[DISCONTINUED] Entangled in the Strings of Fate ~ Attack on Titan (Levi x OC)

09. Ilse's Journal (Part 1)

"Those two, even though they knew there's a titan right behind them..." Eld ignored his question with furrowed brows.

Levi frowned. "That's it. We'll kill that titan."

"Huh? Hey, he's stopped!" Hanji pulled the reins back when she realized the titan suddenly froze in its place. The titan turned around, and ran back into the forest.

"Wait up, Chicciropper!" Hanji exclaimed before leading her horse to follow it.

"Hanji! I haven't done with you!" Aile yelled as she followed after her. "And that name is way too lame!"

"Does she approve it, or oppose it?" Oluo wondered out loud again. "And what's with that moron? Going back to its home-sweet-home?"

"It's acting very oddly even for a deviant," Petra remarked, completely ignoring Oluo when he bit his tongue again.

Eld nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we've never encountered a deviant this weird."

"But aren't they called deviants because they acted defiantly?" Gunther questioned.

On Aile's side, Aile and Hanji kept following the titan until they came across a wide shady field. There was a huge tree stood at the center, and oddly, the titan struck its head repeatedly to that tree.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hanji jumped down and approached it. "Why are you doing that, Chicciropper?"

"Cheeky... whatever, what's so special about that tree?" Aile who was just as curious as Hanji found herself subconsciously asked the creature.

Obviously the titan didn't answer them nor stop. "It's not cheeky, it's Chicciropper! C'mon, no need to be shy!" Hanji said as she went closer to it. "Hey, answer us, please?"

"Hanji, you're getting too--"

The titan turned its head, gazing at Hanji and in a millisecond, charged its head towards the woman.

"Hanji!!" Aile shrieked.

Fortunately Hanji managed to dodge in time. "Whoopsie, haha, bad boy!" She teased while hanging on a tree branch using her 3DMG.

The titan turned around, now aiming for Aile. When it attempted to grab her Aile grinned for a second. She quickly shot her wire and latched the anchor onto its right kneecap, using it to pivot to its back.

"I'm behind you, moron!" Aile smirked teasingly at it. Suddenly a wire latched onto its back, then Oluo came with a grin across his face.

"I got this!" He exclaimed, preparing to cut the nape.

"Wait, Oluo!" Hanji and Aile exclaimed in unison, making the man lost his focus. "Ha?"

The titan quickly took advantage of the distracted Oluo and grabbed him. The man panicked, squirming to release himself from its fingers.

Aile was too distracted to act as Levi immediately came into action, cutting off its hand and then its nape in an instant.

"You okay?" Levi glanced at Oluo.

"C-Captain..." Oluo choked back a sob. "I will stick with you forever!"

"Why... He could be a valuable research subject..." Hanji mumbled with widened eyes. "If we capture him, humanity would sure take a step advance..."

Levi went to her and abruptly grabbed her by the collar, pulling her down to his eye level. "The hell you were doing, shit-glasses!" He lashed out at the woman. "If you really want to become titan's feces that much, I won't stop you! But don't endanger your comrades like that!"

Hanji just blinked her eyes in shock as she stared back at Levi's sharp eyes, unable to say anything.

"Now Levi, don't push her like that..." Aile approached the man with a forced smile.

"I'm also talking about you here, shit-face!" Levi snapped at her.

Aile took a step behind and dropped her head in depression. "S-Shit face...?"

"But titans don't have digestive organs, Levi. In other words, they can't defecate... Hehe." Hanji broke in with an awkward chuckle.

"Tsk!" Levi narrowed his eyes at Hanji before yanking her away from his grip.

Aile slowly glanced back at the tree. She just noticed there was a gap there, and she could see a shadow of something was sitting inside.

...wait, sitting?

Aile ran to the tree, making the others looked at her in wonder. They immediately noticed what had caught her attention.

A headless corpse was sitting inside the gap, wearing the Survey Corps cloak.

"Wha... Is that a titan's doing?" Petra's voice trembled. "B-But how could a titan do something like that?" "The armband of the 34th expedition... Name, Ilse Lagnar..." Aile narrowed her eyes as she checked the corpse.

Levi frowned, clearly disturbed by the unpleasant sight. Meanwhile Hanji just stared at the tree, then at the titan remains with no one knew what was inside her mind.

"Huh? What's this?" Oluo picked up a black notebook before standing up. "A... diary?"

"Oluo, show it to me," Levi said. Oluo quickly closed the book and handed it to Levi. As Levi flipped over the pages, he slowly widened his eyes.

"This is Ilse Lagnar's journal..."