DIADEMS | AOT

xiv: TWO WORLDS COLLIDING

chapter 14

[word count: 6.9k]

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Captain Maeve Chevalier,

This must be sudden for you, I apologize. Do not worry, Maeve, this letter won't be that urgent of a matter. In fact, treat this as me sending my regards to the Survey Corps. I heard that you and Levi have been unstoppable forces in the field. With you two as captains, humanity will beyond any doubt reclaim our lands. I look forward to all of you breaking through what was once part of our territory.

The reason why I sent this letter, however, concerns your clan.

One of the trainees under my tutelage is very much like you, both the outward appearance and the supernatural instincts. It is to my surprise that this trainee introduced herself without your last name. The moment she spoke, I swore I saw a glimpse of you. It has been months since the enlistment for the 104th Training Corps and to this day, she never ceases to amaze me. She's currently a holder of one of the Top Ten places in their batch, alongside another trainee who exhibits the same expertise as her. They remind me of you and Levi, a combination of red and black. Both of them are above everyone else and it baffles me.

I forgot to mention, that her name is Aurora Beauregard.

She might be a part of your clan, Maeve. Her supposed mother was the painter who mysteriously disappeared from Yarckel all those years ago. Again, don't fret. I wouldn't report this assumption to Zackly. She is safe here.

Signed,

Commandant Keith Shadis of the Training Corps

Maeve put down the letter on her desk. She didn't move from her seat even after she read the contents of the parchment. Her hair covered the sides of her face yet she made no effort in tucking them behind her ears. The clock's ticking blended well with her breathing. Even the breeze tickling her curtains stopped entering. Everything was at a standstill in her office. There was more room for pondering and Maeve used it well.

A tiny circle dripped on the parchment. An overwhelming sense of relief poured out from Maeve's eyes. The burn in her throat was so painful as she placed a hand on her mouth to prevent the small cries from coming out.

The images of the burning house once again pounded in her head. Suddenly, she was standing above the charred bodies the military could identify. They were decaying bones sprinkled with dried golden blood that glinted blue against the sunshine. She could only blink lifelessly at the remains before she was called by a deep voice in the distance. She was transported to her old room in the Headquarters, the four walls closing in around her wails and prayers to the moon. A warm embrace was all she felt at that moment. In a flash, she saw the graveyard she made for her family in the hidden countryside of Rose, names she held dear to her heart carved on the headstones.