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

11. To Flip a New Page, Requires Sacrifices

"That must be him..." Aile thought as she went to that direction. Her left ear suddenly caught a shout and a grunt, then when she looked there she found one 8-metre class and one 6-metre class titan were cornering two scouts.

Aile clicked her tongue. She quickly abandoned her current track and went there. Aile launched her hook straight to the 8-metre class titan's neck, and immediately dealt a clean cut on its nape. As the titan fell Aile jumped to the 6-metre class' head, jumped down and quickly shot her grappling hooks to the titan's back and made a cross cut on its nape.

"You two okay?" As the titan fell Aile landed on the ground and went to approach the two scouts. She realized they were members of her squad. "Aile, thank god..." One of them thanked her, and Aile just replied him with a simple nod.

"Commander ordered us to retreat to the wall, now you guys should go regrouping."

The two exchanged glance, then nodded without question. Aile nodded again before launching herself from that place to her original track.

Aile finally arrived there. Just as what she had thought before, she could find the killer of the titans she saw there back then: Levi. He was kneeling on the pebble ground, with Petra kneeling across him. "Levi! Petra!" She called as she landed a few steps behind Levi.

"...You're late, shit-face." Aile flinched upon hearing Levi's sudden rant. She approached him with unpleased look. "Why would you..." She trailed off when she saw another figure was laying with eyes closed between the two.

"...Oh. I'm sorry," Aile lowered her voice. "...but, I'm not here as part of the medic squad."

Petra raised her head to look at her with confused look, while Levi immediately stood up and faced her. "What could be more important than doing your part?" Levi gave her a glare.

"Erwin has given the order to retreat." Aile went straight to the point, her face remained calm when both Petra and Levi widened their eyes. "Eh? But why?" Petra quickly stood up.

"We haven't reached our limit yet." Levi said coldly.

Aile took a breath. "Yes, but that's--" "Levi!" Suddenly Erwin, still mounted on his horse, called from Aile's back. "Commander!"

"Erwin, what does this mean? We're retreating? Are you going to let these men all die in vain?" Levi shot his cold glare as he rained Erwin with questions.

"Good if you had heard. The titans are heading north, towards the wall," Erwin calmly replied. "The same thing that happened five years ago..."

There was no need for him to continue. Even without him saying it, those who were part of the Survey Corps knew that they can only expect for the worst.

***

"The entrance... It looks like a giant boulder is plugging it..." Hanji commented with her hand above her eye.

Riding next to her left was Moblit, and to her right was Aile. Both of them nodded agreeably. "And there're so many titans there..." Aile replied with narrowed eyes.

"Squad Leader Hanji, please don't think anything about it," Moblit immediately said to Hanji. Hanji looked at him, tilted her head and wore innocent look. "What are you talking about, Moblit?"

"We both know what you had in mind the moment you see them," Aile deadpanned.

"Levi Squad, Hanji Squad! Go over the wall to see the conditions! The rest follow me to the east entrance!" Erwin commanded.

"You heard that? Erwin is calling us," Hanji said with a wide grin, making Moblit looked at her in horror and Aile clicked her tongue.

Upon nearing the wall the battalion split into one large group and one smaller group. The bigger group commanded by Erwin went to the east, while the smaller group went straight to the wall.

As Levi squad climbed the wall, with Levi reached the top first Hanji ordered some of her subordinates to lead their horses towards the east entrance.

"This is... horrible..." Aile widened her eyes in shock immediately after reaching the wall top and looking down at the battered Trost District. The same district they used as their expedition gate this morning had turned into horrid sight, with debris, smoke and blood sputtered everywhere.

"We have no time to sight-seeing, Aile!" Aile immediately snapped out of her thoughts when Hanji suddenly slapped her in the back. "We're holding a meeting!"

Aile nodded firmly. If ever Hanji announced a meeting, that could only meant two: one, they would discuss their titan experiments and finding new methods, or two...

They were going to execute a capturing operation.

Considering there weren't any titans in their possession right now, Aile could guess what that meeting would be about.