𝔇𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 (𝔏𝔢𝔳𝔦 𝔵 ℜ𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯)

LIII - To Change A Concrete Mind

"Wall Rose has been breached."

***

Levi stormed through the corridors of Headquarters, in search of the tall Commander, intent on finding answers. I kept pace with him, soldiers scurrying in all directions of the place and skillfully avoiding the path of the raven haired captain.

Turn after turn, we finally arrived at a room, Levi slamming the door open and striding in with a look of fury on his face.

"The wall's been breached?" He said, an icy tone lacing his words.

"It has." Erwin confirms as he sat in a chair behind a desk, eyes not rising from some papers that his hand glided across as his fingers hugged a pen.

"So what are we doing then? Last I checked, soldiers are freaking the fuck out but none of them are readying themselves for a wall examination to see where this fucking hole is." The Captain shoots back instantly.

"You aren't doing anything." Erwin's eyes finally rise and meet ours, gaze flicking between both Levi and I. "Neither of you are."

"Why not?" I ask. "It's not like I didn't just participate in a particularly dangerous mission containing a human controlled titan."

"Because even then, you're both still injured and midway through the healing process. Coming up against hordes of titans can further affect your performance in future missions if you don't rest and let time take control." He reasons bluntly. I eye him carefully, his deadpan expression set in stone.

"I can still fight." Levi says.

"No you can't. Heal, and you'll be back on the field." Erwin's words hit Levi harder than I had expected. I hadn't been able to see his face contort into one of shock as each one of those words sunk it's claws further into his skin. A bucket of realization dumped itself all over him as he slowly came to realize he wasn't to participate in anything until his leg was fully functional again, and at less risk of exposing him to higher danger to further worsen his injuries. He couldn't change Erwin's decision until the commander changed his mind himself.

I, however, felt anger. Albeit I was still injured, and at nearly to the point where I had a broken limb of sorts, I was still able to benefit the regiment during the mission to capture the female titan just a few days ago. A few days that just now had began to feel like an eternity ago.

Levi's adamance was almost something I added onto, hoping that both of us together could try and convince our Commander that we were both still fully capable of riding horses and wielding swords the same way we do every other expedition. But because of Erwin's stubbornness, convincing a man of such characteristics was something that would be edging closer towards impossible with each passing second.

I hated sitting back from missions. What's the point of being a soldier if you aren't on the field like the rest of your comrades? What's the point of healing from internal and external wounds if you're going to gain them back later? What good does any of this fighting do if we start back from square one every injury we gain?

"I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement." I say, hoping for him to change his mind on at least one of us. His eyes panned to me, his face eventually turning into one that could mirror the same blank image Levi's usually takes on.

"There is nothing make an agreement about." My brows furrowed, a simmering feeling of frustration placing itself deep in my gut. "Stop arguing, both of you. I've already sent out a few squads, and Captain Miche should be on his way to assess the situation with his squad and a few of the 104th."

It took me a second to realize that some of my former students were out there, vulnerable to the hands of the titans. Whether or not I were to go out and help regardless, would I make it to them in time to benefit them and somehow feed the starved longing for selflessness that laid caged at the back of my mind? The temporarily docile, mental beast that was chained to the darkest corners of my mind that craved some type of interaction between blade and enemy.