeke leaned forward. "I've done a lot of thinking over the past few months, and while Marley still needs to be dealt with, I've decided we can't just leave things as they are on Paradis either."

Yelena remained silent, waiting for Zeke to explain his reasoning.

"The root of the problem is the power of the Titans, and how easy it is to be corrupted by it. For centuries this power was in the control of the Eldian empire, who used it to brutally oppress their enemies. For the past 100 years this power was in the control of Marley, who also used it for their own selfish and destructive ends. And now it is in the hands of Paradis island. The people in charge of this island seem reasonable, and since they are still recovering from the damage that was inflicted upon them by Marley six years ago, it's highly unlikely that they will have the means or ambition to declare war on other nations right now. But sooner or later, someone will."

Zeke's face darkened. "And unfortunately that someone may already be at hand."

Yelena blinked. "What?"

"My half brother, Eren, is the one in control of the Founding Titan. But the reason he obtained it was because he was raised by our father. Our father who had the Attack Titan, and who held an intense sense of nationalism for the old Eldian empire and a visceral hatred for Marley. All of these he has now passed on to Eren. Eren is cooperating with the government for now, but if given the chance he may very well try to get revenge on Marley and reignite the fire that fueled the Eldian empire, and once again turn this world to hell. And even if Eren doesn't, it's inevitable that someone else will."

Yelena was silent for a few minutes before speaking again.

"What should we do?"

Zeke looked at her seriously. "We need to do something about the Eldian race as a whole. As long as Eldians exist, Titans will exist. It's inescapable. The only way to get rid of the Titans for good, is to eliminate the Eldian race."

Yelena's eyes widened. "You mean...a genocide?"

Zeke held up his hands. "You can rest easy. I'm not planning on slaughtering my own people."

He glanced away. "Rather...we must set this world on the right path so that our descendants can inherit a better world then the one we currently live in. The Founding Titan has the power to control and affect all subjects of Ymir. Using this power, we can simply take away from Ymir's subjects their ability to reproduce. If no new Eldians are born, then it's only a matter of time before they all die of old age, gradually, peacefully. And so the power of the Titans will slowly cease to exist, without the need for any unnecessary bloodshed. And the suffering of the Eldian people will at last come to an end."

Yelena slowly nodded. "I see...but I'm assuming the government of Paradis would never agree to this plan?"

Zeke shook his head. "Of course not. And so we will need to work behind their back to obtain the Founding Titan. Unfortunately, Eren is closely guarded in Shiganshina. Getting our hands on him will not be easy. Our best chance of success is to wait until Marley or some other nation attacks Paradis again, when the focus will be on this external threat. But we cannot simply wait around for this to happen, especially since my tenure is drawing to an end. We'll need allies to get things moving."

Yelena glanced out the window. Well, I've stuck by him this long, and it sounds like a good plan. I'll do everything I can to help.

"There's still some volunteer soldiers who are back on the continent. I can try to get in contact with them, and start setting things up."

Zeke smiled softly. "That's a good start, but we'll also need allies within the walls. And I already have an idea of at least one person we can turn to."

A few weeks later, Yelena found herself prowling the streets of Stopnisce, Wall Maria's eastern district.

Unlike Shiganshina, Stopnisce had not received nearly as much attention after Wall Maria was reclaimed, and so it was still recovering from the years of neglect that it had suffered after the people withdrew behind Wall Rose. As such, it was not the nicest place to live.

Yelena was trying to keep up with her target, which was proving to be rather difficult, as he moved very quickly and the sun had long since set, making it harder to see.

Eventually she rounded a corner, only to find the street completely empty.

What? I know I saw him go this way…where did he...

Without warning, she heard someone land right behind her.

He straightened up and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey there. I can't help but notice that you've been following me. I must say, you've got good taste in men."

Yelena glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

He matches the description Zeke gave me. There's no doubt about it…

Swallowing down her fear, she spoke.

"You must be Kenny."

He grinned. "And you even know my name, how nice."

His grip on her shoulder tightened. "Maybe you'd like to slip into one of these nearby alleys for a little fun. What do you say?"

Yelena tried to keep her voice even. "As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

Kenny sighed. "That's a real shame. A pretty lady goes to all the trouble of finding me and then turns me down? That's cold. Of course, I can be cold too."

He slowly pulled out a knife, twirling it around in his hand.

"And I can't say I particularly like being hunted down by strangers."

Yelena averted her gaze. "I wouldn't do that."

"Oh yeah? And why not? Give me one good reason not to slit your throat right now."

Yelena tried to keep her face blank.

"Because you're curious. You'll never know why I came all this way to see you."

A moment of silence followed her statement.

"...I'm listening."

Mentally letting out a sigh of relief, Yelena spoke.

"I know you used to work for the old government. And after the regime change, you've been stuck down here in the dumps. It must be awfully dull down here, and that's the one thing you can't stand. Being bored. There's someone who wants to meet you. If you agree, I can guarantee that you won't be bored again for a long, long time."

Kenny inclined his head. "And just who is this person?"

Zeke looked over the streets of Shiganshina, mildly impressed at the drastic change the district had undergone over less than a year. Not so long ago, he and the other warriors had been camping out in the abandoned city waiting for the Survey Corp to appear. Between the Titan activity and the absence of human inhabitants, the city had fallen into decay and disrepair, a mere shadow of its former self.

Now, however, it was once again a thriving center of human activity. Old buildings had been repaired, and new ones had risen up to take the place of the ones too old or damaged to be worth saving. People now lived their lives as normal, no longer under the fear of the Titans that had hung over them for so long.

As Zeke walked down the street, making sure to stay close to the four Scouts who were escorting him, he soon spotted what he was looking for.

While most of the city had been repaired, the Yeager family's old house still lay in ruin, with the chunk of wall that the Colossal Titan had kicked down on top of it still in place. The ruined home had been turned into a memorial for all those who had died during the initial Titan incursion, in order to make sure that no one ever forgot that fateful day.

About a block down the street from this grim reminder was a new house that had recently been built, and it was this house that was Zeke's destination.

Aware of the four pairs of cautious eyes on him, Zeke carefully knocked on the door before stepping back. Officially the Scouts were there to protect him, but Zeke knew that their true purpose was to ensure that he and Eren didn't make physical contact.

A moment later, the door was opened, revealing one of the house's two occupants.

Mikasa blinked in surprise. "Oh, Zeke. I wasn't expecting to see you before the wedding."

Zeke let out a small smile. "I just wanted to stop by for a quick visit. After all, it's not every day that one's younger brother gets married. Is Eren home?"

Mikasa nodded. "Yes, I'll let him know you're here."

She disappeared, and a few seconds later her fiance appeared.

Eren looked mildly surprised. "Oh. It's good to see you brother."

Zeke nodded. "Likewise. I just came to congratulate you on the good news, since I realized I forgot to when I first heard about it. The wedding is in a little less then a month, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Do you need a best man?"

Eren smiled ruefully. "Sorry, I already asked Armin to be my best man."

Zeke laughed softly. "I figured as much. It's fine, I know you and Armin have known each other for years."

"Yeah…"

Eren glanced away.

Zeke frowned. "Something wrong?"

Eren rubbed the back of his head before letting out a long sigh.

"Well..I feel rather bad for Armin. He's been very supportive of me and Mikasa, but I think he's a bit lonely, since he doesn't have anyone special in his life right now. There was Annie, but…"

Zeke nodded sympathetically. "Yes...a real shame."

Inwardly, Zeke had to admit he felt a bit of pity for Eren's blond friend.

He was obviously infatuated with her, but Annie has proven to be loyal to Marley. Clearly she was just manipulating him. Not that I can really say anything, considering what I'm doing now. But it's not like I want to be doing this. If only Eren and I could come to an agreement, but regrettably, that doesn't seem possible.

With his escorts breathing down his neck, Zeke kept the conversation short, and before long he and the other Scouts had left.

Mikasa watched them leave from one of the second floor windows, an uncertain frown on her face.

Did he really travel all this way just to say hello?

Later that night, Zeke slipped out of the room he was staying in, being careful to avoid alerting the Scouts.

After meeting up with Yelena at their rendezvous point, the two of them made their way to one of the handful of houses in Shiganshina that were still abandoned, and quietly slipped inside.

Within the house was one other person.

Kenny looked moderately impressed. "Well shit, she wasn't kidding. I recognize you from the papers. So, what does the holder of the Beast Titan want with me? And for that matter, how did you even know where to find me?"

Zeke forced a smile. "Levi. He and I have become rather good friends, and he's let slip a number of things about you. Deducing your whereabouts given everything that has happened wasn't difficult."

Kenny tilted his head. "And you didn't come yourself because the government's keeping a rather close eye on you."

Zeke nodded grimly. "Indeed. Even this meeting is a bit risky. But I did want to talk with you face to face at least once."

Kenny grinned. "So, what's this about?"

Armin's eyes shot open, and suddenly he was wide awake. On normal days it usually took a while to convince himself to get up and going, but this was no ordinary day.

Today was the day his two childhood friends were getting married.

It was a surreal feeling. On some level he'd always known this day was coming, but it had arrived much sooner than he expected. While both Eren and Mikasa were old enough to marry, they were still fairly young. But Armin supposed that they both were sure of their feelings for each other, and so there was no reason to wait.

And of course there was the matter of Eren's limited lifespan that likely influenced their decision…

Armin shook his head. This was supposed to be a happy day, there was no sense in dwelling on something like that.

He got up and dressed, and went to check in on Eren.

The door to Eren's room was open, and so Armin let himself in.

Armin smiled. "Oh, good, you're awake. Feeling nervous?"

Eren shrugged. "A bit."

Eren was already dressed in the traditional outfit worn by grooms on their wedding day, and was presently inspecting himself in the mirror to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Armin leaned against the door frame. "I can imagine. But I'm glad I got to finally see this day."

Eren's eyes softened. "Yeah, me too."

Eren glanced over his shoulder at his best man.

"I just hope you can find someone special before long. You deserve to be happy too."

Armin averted his gaze. "Hmm…"

Eren winced, realizing that reminding Armin about Annie probably wasn't the most tactful idea, and to Armin's relief he quickly steered the conversation to other more cheery subjects.

Before long, they had left the house and gone to the center of Shiganshina, where the wedding ceremony would take place.

While weddings in Wall Maria had always been joyful occasions, they were still relatively lowkey, focusing more on the couple and their closest friends and family, rather than putting on an enormous spectacle as Armin knew some of the weddings within Wall Sina tended to do.

This was still the case today, but it had managed to attract a greater number of guests than normal. For one, it was the first wedding that had taken place within Shiganshina after the fall, and so all the residents of Shiganshina who had finally been allowed to return and rebuild their old homes and lives were eager for a reason to celebrate.

And of course there was the fact that Eren was the Founding Titan, which also attracted some other more high profile guests.

While the commander in chief Zackley was not there, Erwin, Pixis, and Niles were present, as were several of their key officers. They were there partly to bear witness, and partly to ensure nothing went wrong.

Zeke was also there, and was being closely watched by several Scouts, including Captain Levi. Armin knew that this was to ensure that neither Eren nor Zeke tried to make an unauthorized use of the Founding Titan, and while he thought they were being a bit paranoid, Armin could understand their concern given just how powerful the Founding Titan's power was.

It was also for this reason that Historia had not been allowed to attend the wedding. She and Ymir had settled into their new home in District Yeager, the Southernmost district of Wall Historia, and while she had wanted to attend, the government had decided that they were only going to allow one royal blooded Titan to attend, and as Zeke was Eren's brother he took precedence.

Still, as Armin took his place next to Eren, he tried not to let this bother him, and indeed the happiness he could see emanating off of Eren and Mikasa as they stood side by side was enough to reassure him.

The ceremony itself was fairly short, and before long Eren and Mikasa leaned forward and kissed, sealing the deal as man and wife.

As the crowd began to clap and cheer, Armin found himself blinking back a few tears, beyond happy that he had been able to see this moment.

During the celebration afterwards, Armin managed to spot a few other familiar faces among the crowd.

Off to one side he spotted Connie and Sasha, as well as several people who looked like their respective families. Connie's two younger siblings appeared to be teasing him, as he looked flustered about something while Sasha laughed.

Further back he saw several members of the Scouts he personally knew, including Petra and Eld, as well as Eld's wife Catherine.

He also saw Hannes standing next to one of the drink tables, a red flush and a big smile on his face.

A few feet away he noticed Zeke, Levi, and Dina, the three of them appearing to be deep in conversation.

As he watched them, he was surprised to note that Yelena was nowhere to be seen. From what he had heard, ever since she had arrived on the island several weeks ago, she had been practically inseparable from Zeke, always by his side wherever he went. So it seemed odd for her to be absent from the wedding when Zeke was there.

Where could she be? And what could she be doing?

Magath let out an irritated sigh. His meeting with the Navy commander had not gone well, and it had taken all of his self control to stop himself from yelling at the man for his incompetence.

The war between Marley and the Mid East Allies had been going on for almost a year now, and to his immense frustration a good portion of the war was taking place at sea. Not only did this prevent Marley from deploying their Warriors (what was left of them) it also meant that Marley was at a distinct disadvantage, as the Mid East Allies had modern ships and decent leadership, two things Marley's navy sorely lacked. Consequently what should have been a simple conflict was proving to be a much more difficult problem for Marley.

As he cleaned off his desk, not being particularly careful about where he placed things, he spotted something that looked out of place in one of the drawers.

It was one of the Warrior's armbands.

He picked it up with a frown. What is this doing here? Did one of them forget it, or drop it? Why would they put it...

He trailed off and stiffened. As he looked at it more closely, it became clear something was off.

How is this…it can't be…

But as he looked at the design and texture, there was no mistaking it.

This armband had been Zeke's.

How did this get here?

A second later, he spotted a small piece of paper with an address on it attached to the inside of the armband. His eyes widened.

His curiosity getting the better of him, a short time later he was walking to the address inscribed on the piece of paper, which turned out to be an old abandoned warehouse.

As he stepped inside, he felt his hand twitching, unconsciously urging him to grab his hidden pistol, but he restrained himself.

"You're Magath, aren't ya?"

Magath whirled around, and saw a tall man leaning against one of the back walls, most of his silhouette hidden in the shadows.

Magath swallowed the apprehension he felt creeping up his back and held up Zeke's armband.

"I found your little memento. Who are you? And what do you want?"

The man grinned. "The name's Kenny Ackerman. As for what I want, well, that's a little more complicated."

He jerked his head at the armband. "You're probably wondering where I got that. The answer is quite simple. Zeke gave it to me. He figured you'd appreciate some proof that he was still alive.

Magath's eyes widened. "He's what? But I thought…"

"You thought he'd been eaten by some island devil, right? Well, the guy is quite the smooth talker, and actually managed to convince the islanders that he's on their side."

Magath's face filled with shock. "What?"

Kenny chuckled at his reaction.

"You know his parents were Eldian restorationists, right? Well, it just so happens that his father, Grisha Yeager, had the power of the Attack Titan passed to him by the restorationist's leader, the Owl. He then infiltrated the walls, had a new family, and passed his Titan and his mission on to Eren Yeager, Zeke's half brother."

Magath took a step back, his mind reeling.

"Eren…" He murmured. "We knew he was the one who interfered with our operation on Paradis, and we suspected that he was the one who helped the Survey Corp retrieve the Founding Titan, but we had no idea he and Zeke were related."

"Yeah. Small world, ain't it? Anyways, Zeke was able to spin a sob story, telling them all that he was loyal to his father's cause, and that he only betrayed them because they were about to be discovered anyway. He then claimed that he was secretly working as a spy for Marley's enemies, and that he longs for the day Eldia can be restored to its former glory. Ha! It's all a pack of bullshit, though, he just said all that stuff to win their trust, and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker. In reality, though, his loyalty remains to Marley."

Having gotten over the initial shock of the news, Magath forced himself to calm down. It wouldn't do to have his emotions get the best of him.

"I see." He said slowly. "This is welcome news. But who are you?"

Kenny shrugged. "Eh, I used to work for the old government on Paradis, but after Eren and the Scout's little coup I was forced to abandon my position. I've got nothing left to lose and plenty to gain, so when Zeke approached me I jumped at his offer, since I thought it would be interesting."

Magath frowned. "I see...well, perhaps you can illuminate me as to what has been happening on that island since we left."

"Can do. I'll cut to the bit you're probably most interested in. Right now they have 80,000 Colossal Titans on standby in case Marley or anyone else ever invades them again."

Magath looked at him sharply. "What? Only 80,000? But the warning left behind one hundred years ago said there were millions of Titans locked away on that island."

Kenny snorted. "Even that figure was inflated. But the truth is, most of the Titans are now being used as a part of the island's infrastructure, so they can't use them for war without disrupting that infrastructure."

Kenny then summarized the events of the reconstruction, and how approximately 600,000 Titans had been returned to their human forms.

"...so, from what I read in the papers, the population of the Walls was around one million after the government sent 250 thousandish people to be killed by the Titans in order to ease the food shortage issue. After the reconstruction, though, the population jumped to around 1.6 million."

Magath grimaced, his mind racing.

While the news of Zeke being alive and well was certainly a positive development, and the knowledge that there weren't millions of Colossal Titans on the island was definitely a relief, the rest of it was not good. From what Kenny had described, using the unrestrained power of the Founding Titan Paradis had transformed practically overnight from a backwards hermit kingdom to a powerful nation, one that now had access to all of the island's natural resources and a healthy starting population that had plenty of room to expand.

We always knew the Founding Titan was strong, and after what the 145th King did with it 100 years ago this shouldn't be surprising, but still…

Magath spoke. "Tell me, how have the restored Eldians adapted to their new situation? Has there been any unrest or are things stable?"

Kenny shook his head. "I've only seen a few of them, but they seem to be very trusting of the new government. I imagine it was the same way when the Founder wiped the people's memories 100 years ago. With no memories and a fresh start, the people were inclined to believe what they were told."

Magath frowned.

Kenny smirked. "Fortunately for you guys, the islanders have a weak spot. Namely, the Founding Titan itself. As long as they have it, they can repel any attack launched at them. But here's the kicker: Eren can't use the Founding Titan by himself. In order to activate it he needs to make physical contact with a Titan of royal blood. And right now on that island there is only one royal blooded Titan, some young brat named Historia Reiss."

Magath blinked. That was certainly a valuable piece of intel.

He looked at Kenny carefully. "So, if Eren and Historia were both dealt with, Paradis would no longer have access to the Founding Titan?"

Kenny nodded. "Exactly right. But both of them are pretty heavily guarded, and Zeke only has a couple allies within the walls, so he can't make a move against them just yet. He believes the best chance to retrieve the Founding Titan would be to wait until Paradis is occupied by an external threat, like, say, another invasion by Marley?"

Magath was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll have to think this through carefully. For now, Paradis and the Founding Titan will have to wait, as we cannot do anything until the war with the Mid East Allies has ended. In the meantime, I have some tasks for which you could prove useful."

Author's Note: Once again, really sorry for the delay. Let's just say it was due to stuff relating to certain current events and leave it at that. I'm going to try to aim for monthly updates from now on, but given my track record I won't make any definitive promises.

So Eren and Mikasa tie the knot and Zeke is once again playing both sides for his own ends. When it comes to Eren and Mikasa, I think they're a cute couple, and I think in this context it works, but personally I don't believe in OTPs, either in fiction or in real life. I think what's most important is that the characters are happy, and that can change depending on the circumstances. I mean, there's a certain other AoT story that I really enjoy (Not This Time) that pairs Armin and Mikasa together, and while I don't usually think of their relationship as romantic in nature, in that story they really make it work due to the circumstances around them. And while I used to somewhat ship Eren and Mikasa in the canon, given what's going on right now in the manga I think it's pretty safe to say that ship is not going to happen.

As for Zeke, well, are you really surprised? Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, be sure to let me know what you thought. See you next time, which should hopefully not be as long as the wait for this chapter.