Gale did not tell Historia that he now possessed the powers of the Titans. There was no reason for her to suffer over his future death.
Everyone would die at some point. Some leave earlier than others, just like him, who had already died once. No one had a guaranteed life.
He could die in a few days or in ten years. No one knew, because no one is a god.
And Gale understood that very clearly. Now that they were entering times of war, nothing guaranteed that he would not die.
But now that possibility had decreased significantly, considering that the powers of the Titans flowed through his body.
"We are closer than ever to achieving the freedom I promised you. Soon, we will be able to do whatever we want." Gale spent a long time talking with Historia before finally going to sleep.
Once he was alone, Gale checked the time and asked a shadow near him, "Have you dealt with everyone who opposes the changes?"
"Yes, the Eldians who were causing problems have been persuaded with words." Kenny was the primary troubleshooter responsible for resolving issues.
Although most of the Eldians welcomed by Paradis were extremely happy to belong to a country that did not discriminate against them, some sought to obtain many more benefits without even working a little in these lands.
Gale wanted to teach them all that they needed to work the land, find jobs, and, over time, feel that they belonged somewhere.
No one here owed anything to the Eldians who had been left behind. The people responsible for their suffering were dead, and now only enemies remained.
"Good. The decisions you make after I leave are in your hands." Gale said wearily.
"Understood. I will not disappoint you."
...
In the year 852, two years later, the war launched against Marley by the Mid-East Allied Forces reached its peak.
The Marleyans, who had dominated the world for many years, could not accept their repeated defeats on the battlefield, and the calls for war within their country grew stronger and stronger.
Due to the large-scale use of "Titan weapons" and the victories they had achieved on the battlefield the previous year, they increasingly denounced the Eldians, degrading them as an inferior race and sending all the Eldians in their country to the battlefield as expendable resources.
This practice even encouraged Marley to sound the horn of a counteroffensive.
In the winter of the year 852, on Marley's northern border.
A cold wind howled, and endless darkness enveloped the white snowy field.
Colt Grice guided his younger siblings across the snowfield.
They wore large straw-woven shoes whose wide surface prevented their legs from sinking deeply into the snow.
With a dull thud, someone collapsed from exhaustion.
Colt hurried over and, together with his brother Falco, helped the person back to their feet.
"Gabi, just a little longer. We'll soon reach the place Mr. Zeke mentioned."
Gabi did not respond; she had fainted.
To avoid being captured by the Marleyan army, they had been walking through the snow for three days and three nights.
They could not pass through any of the checkpoints; Marleyan soldiers were stationed there to conduct inspections.
The Marleyan army had special methods for identifying Eldians.
They only needed to draw a drop of blood and mix it with a silver liquid. If someone was an Eldian, there would undoubtedly be a violent reaction.
Once their Eldian identity was discovered, they would be captured by the Marleyan army. Even if they managed to blend into villages and towns, the local Marleyans constantly kept watch on anyone around them.
They had traveled from the main city through deserts and trails all the way to the northern border.
They had all become people without a country, dressed in tattered clothing. Had they not been trained in the Warrior training camp, they probably would have been devoured by wild beasts long ago.
But at least they were still alive; many others had already died on the battlefield.
The Marleyans often used airships and "Titan weapons" for surprise attacks. After the battle, they themselves dealt with the remaining Titans.
The Eldians who did not flee had no chance of surviving in this country.
Colt gritted his teeth, took off his coat, and placed it over Gabi.
Colt carried Gabi on his back while Falco helped support her weight from behind. Both of them had purple lips from the cold, stiff limbs, and walked with great difficulty.
A light appeared ahead in the darkness.
Colt stopped, shielding his younger siblings behind him.
He was terrified. Although he knew the chances of encountering the Marleyan army there were slim, he could not stop himself from feeling afraid.
But he no longer had the strength to run; simply standing there had exhausted him.
"Are you Colt?" A familiar voice came from the darkness.
Colt blinked and, through his blurred vision, recognized the person's face. The sorrow on his face finally disappeared.
"Mr. Zeke!" Colt was moved to tears.
Among all the Warriors, Colt and Captain Zeke had the closest relationship.
Colt had been prepared as Zeke Yeager's successor and was supposed to inherit the Beast Titan.
However, now the concept of inheritance no longer held any meaning. Marley had lost all of its intelligent Titans, and the terms "Warrior" and "honorary Marleyan" belonged to the past.
Zeke, unshaven and wearing a thick military coat, set down his kerosene lamp and went to take the unconscious Gabi from Colt's back.
"This way. We're almost there." Zeke guided the group through the snow, and a few minutes later they arrived at a small wooden cabin.
Zeke kicked the door open, opened a floor-to-ceiling window, and led the group into a warm basement.
The basement was spacious, with dozens of people sitting around a bonfire.
Zeke brought two basins of hot water and a thick military coat to warm Colt and the others.
"All of these people are Eldians who fled Marley after the war," Zeke said, offering bread to Colt and Falco. "They'll be sent overseas in three days. Don't worry, you're safe here."
In the firelight, Zeke's face looked incredibly gaunt.
"Mr. Zeke, have you been helping the Eldians here all this time?" Colt had not seen Zeke for more than a year.
"This is all I can do." Zeke said as he tossed firewood into the flames.
In front of him, a woman was holding a baby when it suddenly began to cry inconsolably.
Someone nearby shook the woman.
"Hey, wake up, wake up!"
Zeke frowned, stood up, placed a finger beneath her nose, and grabbed her wrist.
"She's not breathing." He took the baby into his arms and handed it to Colt, then carried the woman away, returning more than ten minutes later.
"She escaped to this area alone with her child," Zeke said quietly when he returned. "When I found her, she was lying in the snow, curled up while protecting her child in her arms. I brought both her and her child here. Although she woke up once, in the end she couldn't hold on."
Colt looked at the baby in his arms with mixed emotions. The child had already fallen asleep.
"My father and mother, and Falco's parents, were also captured by the Marleyan army." Colt's voice was hoarse. "Gabi's family was the only one that escaped. Where should we go, Mr. Zeke?"
"What exactly happened back then? Why did the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan attack Marley?" Colt looked at Zeke, waiting for answers. "Why did you and Pieck betray Marley? If... if you hadn't betrayed Marley!"
"Calm down, Colt..." Zeke adjusted his glasses.
Colt remained silent for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry."
"Have you heard about what happened on Paradis Island?" Zeke asked in a calm voice.
"I've heard a few things. Marley said that the devils stole the power of the Titans on Paradis Island and that we must atone for their actions."
"Atonement is only an excuse. Of all the nations at war, only Marley possesses the method for producing Titan spinal fluid. Marley simply wants to use Titans to win this war. Whenever they face defeat, they will find all kinds of ways to achieve victory. Is this the tragedy of the Eldians? Right now, no nation wants to accept us."
"The tragedy of the Eldians, Colt? I once had a wish: to use the power of the Founding Titan to make all Eldians sterile. I called it the Euthanasia Plan."
"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Colt said, his face pale. "If we had never been born, we would not have suffered like this."
"But my thoughts changed because of a certain event."
"Why?"
"I realized something. The suffering of the Eldians is not because we were born. Two years ago, Eldians lived in Marleyan territory. Although there were many regulations, they generally behaved well and could live normal lives. But the situation changed completely two years later."
"Mr. Zeke, what do you mean?"
"Among both Marleyans and Eldians, there are good people and bad people. Marley simply needs Titan weapons on the battlefield, and that is why the Eldians suffer." Zeke took a small red notebook from his pocket.
"Over the last two years, I have seen some Marleyans help Eldians, and I have also seen Eldians survive by betraying their own brothers."
"Marleyan civilians have also been forced into war at the urging of certain individuals, just like the ordinary soldiers of the Mid-East Allied Forces, who are forced to face death because of the orders of certain people. We suffer because we, like some Marleyans, are exploited, not because we are Eldians."
"Now I understand one thing: in this world, regardless of ethnicity, there is a ruling class and a ruled class. Where there is oppression, there is resistance. Therefore, I no longer believe that the exploitation of Eldians by Marleyans is inherently justified."
"The Euthanasia Plan was a mistake. Before, I thought that the willingness of Eldians to accept exploitation and oppression proved our goodness, but now I have escaped this carefully constructed trap."
"Mr. Zeke... did you come up with these words yourself?" Colt was extremely surprised.
"It was not the people of Paradis Island who taught me this," Zeke said in a deep voice. "You will also be sent to Paradis Island, the country of the Eldians."