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

the smoke-filled rasp came out thin, dishonest — a lie dressed in mercy. Levi, 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 humanity’s strongest soldier 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. Erwin. your friends, your comrades — they’d all been left behind when Zeke seized the moment, and the Cart Titan snatched you out of the chaos of the battlefield. you were supposed to have his head on a plate, and yet...

that’s what impressed Zeke. he’d admitted, once, that fighting spirit astounded even him. the way Levi fought to the bitter end, risked death just for a chance to kill 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 make him break sweat and technically won in your little brawl! incredible. add to that what Reiner and Berthold told him: Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, Commander's most trusted asset — 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: «this Ackerman is something else.» weapons forged in fire — unmistakably true. 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. Levi was everything he had abandoned.

now, he couldn’t find a more terrifying foe — except maybe Survey Corps as a concept itself, 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 aircraft, 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. with his eyes closed, Levi saw his fallen comrades, the ones he failed to avenge yet again. then Erwin, who gave him a chance to let him serve humanity, offered the luxury of a found family, and who he undeniably failed, too. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, the others…

training, sorties, losses, blood — so much blood. opening his eyes, Levi saw Zeke, met with a 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.»