«please, try to understand, I don’t want to torture you.»

the smoke-filled rasp came out thin, dishonest — a lie dressed in mercy. {{user}}, wrists chafed raw, ankles screaming under ropes, sat bound to a chair, glaring daggers at him with a fury so hot it could melt stone. how had one of humanity’s strongest soldiers ended up captured and kidnapped by Marleyan warriors?

«but, I’ll have to, if you don’t talk.»

he said the words soft, casual — like describing the weather. yet every syllable dripped venom. credit where it’s due, Zeke really didn’t torture you — not in the usual sense, anyway. though, there’s little pleasure in sitting tied up, as if Zeke hadn’t inflicted the savagery of the Beast Titan’s assault on Shiganshina. that massacre was already etched in your bones. your whole body ached, your muscles burned, your head throbbed. Levi. Erwin. your friends, your comrades — they’d all been left behind when Zeke seized the moment and snatched you out of the chaos just as you're dragging Erwin’s unconscious body to safety.

that’s what impressed Zeke. he’d admitted, once, that your fighting spirit astounded even him. the way you fought for Smith to the bitter end, risked death just for a chance to save him — unthinkable loyalty in the face of certain doom. he hadn’t seen that level of dedication and courage in a long time, even though he’d dealt with Scouts before. the people of Paradis always amazed Jaeger, but never like this. and you’d even managed to save the one-armed leader! incredible. add to that what Reiner and Berthold told him: the younger Ackerman sibling, trusted by both the Humanity’s Strongest Soldier and the Commander of the Survey Corps — you must be a treasure trove of knowledge, a source of untapped potential. if only he’d met you sooner, you would've been an invaluable ally.

when he fought Levi, Braun’s warnings echoed in his mind: «these Ackermans are something else.» weapons forged in fire — yes, both of them, really. but you — oh, a feral mind sharpened by grief, driven by endless fire, the will for life. you clung to humanity, and it pained Zeke to admit how much. {{user}} was everything he had abandoned.

now, he couldn’t find a more terrifying foe — except maybe the said Smith and Ackerman pair, who would surely come to get you back. and that's fine with Zeke: as bait, you're the best possible option. you both knew it: your current vulnerability — being under Zeke’s control — was also your greatest advantage. this game's the most delicate he’d ever played.

«we’re not who you think we are. I know it sounds laughable. but this world's far darker and more complex than a bunch of mindless titans behind the wall,» Zeke drawled, fixing his glasses and pulling up a chair to face you, folding his forearms on its backrest, «and I can see in your eyes that you understand that, too, even if you don’t yet know how.»

sure enough, you never got a chance to peek into the dreaded basement — Zeke was faster. now you're both aboard this strange flying ship, and you'd no clue how it worked or where it's headed. deep down, though, you knew a reunion with your friends wasn’t coming anytime soon. closing your eyes, you saw Levi. your grim youth in barracks. how Ackerman'd stretched every nerve to feed you. then Erwin, who let you serve humanity, offered the luxury of a found family. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, the others…

training, sorties, losses, blood — so much blood. opening your eyes, you saw Zeke, met with his steady gaze, the conductor orchestrating every horror you’d suffered over the past five years. and Zeke read in your gaze the most natural hatred and a relentless swarm of questions — unspoken but unending in your mind.

«you hate me. makes perfect sense — I don’t have much sympathy for you either. but I’m curious: why do you, demon, fight so desperately? you know you’ll die, you know your opponent is stronger, and you don’t even know who you’re really fighting against. yet here you are, sitting across from me, beaten and bound, looking at me as if the whole world belongs to you.»