[TW: Mentions and descriptions of death, blood, violence, and gore. Please be aware before reading.]
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|Year 844|
One year before humanity's darkest day.
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THEY WERE SO CLOSE, so close yet so far away from the freedom they desired. The only thing that stopped them from leaving The Underground was the carriage that was parked in front of the final exit.
The platform they stood on was bathed in the bright glow of the hot sun, which they had to cover their eyes so their vision could adjust. The carriage was almost the exact same as the one that took Jan just an hour before, the only difference being the gold lining that displayed nothing but wealth and comfortable living painted on all sides of the wagon.
"Are these the guys?" A deep voice sounded from within the carriage.
"Yes," The man that led them here confirmed. "I've heard they're excellent."
"Who the hell are you?" Levi asked as he lowered his arm, his eyes having finally adjusted to the brightness of the open stairwell. Though he could only see a snippet of the man inside the carriage, wearing an expensive suit, the side of his face that Levi could see was trimmed cleanly.
"It's understandable that you're wary of me," The deep voice in the carriage replied. "But, you'll learn that it's okay to trust me."
"How could we?" Furlan scoffed.
"The fact that I'm here says everything," The voice responded. "I'm at risk just by being here. Have you received the deposit already?" He asked knowingly.
"I don't know how things work up top," Levi began. "But, in our world, it's called taking a hostage."
"That's just a contingency plan we had in place." The voice disregarded. "When you have successfully completed the job, you won't only be getting a large sum of money, but also citizenship on the surface." His answer had the trio taken aback. It was too good to be true, it had to be. In fact, the ridiculous - impossible - offer made Levi turn around immediately in disinterest as he began walking back down the stairway that led them here.
"I'll tell you this one thing," The voice called in an attempt to regain Levi's attention. "Regardless of whether you accept this job or not, the target will still make contact. In other words, you can't remain unrelated in this matter." The way Levi had completely faced the carriage once again let the voice know that he would hear the plan he had come up with, to which the voice let out an audible chuckle.
"The Survey Corps will likely come after you. They clearly have odd ways of inducting soldiers into their Regiment," The voice began. "There are three things I'll have you do for me. First, you'll obtain a document which is in the possession of Erwin Smith. Secondly, the newest soldier they have, Faith, I want all the information Smith has on—whatever that thing is," The man continued, his tone was gruff and malicious as he spoke. "Those papers that he must have on it are most likely in Erwin's grasp as well, find those and kill the pest of a soldier."
"Faith," Isabel interrupted before the man could continue explaining their job. "But they're supposed to be strong! You're just sending us out to get killed!"
"Faith was taken in by the Survey Regiment under unknown, most likely illegal, conditions," The man answered. "I want to know what they were, and who Faith really is. Since that thing was brought in just over a year ago, they must have little to no trust in each other as a result of its less-than-normal entrance. We will first exploit that by ambushing them with a few men once the targets arrive, which will also push suspicion off of your back for the time being. If Faith doesn't die during that attack, it's up to you three to finish the job."
"And the third request?" Furlan asked as Isabel huffed in concern for the safety of the two closest people in her life.
"Lastly, to kill the Survey Corps' Squad Leader, Erwin Smith. Those are your jobs. Be sure to put up a little resistance when they arrive." The voice finished.
"How can we take a job when we don't even know your name?" Furlan asked after the job order was processed into the trio's minds.
"Nicholas Lobov is my name. I expect good things from this job." The man told them as the older, uptight, man from before closed his carriage door for Lobov and followed behind on horseback as they left.
Isabel and Furlan followed Levi as he retreated down the stairs, all three of them reviewing the orders they just received moments ago as they descended back into the only city they've ever known.
"Levi-bro," Isabel began, trying to get a read on his thoughts.
"Carry on as normal." Levi replied sternly.
"But we're doing this, right?" Furlan questioned.
"If they appear like he said they would, we'll start the job."
This could be their way out. This job could take them out of the shit hole and live real lives on the surface, with real light and good food. This really could be their way out.
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"There they are! Someone call the Military Police!"
"Yahoo!" Isabel cheered as she twisted her body in the air, the dull breeze rushing past her face. Her, Levi and Furlan flew over the city with their Omni-directional mobility gear. Protests from the merchants could be heard as they knew that meant someone was getting bested tonight.
"Levi! They're here!" Furlan shouted, capturing Levi's attention from his position in front of the other two. "The pursuers!"
Behind them were three out of the usual Military Police group. Even while chasing them in just a straight line, their skills on the mobility gear were too inexperienced for them to be able to start catching up to the trio. However, behind the Military Police were four soldiers wearing forest green cloaks that covered their faces and regiment jackets. Unlike the three Police soldiers in front of them, their approach was confident and sturdy.
"The Military Police again? Haven't they learned their lesson?" Isabel scoffed with a smirk. "Levi-bro! What I just said was a cool line, right?"
"Are you an idiot?" Levi replied rhetorically. He pressed one of the three triggers on his land hand, releasing his hooks and using his compressed gas to push himself even further forward. The move caused the three ill-equipped Military soldiers to spin out of control, though the cloaked wearing soldiers kept moving forward without a flinch.
To shake them off, Levi took a sharp right turn and latched his hooks onto a wall, luring the soldiers in before pushing himself off and abruptly changing direction with Furlan and Isabel hot on his trail. He caught a glimpse of blue eyes and a familiar crest that let him know that they weren't dealing with their usual aggressors today.
"Those movements," Furlan looked over his shoulder. "They're not the Military Police!"
"Make no mistake," Levi agreed. "It's them, the Wings of Freedom Crest, the Survey Corps." Just as he finished, more cloaked soldiers appeared behind them, flying lower to the ground than the three but slowly gaining speed.
"As people who battle the Titans, they're as different as expected." Furlan noted, watching them glide smoothly just a few meters behind.
"But they're gonna need their best soldier if they want to have a chance at—" Goosebumps rose on Isabel's arms and her throat tightened before she could finish another one of her 'cool lines'. Looking up ahead, disregarding the soldiers below her, she caught sight of a small figure. It looked more like a shadow than a person as they wore all black.
Levi and Furlan also looked over when Isabel cut herself off. It wasn't normal that she would waste such a perfect opportunity to brag about their skill as a group, especially now after she'd joined. They spotted the anonymous figure ahead of them, getting that same feeling of slight unease that Isabel had. The person remained unmoving as the group flew past them, the black cloak they wore blowing behind their shoulders to showcase their own mobility gear.
"Is that—"
"You guys," Levi interrupted Furlan, peeling his own eyes off of the newcomer as they watched from a distance. "You know, right?"
"Of course."
"It's the job, right?" Both Isabel and Furlan agreed, brushing off the last bit of wariness they had for now to begin their pre-planned escape routes. On cue, the two released their hooks and fired them in opposite directions, each person of the trio now on their own. As expected, two Survey Corps members followed after them, lessening the amount of soldiers who followed Levi.
Now, let's see how good the Survey Corps really is. Levi shot his hooks into an abandoned building, twisting his body and flipping into the small open window.
Behind him, the black cloaked soldier waved her sword, a signal for the others to take a short cut. Her eyes analyzed as much as they could about his posture, but one thing was painfully clear to her. She could not catch up to him alone.
Levi was attacked from above, the soldier smashing a flimsy concrete bridge that he flew under to try and take him down. The taller soldier successfully used his larger build to smash Levi into nearby crates, causing his wires to retreat back into his sides. Regaining his footing, Levi grabbed a hold of his dagger and deflected the soldier's incoming sword attack. Before he could react with his own offensive move, another soldier from above clashed with him, using his body to push him back and raised one of his swords to Levi's throat.
"Stop it," The man told Levi as he tried to take back the upper hand. "Take a look around you." Doing as the soldier said, Levi glanced at his surroundings and saw his two friends in handcuffs being led to where he was. He released the knife from his hold, letting it fall to the ground as the soldier lowered the sword that was pointed at his neck.
"You're quick at reading the situation." The blonde soldier complimented as Levi was placed in handcuffs. Him, Furlan and Isabel were told to kneel on the ground as they were to be addressed by the blonde man, who was obviously the one in charge.
"Regroup with the others at the meeting point. This won't take long." The three heard the blonde man say. Looking up, they saw he was speaking to someone who stood in an alleyway that was next to where they were captured. They only caught a glimpse of the same black cloak from before, as it vanished from their sight.
"I'll ask a few questions."
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Kira tightened her fists as she swiftly made her way around the sewage filled streets below her. She disliked it here. Strongly disliked how her lungs didn't react as harshly as the other soldiers did when they first entered the city, how her body almost followed its own path before she redirected herself with a shake of her head before anyone could notice.
Nanaba leaned against the side of the many abandoned buildings of this city. The Retrieval Unit had been assigned to stay by the stairway entrance and signal the wagon that awaited their newest recruits just up on the nearest surface entrance. Nanaba, Lynne, and Gelgar stood around the gateway as Kira dropped from the sky, her hooks retracting as she went to stand on the opposite side of the open entrance. She tapped twice on the cracked stone, a cue for Lynne to return up the stairs.
"He said it'll be quick?" Nanaba asked as she folded her arms across her chest, leaning more on her right side. Kira nodded, standing diagonally across from the empty building that the woman leaned on, her back facing the wall.
"Good thing, too," Gelgar smiled, standing on the opposite side of the entrance across from Kira, stretching his arms upward and relaxing them on the hips as he propped his left foot up against the stone behind him. "Just got a new shipment of my favorite nectar." He bragged as he cracked his knuckles. Nanaba rolled her eyes.
"You and your drinks." She chuckled as she shook her head.
"Hey, Faith, you've been here 'bout a year, yeah? Why don't we all have a drink?" Gelgar laughed as he watched Kira shake her head. "More for me, then."
"It's been over a year, shitbrain." Nanaba retorted.
"Gives us more reason to celebrate." The man shrugged loosely.
A celebration was the last thing Kira needed. She worked quietly, completed any chores alone, ate alone, and followed Erwin's orders to get more time to herself, though a soldier or two was usually on her trail. Some of the other squads didn't even know of her or noticed her presence until it was deemed necessary by her squad leader. She wasn't planning on staying much longer.
The school had been silent, or just unsuccessful in their plan to retrieve her, and that was her cue to make her exit from the regiment and move on her own. She didn't trust any of these people and denied any social event they had ever planned, refusing to be in a room with over one hundred drunk adults. One thing she detested more than being suffocated by social gatherings, was someone attempting to catch her off guard. Miche was still trying in vain to catch her scent, and any clumsy attack was a cry for the ultimate release. At least, that's the way she was taught.
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"Squad Leader!" One soldier called as the three ex-muggers, who were chained in custody, began the trek to the surface led by their captors. Erwin looked over at one of his subordinates, Lilith, who he had sent to follow after Faith. Her lack of trust was a two-way street. Just as she so obviously did not even remotely trust any of the Scouts, Erwin prohibited trusting her. Until he could confidently say that he knew she didn't have any ulterior motive in accepting his deal so fast, he would send other soldiers to tail her. "The Retrieval Unit is being ambushed!" Lilit was out of breath, most likely from turning around sharply and speeding back to notify the others.
Erwin inhaled deeply, glancing over his shoulders at the three newly captured recruits. It couldn't be a coincidence that, just as they'd been arrested, the other half of his squad was cornered.
Not only was it the other half of his squad, but that other half included Faith, who was growing in popularity and, in turn, becoming loathed by many. However, just as this could be a perfect opportunity to kill off the current most formidable soldier of the Scouts, it would also be an excellent escape if said soldier really did have an ulterior motive.
Just which side had planned this out?
"They aren't far," Erwin took his eyes off the captured three, looking to his awaiting soldiers. "We'll have to put our trust in them, all of them, and know that they can hold out long enough for us to give them backup." Levi, Furlan, and Isabel shared a knowing glance, though subtle enough for any onlookers to believe that the three were just checking each other's injuries, oblivious to them wishing death on the soldier that was ambushed. It really would make their mission a little easier.
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Kira grabbed her throwing dagger out of her right thigh strap, spinning her body to gain momentum before launching the weapon at high speeds over to Nanaba.
"Hey! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Gelgar shouted in protest, clumsily bouncing off the wall in shock.
The knife flew in front of the female soldier's face, deflecting an incoming blade that barreled towards Nanaba's unsuspecting head. The woman reeled back, taken completely off guard by her friend's shout and the sudden two weapons that came after her. Five men came running from the shadows of the buildings that were across the empty street from the entrance. They each had weapons in hand, two men with guns pointed at Kira.
The school students are much better at hiding. It wasn't them, but they couldn't be completely counted out until the fight was over. It wouldn't be unlike them to launch a stealth attack while Kira had her attention set on fighting another person.
"Nanaba! You alright?" Gelgar called as he unsheathed his swords. The woman waved the other two over to her direction and all of them took cover in the abandoned building she had leaned against as guns fired their way.
"They're coming straight towards us." Gelgar seethed quietly, swivelling to peek out an open window before turning back to hide his position. Stray bullets whizzed passed the open window and deflected off of a shaky wooden pillar.
"Which means that this wasn't an attack to get out of the city," Nanaba continued, "They want us specifically."
"No, they had their men with guns aimed at only Faith. They just want us out of the way." Gelgar pieced together as more bullets came flying past the window.
"We're here for the cloak wearer, Faith!" One man called as the bullets stopped. "Give 'em to us and we'll let you go!"
Kira readied her hands to defend herself. This could be the perfect chance for the other two soldiers' safety. They team up to either kill her where she stood and hand her over, or exit the building and give away her location while they all try to attack her at once.
With where she is now, escaping without being at least spotted was impossible. The bullets they used, one shotgun, one rifle was enough to know that a stray bullet case would most likely hit her on her way to escape and she would leave a blood trail that would give out her hiding spots if she kept trying to run.
Then, finding medical treatment would—
"Like hell we're handing her over!" Gelgar shouted back, he removed himself from the other two as the men from the other side used his shout to aim their next round of bullets at the sound, which was away from his comrades. He ran back over to the other two, giving the pillars that surrounded them a break while the men from outside let loose on the other half of the building.
"Alright, now that they're firing over there, we get to make our escape from the other side. We'll circle them from behind and use our gear to get close to them, fast. We have the close range advantage, so let's use our blades to take them out." Nanaba planned and Gelgar followed with a nod.
Kira's eyes were wide behind the shadow casted by her hood. What were they doing? They should hand her over now and blame it on an ambush. Even if they didn't, Erwin wouldn't likely care since he clearly didn't trust her. He wouldn't put his other soldiers at fault if she died right here, so what were they thinking? They had to be lying. They'll pretend to go through with this plan only to sabotage her in the end. She should look for another way out.
"Hey," Nanaba brought Kira's attention over to her. "We've got your back. Survey soldiers don't turn away from each other. We're all getting out of here."
Kira stared directly at the woman speaking, her eyes searching her body posture, her expressions, listening to her voice, speech pattern, for any wavering.
"Let's make this quick, you ready?" The woman stood up fully as another round of bullets began to assault the building they hid inside. Kira glanced at the two of them. Neither of them looked like they were going to move. Were they waiting for her response? What are they doing? They couldn't really think she was one of them, a comrade, could they?
Kira nodded her head and the three of them bursted through the other side of the building while gunshots still went off aimed at the abandoned structure. The first man to take notice of their escape shouted at the others to change the trajectory of their gunfire to try and hit them.
Gelgar let out his own shout as he swung down, using his blades to cut one of the attacker's stomach open as he flew by. Kira raised her hand and unlocked the blade carrier that held the Titan killing swords onto the trigger and threw it at another man's head. Nanaba attacked two men from behind, stabbing them through their backs and throwing them against the ground.
I should make my escape now.
What would it matter if the Survey Corps was after her? Nothing could be worse than school. While the other two tried to fool her into thinking they wanted to fight for her, she could either kill the soldiers and run or just run before they could notice while being preoccupied. Kira's hands twitched to release her hooks and leave. She definitely had enough air to get her out of The Underground.
Nanaba tried to pull her blade out of one of her victims, realizing it was stuck before trying to release it by pulling the trigger, only for her gear to jam and fail to unlock the blade. The remaining attacker shakily raised his rifle, cocked his weapon, and fired at her head. Kira flew down, kicking the woman out of the way and throwing another one of her spare blades at the man. His head snapped backwards as the blade entered the front of his skull, dropping to the ground and revealing Gelgar, who was ready to swing his own weapon only to be beaten by Kira's quick attack.
"Shit, you alright?" Gelgar asked as he sheathed his blades, pointing at Kira's bleeding right leg. Though her cloak covered her body down to her knees, blood was dripping from underneath the cloth and landing on the dirt covered ground. Kira nodded, lost in thought as she recounted the recent ambush. Blood always had a way to find itself on her, didn't it?
"I'm glad you're all safe." Erwin said as he and the rest of the soldiers, plus the newest three showed themselves lowering their blades. He glanced at Faith, seeing the maroon liquid drip down her side as they regrouped. He looked at the short soldier, calmly nodding his head at her before signalling that they should all leave. She took the hit for another. He knew now who had ordered that trap. Not only had it backfired, but the one person who he first thought to be a double-edged sword just turned out to work solely in his favor.
"But, if I put my trust in you, I expect that you defend the Scouts, as they will defend you."
"Short stack," Nanaba smiled as she stood next to Kira, placing her unruly blades into their sheaths. "Thanks a lot. I owe you one."
Why? Kira couldn't help but think, we're even now, aren't we? She didn't outwardly acknowledge the woman as they made their way out of the city.
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It was a simple graze, not a clean hit as Hange had said after a few minutes of their usual teasing. It was almost as if Hange enjoyed bantering with themselves, or maybe they really did believe that one of their jokes would somehow be good enough to cause a sudden laugh to come out of Kira.
Erwin had told her not to train for three days in order to let the gash heal. She didn't agree. It was weak to stop training. However, she was smart enough to not strain her leg in order to be allowed on the next expedition. She knew her hands would become battered if she was trapped inside for too long, so she focused those days on training her core, cleaning, and using her spare time that would be used for gear training in her journal.
The three from The Underground had been introduced as official Scout Regiment soldiers. Furlan Church, Isabel Magnolia, and Levi. Erwin was still suspicious of them, and rightfully so. All three of them were attached at the hip, not parting for any reason other than to sleep in separate barracks.
Kira had found a perch on the second floor of the castle to observe the training grounds. Isabel was unorthodox and her focus shifted too easily from one thing to the next. She was fond of the horses, but her mobility on the gear was average. Furlan held a calmer demeanor, his focus was placed on all the correct things, yet his skillset wasn't too far ahead of the rest. Levi. Levi was stoic, yet his flexibility on the gear was anything but.
Kira didn't have to watch him much to understand that his skill surpassed her own. It struck something deep within her stomach, a spark of something that surprised her even more than being defended by Nanaba and Gelgar.
It was frustration, turmoil. It was anger.
And it was fear.
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They had checked his office. Apparently, whatever their plan was, they wanted it to be completed as soon as possible, and it made them sloppy.
"They've been ordered to kill us." Erwin informed. Kira sat across his desk, not surprised and unemotional. Having to care about an entire student body in the back of her mind for fifteen months, three people who she'd seen everyday didn't matter as much. Levi would be the only real threat but, as Erwin had described, he cares deeply about the two people he had entered with, despite what his naturally unsatisfied expression would let others assume.
"With the expedition tomorrow, it's easy to assume an attack will happen while our focus is on protecting ourselves. Let's stay on alert during the outing." Kira excused herself with a nod, heading to the office door and closing it behind her. She made her way to the perch that she'd familiarized herself with, only to realize that it was occupied by the three newest recruits.
"The moon is so bright!" Isabel cheered, hurriedly taking a seat to the right of Levi. Furlan slouched down on the opposite side, resting his hands behind him as the three looked up at the sky. "There's a difference, isn't there?"
"Of course," Furlan agreed. "We're not underground," The moon was a beautiful crescent shape, highlighting the clouds that passed underneath it. The breeze was calming, which helped soothe the tension that had been built up between the friend group.
Levi usually found himself remembering to appreciate the small moments. When the three of them would argue or buttheads, which they often did, as all family does, he found relief in knowing that one word from the ever-expressive Isabel and level headed Furlan could bring them all back to where they started, just three friends who longed for the same dream.
"The three of us always pull through, right bro? It'll be the same with the Titans," Isabel leaned forward to look at her two friends. "Let's do this together."
"Levi, believe in us." Furlan told him. Levi could only contemplate while looking at the sky. The stars were more visible now that the clouds had dispersed.
"Alright. I'll believe in you." Isabel cheered as Levi let himself smile, rolling his eyes when Furlan nudged him while laughing gently. Yes, that's what they have always been. Just three friends who longed for the same dream. They'd live it together, as families do.
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Levi didn't listen to Commander Sadies as he yelled orders at the Garrisons who controlled the entrance and exit of their expeditions. He only paid attention to the placid breeze as the fresh air caressed his face.
Not bad.
Definitely not. Not as the horses took long strides through the bright green grass. Finally having something other than blood or gravel under his feet. It appeared his two friends were just as captivated as he was, looking over as each of them admired the birds in the sky or the large plain in front of them.
"What are you doing? Don't lose your focus," Marlene snapped the three newest members out of their longing stares with her harsh tone. "We aren't here to sightsee. There's no telling when we could run into a titan."
"If we do see one, we'll clean it right up for you!" Isabel replied snarkily.
"Idiot, do you want to be the first to die?!" Marlene clearly seemed less than enthused by Isabel's personality.
"What's your problem?" Isabel was used to being shut down by her friends, but they were the exception as she refused to let any other person treat her like she was annoying.
"You're only able to talk like that because you've never seen a Titan before. You have no idea just how many good soldiers have been eaten." Marlene allowed her voice to be overpowered by the sound of rushing hooves that came from the horses as they raced across the open land.
"Titan sighted! Fifteen meter class right ahead!" As if one cue, a massive naked looking person - sans the genitalia - stood flailing its arms mockingly at the soldiers who ran straight towards it.
"That's a Titan?" The worry Levi had for his friends from the night before returned as another two Titans emerged from behind the formation.
Even though he promised to trust them and their capabilities, which he did, these things were unlike anything anyone could ever imagine. They looked so ominously close to real humans that it shocked the three friends who were experiencing them for the first time.
"Prepare for combat! Equip your maneuver gear!" The Commander's shout was loud and shortly after, a red flare was shot by one of the Squad Leaders, Flagon, to signal to the rest that even more enemies were appearing ahead.
It almost happened too quickly for any of the new three to process. One second, two soldiers were flying high on their gear, the next one of them was being crushed inside a Titian's mouth. Even faster was Squad Leader Flagon's reaction time to finish off the monster by slicing its nape while it feasted on his comrade.
"You three, stay on course!" Flagon shouted as two Titans were gaining speed behind them. Kira and Erwin turned their heads when they heard Furlan and Isabel shout for their friend.
Levi had turned around, and was racing to face the Titans head on. His friends immediately followed after him, creating a three-on-two with the abnormal Titans. Levi shot into the air, using his hooks to attach onto a tree behind his target and using his air to shoot himself upwards. He utilized more of his air to add momentum and strength to his swing, finishing off the beast in one swipe of his two blades.
Kira's interest piqued when she spotted his grip on the blade in his left hand, holding the sword backwards as he used his whole body to strengthen his attack. It was no surprise that someone from The Underground knew how to use a knife, and obviously his hold on the gear was inspired by that.
She only removed her analytical gaze from Levi when Isabel shouted inside the hold of a Titan. Fortunately, for Isabel's sake, she cut the thumb off of the monstrosity before it could truly grip onto her body. Furlan had wisely used that as a distraction to fly behind the Titan and slice its nape. Kira let out a small judgemental huff through her nose.
"Do you have any thoughts on their performance?" Erwin asked her as he led Miche, Marlene, Flagon, and Kira to turn back to regroup with the other three. Kira just pointed to the air compress on Erwin's back before holding onto her horse's reins once more. Erwin didn't ask for clarification. He'd gotten better at distinguishing her answers, and this was one of the more obvious ones, as well as he completely agreed with it.
"Indeed. That was impressive, considering it was your first time," Erwin interrupted the three as they celebrated their first kills. "But you used too much gas. You need to be especially conservative out here." Furlan and Isabel almost instantly began to protest, but Levi stopped them with a raise of his hand.
"You're expecting me to take priority of my equipment over the lives of my friends?" The spark of negative emotion that Kira had from before had settled when she heard him. It became evident to her that she still had a certain strength over him, though not physical. The kind of strength that could even sometimes overpower that of physical strength. Apparently, they were more different than Kira had originally thought. He wasn't as emotionally restrained as he had outwardly displayed. That made him weak.
"You're performing a lot of unnecessary movements. Are you beginning to have doubts?" Erwin seemed to notice it too, and it left Levi speechless. "If you are, that'll be the death of you very soon." Levi could only watch, a boiling anger in his stomach, as the londe man reconvened with Faith and other soldiers to ride out ahead. He'd pointed out Levi's hidden insecurity, his worry for his closest friends, with so little empathy it was almost disturbing.
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"Erwin, should we reduce our speed?" The Commander questioned.
"Yes, though I'd like to get away from this open area as soon as possible." It began to rain not too long after the soldiers had started to ride out again. Erwin turned his head to send a glance towards Kira, and she nodded in agreement. Not only was finding a denser part of this open area more suitable to fight Titans, but certain soldiers could use this weather as an advantage to perform their own surprise attacks. Erwin shot a green flare to direct any soldiers on their new route.
"This is our chance. We'll use the rain as cover and get close to Erwin and Faith." Levi left his two friends shocked, the three of them realising the newly added urgency to this expedition.
"Are we gonna do it, bro?"
"Yeah. But it'd be suspicious if all three of us were to break away at once. I'll go alone." It was an order with no room for argument. He didn't want to admit it - he wouldn't - that Erwin's blatant acknowledgement of his inner feelings had sent his mind jumbling for a comeback, for proof against his callout, for revenge. So he'd go alone this time, and he'd trust that he would later regroup with his friends, the only ones he didn't need to prove wrong.
"It's true. We can't move carelessly with this." Furlan agreed.
"Alright, fine. We're counting on you, bro! Go and secure our surface citizenship!" Isabel waved as Levi swung the horse reins back and forth to speed up his pursuit. He couldn't fail, not with them.
The fog had completely engulfed him, covering his surroundings in a white dense, inescapable cloud. His violent anger for Erwin Smith and his uptight attitude grew only stronger with each step the sound of his horse's hooves made.
Each droplet of rain that further drenched his Regiment cloak made him yearn to kill the man and the other soldier, who had yet to do something to affect him directly. But he couldn't wait for that moment, not when his shared dream called for their demise. He'd kill them.
He yanked the reins back when a sudden drop off appeared in front of him. With the slightly steep edge, the fog lessened enough for Levi to see further in front of him than before. It allowed him to see the bloodied bodies that created a horrific trail of gore that he hesitantly followed.
What the hell happened here? Looking down at the bodies in front of him, he noticed a footprint that was too large to be placed there by any normal man. Did we pass each other?
He deviated his course quickly, rushing back the way he came as fast as the horse he rode on would allow. Now that he was completely focused, he could hear the sound of a rumbling roar that sounded through the fog. It made him clench his jaw. His worry, his doubt, was thundering within his chest, and in his sudden haze, he didn't realize the pothole that his horse tripped in until he was on the ground.
His throat tightened, stunned into silence. Without his worried-driven heavy breathing, he noticed that the rain had finally stopped. His hands tensed at his sides, refusing to guide him to stand up at the sight in front of him. He never wished to see it, but something about the tragedy in front of him whispered that he'd never unsee what laid before him. He heard a gurgling sound come from his left side before something slid in front of him.
Why?
Why them? Why did it have to be them that laid there?
Isabel's head was the only thing that remained of the once overbearing but endlessly caring girl. Furlan's torso was ripped in half and his insides were spilling out, along with an immeasurable amount of blood.
The rain had stopped, and it made the deafening silence that followed too loud to bear. Then, he could hear his breathing again. He was trembling. It was staggered and uneven. He heard the teasing groan that the beast let out from in front of him. It waited patiently, as if taunting him to come to terms with the scene preceding him. He heard it make another scornful groan, before it was drowned out by the sound of his own yelling.
Every swipe was followed by a wail of agony and denial. It wasn't them, but of course it had to be. He was sure that he was able to hear again, but it sounded like his head was being forced under a puddle of water. He could feel his throat becoming raw and dry from his screaming. He felt the blood of the disgusting beast hit his face, hands, legs. He could smell the putrid fumes of steam that emanated from the monster.
Yet, there was no sound. The rain had stopped, and the dream he'd shared with his friends was just as ripped apart as the two who had shared it with him. It was brutally mauled and bloodied, and it came to the same painful end as its other two holders.
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Kira recognized its face. The same face that unknowingly brought her into the Scout Regiment laid wasted away on the blood-filled grass. Did it still crawl on all fours as it did when it tried to attack her over a year before? How many people became victims of it this time?
The clouds had cleared, revealing the mess of dead soldiers that were once covered by fog. There was blood on her shins from her horse sprinting through the pools of dark red to follow Erwin, but it always got on her. It never failed to.
Levi had cried. She could see it in his bloodshot eyes that had swelled, and in the way his soldiers were slumped. His head was down, and she followed his sorrowful gaze to the remains of his two friends. His horse was standing not too far away, alive and obviously a bit rested from staying in one position for as long as he'd been here.
Why kill the Titan when you're the sole survivor and had the opportunity to run? What good did wasting your supplies and energy do? She watched as he snapped in rage at Erwin, who had exposed his old plan of killing them. Erwin had even kept the paper that she had written on so long ago.
She felt comfort in watching Levi give up. She really was stronger than him in that way, wasn't she? She could see his stance falter when Erwin turned and made no order to grab the bodies that would be left to decompose outside the walls. There was never a point in bringing them back anyways.
Maybe that's why he killed the Titan, to bring his companions back. But as she looked at him, scolding herself for ever second guessing her skills over someone so weak, she realized that not all of her teachings were useless. They clearly did make her stronger. She was still more useful this way. And it was true, what Headmaster had said, wasn't it? This type of kill would never be fulfilling.
Was it, Levi?
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Next Up: Chapter Four - From Hesitation to Bonds
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Note: Writing for Levi is hard, lol. I know that Isayama said that he is the most emotional character, but this took me way longer than it probably should have. Also, I wrote a bunch of view point changes in this and I feel like they could've gone smoother...but they weren't terrible? And I love how Isabel says that Kira/Faith is strong and then Kira does nothing, lmao.
Anyways, I hope you liked reading this chapter! I'm excited for you to see Kira's relationship with each character. See ya!