Time Travel Second Chance

Chapter 10

In the dimly lit confines of the dungeon, Zeke and Pieck find themselves ensnared in uncertainty. Pieck's voice trembles as she breaks the silence, her question hanging heavy in the dank air. "What is going to happen to us..."

"I don't know," Zeke murmurs, his brow furrowed with concern. "Most of the people here are Eldian Restorationists, condemned to roam as mindless titans. But it seems the Founding Titan has reversed their fate, turning them back into humans..." His voice trails off, the weight of realization settling upon him like a heavy shroud. "That means even my parents..."

"Zeke..." Pieck's voice is laced with empathy, drawing his attention to the figure before him. His mother, Dina Yeager, stands there, defying the fate that had been carved for her—a fate of eternal titanhood.

"Mother..." The word escapes Zeke's lips in a hushed whisper, disbelief painting his features as he gazes upon her tear-streaked face. Dina's eyes, brimming with unshed tears, meet his, and in that moment, the chasm of time and pain collapses, leaving only raw emotion in its wake.

"Zeke. You've grown so much..." Dina's voice quivers with emotion as she pulls him into an embrace, her arms wrapping around him with a desperation born of years of separation and longing. Zeke's heart pounds in his chest, his mind reeling with the impossibility of the moment. Yet, as he awkwardly returns her embrace, the barriers between them begin to crumble, replaced by the fragile threads of a bond long neglected.

"Your father and I... we put too much pressure on you. We treated you terribly. I'm so sorry." Dina's words hang heavy in the air, each syllable laden with the weight of regret and remorse. Zeke's throat tightens, his eyes stinging with unshed tears as the floodgates of emotion threaten to overwhelm him.

"I should be apologizing. It's because of me that you were..." Zeke's voice falters, his words choked with guilt and self-recrimination. But Dina shakes her head, her fingers gently brushing away his tears with a tenderness that speaks of forgiveness and understanding.

"I know you didn't have a choice. You did it to save yourself and your grandparents. I forgive you for that." Her words are a balm to his wounded soul, offering solace in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty. And in that fleeting moment of grace, Zeke finds redemption in the embrace of his mother's love.

Eren's voice cuts through the tender moment like a knife, his words stark and uncompromising. "Mother, sorry to interrupt the reunion, but we have business to do."

The unexpected interruption sends a ripple of confusion through the room, Zeke's gaze shifting between the teenage boy beside Dina and his mother herself. "Mother?" he echoes, his mind struggling to reconcile the image before him with the reality he knows.

"So we've finally met, big brother." Eren's words are laden with a weight that Zeke can scarcely comprehend, the revelation of their kinship striking him like a bolt from the blue.

Turning to Dina, Zeke searches her face for answers, his confusion giving way to a dawning understanding as she speaks. "You two had-"

"Eren here is not my blood son, but he is the blood son of your father. Both of his parents are gone, so it is up to me to take care of him." Dina's voice is steady, her words a declaration of familial duty and responsibility.

The weight of her revelation hangs heavy in the air, the truth of their intertwined fates casting a pall over the room. And as Eren speaks, his words carry the weight of inevitability, a grim reminder of the task that lies ahead.

"It is sad to say so, but we're here to extract your titans out of your bodies. But it is a good thing that you don't need to die to lose your Titan powers, isn't it?" Eren's voice is tinged with bitterness, his words a stark reminder of the harsh reality they face.