"What did you just say?!"
Keith Shadis shot to his feet, his towering frame casting Zeke into shadow. His voice echoed through the dungeon like the crack of a whip.
Zeke didn't flinch. His face was calm—too calm. "Don't ask anymore," he said, his voice low and steady. "The more I speak, the sooner I die. When the trial comes, I'll say everything myself."
"No!" Keith grabbed his shoulders, the veins in his hands bulging. "You'll say it now! I command you to tell me everything!"
"I'm not your soldier," Zeke replied flatly. "I don't take your orders. My only request is that all the nobles attend the trial. Otherwise, you'll hear nothing from me."
"You—!" Keith's voice cracked in fury. He was about to lash out again when Erwin stepped forward.
"Captain."
Erwin's tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp. "If Zeke wanted to speak, he would've done it already. A man who survived Mike's interrogation won't talk just because you shout at him."
Keith froze, his breath harsh in the still air. Slowly, he let go of Zeke's shoulders and turned away, glaring at Erwin instead. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Erwin met his gaze evenly. "Meet his request."
"Impossible!" Keith snapped. "We can resolve this before it ever reaches the public! Why let it explode into chaos?"
"I don't know," Erwin admitted. "But maybe the one pulling the strings… is someone we can't afford to confront directly."
"Someone… we can't fight?" Keith frowned deeply, his expression darkening. "No. That's impossible."
Zeke watched him quietly. The look on Keith's face—resolute, unshakably loyal—was the same he'd once seen on Reiner. The same faith in a crumbling system. The same blindness.
Loyalty to the throne. To a false king.
That's how it always began.
His resolve hardened. This road, I'll have to walk alone.
"No matter who's responsible for these experiments," Zeke said softly, "if I'm condemned publicly, the truth won't die with me. The people will finally see what's been hidden from them."
Keith sighed heavily, his anger ebbing into something closer to sorrow. "Zeke… I'm not speaking to you as the commander of the Survey Corps, but as your father's friend. You should call me uncle when I speak to you."
Zeke looked up slowly.
Keith's voice trembled, just slightly. "Can't you trust me? If I can gather enough evidence, I'll protect you—and your brother, Eren."
"It's because you're my father's friend," Zeke said quietly, "that I can't tell you."
"Why?"
Zeke's eyes clouded. For a moment, he wasn't the Beast Titan—he was a child again, remembering the men who'd once visited their home in Marley.
They'd tousled his hair.
Given him sweets.
Smiled like uncles.
"Because my father's friends…" His voice faltered. "…are all wandering outside the Wall now."
Keith blinked. "Then bring them in! If there are humans outside the Walls, that's good news!"
Before he could finish, Erwin's hand shot out, gripping his arm.
"Captain—don't."
Keith turned sharply, confusion flashing across his face—then froze when he saw the faint tear glinting at the corner of Zeke's eye.
Wandering outside the Wall.
But not as humans.
A chill ran through Keith's spine. His breath caught, his face pale as realization dawned.
Titans.
Grisha's friends. Zeke's mother. All turned into wandering monsters beyond the Walls.
A heavy silence fell. Keith's fists clenched as he turned away, shoulders trembling. Thirteen years of friendship—suddenly, he understood why Grisha had never spoken about his "research."
"Is there really no other way?" he asked hoarsely.
"No," Zeke answered.
"I don't believe that!" Keith rubbed his temples hard, like he could force another solution out of thin air. "There has to be another way! Even if there's only one chance in a thousand, I'll take it!"
"…There is one."
Keith's head snapped up. "What did you say?"
"If you can find someone—and kill him—before my trial, I might live," Zeke said quietly. "But if you fail… then you'll have to kill me yourself."
Keith didn't even let him finish before grabbing his arm. "Who is it?!"
"I don't know," Zeke said, "but I know this much: he's a noble. He owns vast lands. And every thirteen years, someone in his family dies."
He paused. "On the night Shiganshina fell, his entire family perished—except him."
Keith's jaw tightened. "I'll investigate right away. Anything else?"
"When you find him," Zeke said, lowering his head, "you'll understand everything."
Keith nodded once, sharp and determined. "Understood. I'll report back soon!"
"Captain—!" Erwin's voice rang out as Keith turned for the door. But in an instant, the older man was gone, his footsteps fading down the hall.
Erwin exhaled, shaking his head. "Our commander… is a man of action."
He shot Zeke a reproachful look before hurrying after him.
When they were gone, silence swallowed the cell once more. Zeke leaned back against the cold stone wall, his eyes drifting toward the crooked plush monkey beside him.
"Hot-blooded men," he murmured. "Just like you, Father."
Between loyalty to a friend and loyalty to a king… there was never a right answer.
And men like Keith Shadis would be crushed between both.
Outside the Dungeon — Later
"Captain!" Erwin called, catching up at the stairwell.
Keith turned, irritation flashing across his face. "Erwin, what now?"
"Did you really hear what Zeke said?" Erwin demanded.
"Yes. Every word."
Erwin relaxed slightly. "Good. I just wanted to make sure you didn't miss the part where he said, 'You'll have to kill me.' Since you still decided to act, I assume you've thought this through."
Keith grunted. "Of course. But what are you getting at?"
"Don't you think his line—'someone in that family dies every thirteen years'—sounds… familiar?" Erwin asked, voice low.
Keith froze mid-step. "You mean—"
Erwin nodded grimly. "Yes. I suspect there's a Titan shifter hidden among that noble family."
Keith's eyes widened. "Are you saying there's a Titan inside the Walls?"
That idea alone was terrifying. Titans were monsters from outside—monsters humanity hid behind the Walls to escape. To think one could be among them…
Erwin's expression was grave. "From what we've learned, Grisha's experiments were done in secret, far beyond the Walls. But if Zeke's right, the experiment didn't stay outside—it came home."
Keith swallowed hard. "This… This could shake the entire kingdom."
"Not just that," Erwin said quietly. "I think they possess the same drug that turns humans into Titans. That's what Zeke meant when he refused to talk. He's not protecting himself—he's protecting us. He's afraid we'll end up like them."
Keith went silent, his mind racing.
A Titan within the nobility. A family cursed to lose one member every thirteen years. And a dying son trying, in his own twisted way, to save them all.
For the first time, Keith felt something he hadn't felt in years—fear.
Not of the Titans beyond the Walls.
But of the ones already inside.