The Closed Council — The Western Hall of the Crown Palace
On the following morning, unlike any other, a sealed meeting was convened in the western hall of the Crown Palace.
The curtains were drawn halfway shut.
The silence was heavier than air itself—
as though even the walls feared eavesdropping.
Seated around the long table were:
Commander Hange, tension clearly etched into her posture,
General Pixis, calm but sharpened by caution,
Captain Levi, arms crossed, his silence cutting like blades,
Queen Historia, bearing the expression of a woman who no longer trusted thrones,
Nicolo, eyes fixed on the door, as if the message itself might devour the ones he loved,
Commander Zackly and Nile Dok, both staring at the opened envelope lying at the center of the table.
Hange placed the letter onto the wood with a muted sound, then spoke.
Hange:
"It arrived this morning, through one of our southern scouts.
Zeke knows that our recent experiment on the mouse succeeded.
The letter was already opened when it reached us.
Pixis, Zackly, and I read it—before deciding whether it should be shown to Sarah."
Pixis (in a low voice):
"Caution is mandatory.
We are in the middle of a war.
A single letter can either ignite the island… or save it."
Nile:
"And are we certain this isn't a trap?
Zeke has sent us nothing but betrayal before."
Zackly (sharply):
"Yet the message is clear.
No orders. No threats. Only information."
Historia (with quiet weariness):
"Zeke is the only voice beyond the island still sending us secrets.
We cannot afford to ignore him."
Nicolo:
"And Sarah?
Do we tell her?"
Levi (coldly):
"If you're asking for my opinion, I don't want to hear a single word from that damn monkey."
Everyone turned toward him, but he offered no explanation—nor any intention of doing so.
Hange (opening the letter):
"At the very least… let's hear what he wrote."
❖ The Letter — Read Aloud by Hange
To Sarah Jalal,
and to the minds bold enough to shatter tradition:
I have been informed that a mouse survived.
That blood reclaimed its humanity without collapse.
This is not merely a scientific success—
it is a fracture in the wall of legends.
What you are doing… Marley will never forgive.
But it may save your sister.
Layla is still there. Alive.
But bound by a chain of lies.
The solution will not come through force alone.
Marley does not bend to bombs—
it bends to money.
To bribes.
To slipping through the cracks of its corruption.
I am preparing my path.
But I need you to continue yours as well.
Do not stop the experiment.
And trust no one—
including me.
— Zeke Yeager
❖ Silence After the Letter
Long seconds passed without a single word.
Historia raised a hand to her mouth.
Zackly stared into the distance, calculating betrayal probabilities.
Pixis (with a sigh):
"He said more than expected… while revealing almost nothing."
Levi (mockingly):
"As usual.
He speaks like a prophet…
and injects poison like a snake."
Hange (calmly):
"Still, we must think.
This isn't an empty message."
Nicolo:
"And Sarah?"
Zackly:
"Tell her.
But make sure she reads it knowing this didn't come from a friend—
but from a chess player who shows no mercy."
In the Upper Floor of the Palace — Where Trust Fractures
On the upper floor of the palace, a small group from the Scout Regiment gathered in Sarah's room—
a chamber that had once been nothing more than temporary lodging,
but had now become a crossroads for irreversible decisions.
Sarah sat on the wooden chair, the window behind her open to a pale, overcast sky.
On the table before her lay the letter, its seal broken at an angle—
a message from Zeke.
Armin sat close by.
Mikasa perched at the edge of the bed.
Eren stood behind the half-open door.
Sasha and Jean watched in silence from the corner.
Levi leaned against the wall, unblinking.
Hange entered last. She closed the door behind her and slipped the key into her pocket.
Hange (gently, but with honesty):
"The letter was read first by Pixis and Zackly. Not by my hand—and I don't blame them.
We live in a time where trusting anyone can be fatal."
Sarah (calmly, taking the paper):
"…Not even me."
Silence fell.
She opened the letter with steady fingers and began reading in a low voice:
To Sarah Jalal, and to the minds that dared to break tradition:
I have learned that a mouse survived.
That blood reclaimed its humanity without collapse.
This is not merely a scientific success—
it is a fracture in the wall of myths.
What you are doing will never be forgiven by Marley.
But it may save your sister.
Layla is still there. Alive.
But trapped within a chain of lies.
The solution will not be force alone.
Marley does not fall to bombs—
but to money, bribes, and the cracks in its corruption.
I am preparing my path.
But I need you to continue yours as well.
Do not stop the experiment.
And do not trust anyone—
including me.
— Zeke Yeager
Sarah finished reading.
She placed the letter calmly back on the table, without a word.
Her eyes moved from face to face—then returned to the paper, as though trying to interrogate it further.
Eren (in his usual harsh tone):
"You can't trust him. Zeke sold everything once before.
No one becomes a hero after burning their own family."
Sarah (without turning, her voice steady):
"I don't trust him either.
And I don't trust anyone."
A tense silence filled the room.
Armin (hesitant, rubbing his hands as if organizing his thoughts):
"But… what if the letter is true?
Zeke knows what happens here—because we're the ones feeding him information.
If he truly knows about the experiment, then maybe… just maybe… he has a way to help.
Even if the chance is small."
Jean (glancing between Sarah, Eren, and the letter):
"I hate admitting this… but this might be our only chance to get Layla back.
Or it might be a trap—just like Eren said."
Sasha (whispering, staring at the letter):
"Wasn't Zeke our ally?
Why are we this afraid?"
Mikasa (calm, her eyes never leaving Sarah):
"Because the letter is vague. Its intent isn't clear.
And don't forget what Kasper said about Zeke betraying his father as a child.
Many people can no longer trust him—no matter what he promises."
Sarah slowly lifted her gaze, her voice deepening:
Sarah:
"Even if this letter is a lie… it's the smartest lie I've ever received.
It touches the only nerve capable of moving me.
Layla is not part of your plan.
She is my entire plan.
And if you expect me to believe these words just because you placed them in front of me—
I'm sorry."
Her tone hardened:
"I don't trust Zeke.
I don't trust whoever sent this.
I don't trust anyone who asks me to continue only for Paradis.
And I don't even trust those who call me a 'promising scientist.'"
She looked apologetically at Armin, then at Hange with a long, silent stare.
"All the people I loved… disappeared in silence.
Nothing remains for me to lean on except merciless caution.
I no longer believe in promises."
Levi watched her in stunned silence.
A woman who hadn't completed her first month on the island—
speaking now as if she had survived a private hell no one else could see.
Hange (leaning toward her, voice low and sincere):
"You're not required to trust.
Or to swear loyalty.
Take your time.
We don't promise you the truth—
but we promise not to hide it if it appears."
Sarah (with a wounded smile):
"Thank you…
But I've learned to smile while I'm hurting,
and to lie when I say: I'm fine."
A heavy silence followed.
Armin (offering a careful smile):
"Maybe… instead of judging the letter,
we can discuss how to use what's written in it—to our advantage.
Carefully. With the least risk possible."
Hange (raising her brows, forcing a lighter tone):
"Finally—a workable idea!
I admit, working with Zeke wasn't my dream when I joined the Scouts…
but who said life offers comfortable choices?"
A faint laugh surfaced from a corner—then quickly faded.
One by one, they left the room, each lost in calculations, memories, and fear.
Everyone—
except Connie.
He lingered near Sarah, torn between speaking and leaving.
Finally, he spoke.
Connie (low voice, trembling with fragile hope):
"Sarah… you're the only one who can help me.
My mom… she's all I have left.
I saw what you did with Kasper.
If you can do that—then what about a mother who's waiting?"
His voice sounded like a child clinging to the last thread of hope.
Sarah studied him for long seconds.
The boy who was usually sarcastic in serious moments—
now painfully earnest.
She felt a weight pull at her shoulders—
not from the letter, but from his hope.
Sarah (softly, almost to herself):
"To become someone's hope…
that isn't an honor.
It's a responsibility.
And I'm already drowning in responsibilities I never asked for."
She looked at the letter again—
weighing Zeke's words against the tears in Connie's eyes.
Sarah (turning to him, firm yet gentle):
"What you're asking isn't simple, Connie.
We still don't know whether Kasper was a true success…
or a beautiful coincidence in an ugly time.
And I still don't know whether I'm a scientist—
or just a sister searching for her own."
She exhaled.
"I can't move alone.
This isn't a personal step.
It's a decision with consequences for the entire island.
We need to know what we're risking—before convincing ourselves we'll survive it."
Connie (looking down, quietly):
"I know… I'm not stupid.
Even if I seem like it sometimes."
A shy, sad smile.
"But I was suffocating.
I had to say it.
If I didn't… it would've destroyed me."
Sarah (smiling softly):
"You said what needed to be said.
And maybe… that alone takes more courage than I have right now."
Silence settled—until the door opened.
Levi stepped inside.
He had heard everything.
Levi (looking directly at Sarah, voice low but charged):
"You said you don't trust anyone.
Does that make us your enemies?"
The words dropped like a stone into still water.
Connie instinctively stepped back.
Sarah took two steps toward Levi, her eyes bright, her voice shaking as she fought to stay composed:
Sarah:
"My sister… is all I have.
I didn't ask to be in the middle of this war.
I don't hate Paradis. I don't want it to fall.
But right now…
I don't know what I'm fighting for—other than Layla."
She swallowed, then exploded—
Sarah (voice breaking):
"I am not a tool in anyone's hands!
Not Zeke's.
Not yours.
Not even my father's, who left me in the shadows my whole life!
All I want… is to find my sister.
To know the truth.
But no one here has answers—only orders, silence, and waiting!"
She stumbled back, nearly falling, bracing herself against the wall as tears spilled freely.
Levi approached slowly.
He didn't speak at first.
Then—quiet, firm, and unmistakably human:
Levi:
"Then hate us.
Run if you must.
But there's one thing you can't run from."
He reached out, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Live.
Not for us.
For her."
She froze—then collapsed into silent sobs.
Levi (voice like a sheathed blade):
"If you die now… who will look for her?
Who will burn Marley's doors to the ground?
Connie lost his mother.
Armin lost his city.
I lost more than you can imagine.
But you…
you still have something worth surviving for."
A long silence.
Sarah slid down the wall, sitting on the floor, face buried in her hands.
Levi knelt in front of her.
He didn't comfort.
Didn't console.
He simply stayed.
And said:
"We'll begin again… when you're ready."
Flashback — "Connie and His Mother Before He Joined the Regiment"
On a quiet morning, just before the convoy departed for the training camp, Connie sat on the wooden step in front of his home.
His mother sat beside him, gently running her fingers through his hair.
Mother:
"I may not be with you in every battle… but I will always be in your heart, Connie."
Connie (with a trembling smile):
"I promise, Mom… if I come back and you're still waiting for me—
I'll make the world know your name."
She laughed softly, then whispered:
"Your return is all I want.
Don't let war change you, my son."
Connie and Sarah — A Moment of Breaking
After reading Zeke's letter, and as Sarah prepared to withdraw, Connie suddenly stepped toward her.
His eyes were filled with pleading.
Connie (his voice breaking, tears falling for the first time in front of her):
"Sarah… my mother is still there.
Every day I wake up imagining her calling my name—
and I can't do anything."
He stepped closer, gripping her hand tightly, like someone drowning and clinging to the last thing within reach.
"Please… don't forget me in all of this.
Save her… save me."
Sarah (a silent tear sliding down her cheek):
"I won't leave anyone behind, Connie.
Not your mother. Not Layla.
Not anyone who still deserves to live."
Questions for the Readers
Will Zeke's plan truly be the key to salvation—or another trap threatening everyone?
Can Sarah maintain her faith in herself amid Levi's doubts and the Regiment's resistance?
Will Connie live to see his mother return to human form—or has time already run out?