Ken stood atop a crumbling stone gargoyle, his blue eyes reflecting the orange glow of a burning Marleyan capital. He had kept his promise to himself. He sat back, his Digital Book open, watching the "original" events unfold like a play he had already memorized.
He watched Eren meet Reiner in that dark basement. He felt the ground shake as the Attack Titan burst through the building, a roar of vengeance that signaled the beginning of the end.
"So, you still chose the same path, Eren," Ken whispered, his frizzy white hair whipping in the wind caused by the transformation. "The cycle of hate is a stubborn thing to erase."
But Ken wasn't here to stop the fight. Not yet. He tapped his screen, his finger glowing with a pale light. [Authority: Narrative Fast-Forward — The Harbor Collapse.]
The world blurred. The screams of the festival-goers were replaced by the colossal, earth-shaking boom of Armin's transformation at the Marleyan docks.
The Meeting in the Smoke
After the blinding light of the Colossal Titan faded, Armin—now back in his human form and visibly shaken—stumbled into the ruins of a small warehouse to catch his breath.
"Who's there?" Armin gasped, his hand reaching for a blade he no longer had.
Ken stepped out from behind a stack of charred crates, looking remarkably clean for someone in a war zone. "Just a traveler who got caught in the crossfire, Armin."
"Ken?!" Armin's eyes widened. "What are you doing here? You have to leave! This city is a death trap!"
"I was planning to," Ken said, his voice calm, "but it's a bit hard to find a boat when the harbor just... vanished."
Seeing the explosions still rocking the city outside, Armin grabbed Ken's sleeve. "You're coming with us. We can't leave you here to die."
The Interrogation on the Airship
The chaos on the airship was a cacophony of shouting and engine roar. Gabi had managed to board, her eyes filled with a murderous rage.
BANG!
The rifle shot echoed through the cabin. Sasha crumpled to the floor. "Sasha!" Connie screamed.
Ken, who had been standing silently near the back, was immediately surrounded by Levi and Mikasa. Levi's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his eyes sharp enough to cut glass.
"Talk, brat," Levi growled. "How did you get on this ship? I told you to run back to your country, not sneak onto a military extraction."
Mikasa stepped forward, her voice low and dangerous. "We were in the middle of a war zone. No merchant just 'stumbles' onto a retreating airship."
Ken didn't flinch. "I told you, Captain, I'm a traveler and a trader. I finished selling my goods and was preparing to leave when the world turned into a furnace. I got trapped near the harbor." He gestured toward Armin, who was sitting nearby, looking pale. "Armin found me. He insisted I come along so I didn't get caught in the blast."
Levi snapped his head toward Armin. "Is this true, Armin?"
Armin nodded weakly, his hands still trembling from the transformation. "Yes, Captain. He was trapped in a warehouse near the docks. I couldn't just leave a civilian from a friendly nation to die in the explosion I caused."
Mikasa's grip on her blade relaxed slightly, but she didn't move away. "And after we land? What then? Where are you going, Ken?"
"Once we reach your home town and I can find a safe port," Ken replied, his blue eyes meeting hers, "I'll be on my way. I've seen enough of this war for one lifetime."
The Miracle of Iron
Suddenly, a panicked scream ripped through the cabin from the medical corner.
"I can't stop the bleeding!" Hange shouted, her hands covered in crimson. "The armor saved her life, but the impact shattered the bone! She's in too much pain, I can't even get her to stay still for the bandages!"
Sasha let out a sharp, pained groan that made everyone in the cabin flinch. Ken looked toward the medical bay, his expression softening.
"I think she needs our help," Ken said, turning back to Levi. "In my country, we have ways of dealing with 'shattered' things that your doctors haven't seen yet. Captain, permission to assist?"
Levi looked at Ken for a long, silent second. Then, he stepped aside. "Go. If she dies, you're next."
Ken knelt beside Hange. "Move aside, Commander. I've got this."
He pulled out a roll of bandages that felt like silk and a small vial of clear liquid. As he wrapped the bandages around Sasha's waist, the Authority of Erasure subtly deleted the infection and the worst of the internal bleeding.
"She needs to take this," Ken said, holding up a small pill. "It's a powerful sedative."
Sasha, her face pale and eyes clouded with pain, turned her head away, her jaw locked tight. She was too delirious to swallow.
Ken paused, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Wait a minute."
He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a small, steaming wrap of smoked beef. He tucked the medicine deep inside the meat and held it to her nose.
"Sasha," Ken whispered. "It's top-grade meat. You can't let it go to waste, right?"
Sasha's eyes snapped open. Even in her half-conscious state, the word 'meat' acted like a command. With a weak, tearful sob, she grabbed the wrap and began to chew, swallowing the medicine along with the beef.
The cabin went silent for a heartbeat, and then, a roar of laughter broke the tension. Even Levi let out a tired sigh.
Ken sat back, watching Eren. The "Hero" was looking at Sasha, then at Ken, a look of pure confusion on his face. The future he had seen was already changing.
"This," Ken thought to himself, "is just the start of the rewrite."