On a desolate, half-ruined field, a man played with the smoke exhaled through his nostrils.
A portion of the white smoke transformed into a miniature sparrow and took flight.
Before it could traverse the skies, a flying snake, crafted from the same white smoke, struck. It ate the bird in one gulp. The snake, in turn, was devoured by an eagle.
Ultimately, the eagle screeched before disintegrating into fragments, reverting to white smoke once again.
"You… you must be feeling pretty proud of yourself now that all your schemes have succeeded, right?" Eliza stood upright, her voice icy, finally gaining complete control over her mind and suppressing Lady Zee's consciousness temporarily.
"Hmm?" Eren halted his play with the smoke, turning to Eliza. He chuckled before responding, "I'm indeed proud of my achievements. But you are wrong about the latter half of your opinion. Not all of my 'little schemes' succeeded.
