Funny that Zoë had dealt with bullshit from nobles and noble bullshitters for the better part of her life and still, after so many years, could not even begin to understand how their minds worked.
"Over my dead body," she pressed out, balling her hands into tight fists. The urge to punch Willy Tybur straight into his ever-smiling blasé face was quite overwhelming.
"That can be arranged," he retorted, his lips turning upwards in arrogant amusement.
She was sure she could beat him in a fair fight. He looked lithe and fit, but he wasn't a soldier. He hadn't fought Titans. He had only lived the roaring good life among people who suppressed and tortured his own race. Freedom - at the cost of others - was the worst kind of betrayal.
Even after the revolution on Paradis, which had led to the exiling of most noble families, they still continued their underhanded dealings from wherever they had taken refuge and now that she thought about it, Willy Tybur might very well have had his hands in all kinds of shit from afar. She also remembered that Erwin had once told her (another lifetime ago, really) that 50% of the Commander's job consisted of bootlicking; only that she had never managed to bend her back like it was expected of the people in her position, not after everything they had been through. A mistake, because would she not have been privy to information about the forces at play if she had groveld even just a little?
Nah. It would just have increased the amount of bullshit from people who sought they could trample all over her. Most of them underestimated her. Their problem.
She let her eyes glide over the noble's body, his foppish, expensive clothes, his perfectly shined boots. Bloodlust overcame her. Hatred, burning brightly and hotly, for everything her people had had to endure at the hands of traitors like the Tyburs. It was not part of their orders, but what if she went ahead and killed Willy? Surely, nobody on Paradis would mind.
"Easy," Zeke's hand was heavy on her arm. Clearly a warning. Yes, she could take Willy, but probably not Zeke. His touch repulsed her and she shook it off quickly, realizing that she was quivering with rage.
"Both of you," she hissed, "shame on you. Shame on you and yours. The Ackermans are no puppets that you just shove around. They are people."
"Hardly," Willy shook his blonde, asymmetric hair so that it came to rest elegantly behind his shoulders. "Granted, they can put on a human face and be good lap dogs, but only up to a certain point - then, they snap. I'm sure you've seen them in one of their rages? The lack of anybody's control over them nearly got them extinct - hunting them down was the smartest thing your King Fritz actually did."
"We're at a point where it's this or we all perish," Zeke added. "We are lucky King Fritz failed. Who would have thought I'd ever say that."
He was watching her intensely through his fancy glasses, with an expression she had not seen on his face before. Zoë looked back at him in silence for a while, the burning rage in her turning into something more focused and razor sharp. He was dead serious, that much was clear - and she guessed it had a lot to do with his poor health.
So he was dying, huh. His Titan would be passed on, so why was his death a problem?
"Has Eren put you up to this?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.
Willy nodded in that simpering way of his: "Understanding how power works, the Founder has come to me willingly. He will do anything that is necessary to save the world. He knows the future. He knows what is going to happen."
"And he has found a way to go back in time," Zeke added.
Zoë stared at them in disbelief. A way to go back in time...? Like... Time travel? That was impossible!
"We are running out of time fast. He cannot use his powers without me," Zeke explained, suddenly seeming a little impatient. "The King's Vow does not work on Eren because he has no royal blood but without royal blood, the Founder is worthless."
"Historia has royal blood," Zoë said, but no - royal blood alone was not enough, was it. "Ah. It needs to be royal blood in a Titan?"
"Eren will never harm that woman," Zeke pulled a face. "Little brother has noble tendencies, believe it or not. Turning her into a Titan is out of the question. That leaves me."
And Appius, Zoë thought. Willy has to know that. Keeping an ace up his sleeve?
"We have enough serum to turn everyone on Paradis into Titans, of course," Willy interjected. "An option we discussed before. We could keep Paradis as a kind of zoo for the world to see the horrors of Titans, but of course, that would not solve our problem - which is our blood."
Hence the serum. A cure against Eldianism. No more Titans. Ever. But would the world believe that...?
"Go back to what you said about traveling back in time," Zoë implored Zeke, realizing with distaste that they had ensnared her into considering their plans. Levi forgive me, I need to hear this.
Three enemy Eldias were discussing the possible end of their existence and what to do against it? The unglamorous, well-used coffee room at the Titan Facility seemed like the least suited room for a conversation of this magnitude. Besides, she wasn't authorized to make decisions that had consequences beyond a small tactical or operational impact. She was just a Commander of a force that was so greatly decimated, they might cease to exist any day.
"If you want me to explain it, well," Zeke shrugged and fished for another cigarette in his pocket. "I can't. Titan Science is... hm, an experimental type of science at best, where we know nothing until we know something new. Tybur has his books, sure... but believe me, they reveal only very little."
"It's on the level of memories," Willy added. Every time he opened his mouth, Zoë felt a new surge of hatred. "The way Eren influences the past is through the connection with another wielder of the Attack Titan who is able to receive memories from the future."
Things had to be dire indeed if Eren had talked to Willy about all this willingly, without murdering the traitor, Zoë mused. It wasn't like Eren at all to keep a cool head in the face of people whose existence threatened Eldia and its people.
"That was before," Zeke straightened with a poorly concealed expression of pain on his face, rubbing his neck. "It's more now. He can use the Paths to go back to strategically important conjunctions and re-insert himself into the timeline. But he needs me for that."
Only that Levi remembers, Zoë suddenly realized with something akin to fear. Levi remembers different pasts because he is an Ackerman. Oh shit. Eren... what have you done?
She shuddered.
"If we are to believe him," Zeke continued, "there were other futures. All of them are so horrible he... It might have been desperation that led to the development of this new, impossible ability."
"So you see," Willy's smile disappeared to be replaced by cold determination. "We are at the end of possibilities now. Luckily, the Ackermans can save us all. So let them do it."
Zoë wanted to protest once again but it came from a place with far less conviction. No, I do not want him to sacrifice himself. Because she was in love with him? How would a Commander with no emotional attachment think, what would a real Commander do? One man's life against the lives of millions. One man's future against the future of millions. The calculation was not hard to do, was it.
"It should be his choice," Zoë wanted to say with a heavy heart when a tremendous BOOM shook the foundation of the structure they were in. The crackling energy in the air was unmistakable.
A Titan has appeared. WHO?!
###
"You are good, but I am sure you can't dodge a bullet fired at this range," Bindella sneered, his face twisted in anger, yet his eyes gleaming with the certainty of triumph.
True, it wasn't possible, even for Levi. Shot to death by Bindella, a minor character who Levi had not even taken seriously, what a pathetic way to die! Then again, he had lived a long life for someone in his profession, he should just be grateful for that, whatever the end. The manner of one's death couldn't alter the sum of one's life. A heroic death did not bestow meaning upon a wasted life, just as a foolish death could not erase the significance of a life lived with purpose.
No regrets. No regrets, but... Hanji - I'm sorry. I have not let myself hope we could have a life without war together but the truth is... I did hope. I hoped this was our last war. I wish I had told you more clearly what you mean to me. Maybe you know anyway. We never needed to talk a lot...
Levi braced himself for pain, for metal to shatter his flesh and his bones - but it never came. The intensity of the gunshot in the small room triggered a spike in his heart rate and a surge of adrenaline spurring him to the side as the world turned muffled and silent except for a loud ringing sound that threatened to rip his head in two.
That he was still alive to experience the damage to his ears meant that the bullet had missed his intended mark.
Because someone had moved between him and Bindella, screaming: "No, we need him al...!"
What an idiot!
The increase of heat in the room should have been a warning to run, but Levi was not thinking clearly enough. Bindella was staring dumbfounded at the red spreading from the body at his feet, but his stupor was not going to last long, he had several more bullets in that revolver and Levi was not someone to make the same mistake more than once. He launched himself forward to disarm and kill the gangster boss, which was a grave mistake - because the Warhammer lady was transforming.
It felt like jumping into the flames of a fire. The agony was excruciating.
The pressure of the transformation threw Levi against the wall. There was a low, ominous vibration he felt rattling his broken bones. Dust and debris began raining down as her colossal form took shape. The building was collapsing.
Apparently, he wasn't done dying a stupid death yet: He had managed to dodge a bullet only to find himself roasted to a crisp by a Titan. As if that wasn't enough, while he was already on the brink of death, a falling building had decided to finish the job. Amidst the excruciating pain, Levi found it oddly remarkable that he could still muster a touch of humor, even as everything threatened to fade away. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the part where his life would flash before his eyes. In fact, whenever he had contemplated the idea of dying, he had somewhat looked forward to this part.
Despite everything, he had lived a good life.
The first image that flashed before his eyes was a stark contrast to the grim reality of his childhood. It was a fleeting glimpse of a sun-drenched day when he was just a child, his mother's laughter filling the air as they played in a park with large trees. When was that? But like flipping a switch, the scene changed, before he could hold on to the memory to remember. The bright day dimmed, and Levi found himself back in the Underground, navigating the grimy alleys and evading the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Kenny Ackerman's face appeared next, stern and unyielding, a man who had taught Levi everything he knew about survival. The memories of their time together were a mix of harsh training and rare moments of understanding. Kenny's raspy voice echoed in his mind, a reminder of the man who had raised him in this unforgiving world.
I'm grateful, Levi thought with quite a bit of surprise at that realization. You made me what I am.
The faces of his comrades from the Survey Corps began to flicker before him, one by one. Erwin Smith's charismatic leadership, Hange Zoë's unbridled curiosity, and the unwavering loyalty of his fellow soldiers. Levi felt a pang of loss as their images faded, a reminder of the high price they all paid for their dedication to a lost cause. Peace? There would never be peace for them. They were a cursed race.
Then came the Titans. Levi found himself in countless battles against the grotesque giants, his movements as fluid as a dance, his blades striking with deadly precision. It was a life defined by blood, sweat, and sacrifice, but it was a life he had chosen willingly to protect those behind the Walls. He remembered the rush of his first kill. He remembered the feeling of freedom he felt when he had ridden out for the first time. He remembered everything.
As these memories swirled and danced before his eyes, Levi felt a sense of closure. His life had been a relentless journey of determination and sacrifice, and now, as he faced the end, he understood the weight of his choices and the impact he had on the world. Levi Ackerman had lived a life of purpose, and as his memories converged into a vivid mosaic, he embraced the inevitable with a sense of resolve, ready to face whatever came next.
It was the feeling of being lifted up and flying... flying away.
I am grateful. So long, Hanji. We will meet again.
Not bad for last thoughts. Not bad at all.
###
It's not Eren.
They hadn't even tried to leave the compound. From the safety of the upstairs windows, they could watch the thousands of panicked citizens trying to get away from the Titan that had emerged so suddenly in their midst. Tall and elegant, it was towering over the structures near the river, its bellowing roar resonating with a raw, primal power.
She is beautiful. Zoë couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe at the sight. Female Titans possessed an elegance and grace that their male counterparts lacked. But one shouldn't be mistaken: A killing machine was a killing machine. People died whenever they appeared.
"They're going to be trampled to death!" Zoë watched the desperate escape below with mounting horror. The fences around the Titan Facility were solid, they were in no danger themselves, but in their frantic efforts to flee, the inhabitants of lowtown trampled over one another, their panicked screams filling the air.
"They will send the police," Willy said but he did not sound very convinced. Judging from his mild surprise, he knew this Titan very well. No wonder, it had to be the Warhammer and Zoë could now venture a good guess who among the Tybur family was its keeper, seeing it wasn't Willy himself.
They would never send the police, that much was clear. The police had no chance to even get here even if they would care about the poor population of Liberio. The scene unfolding below was a frenzied tableau of terror and desperation, with mothers clutching their children, young and old alike stumbling over each other, and the constant cacophony of cries for help and pleas for mercy.
"We need to do something," Zoë gritted her teeth.
"I don't have permission to transform in the city," Zeke responded drily. "Unless it's a national emergency. This isn't."
"What's down there?" Zoë asked him, pointing towards the Warhammer. No Titan Shifter transformed if there was no reason. She must have destroyed at least five buildings in lowtown, there would be a high number of deaths.
The glance passing between Tybur and Zeke Yeager did not escape Zoë's notice, but they were not willing to share any of their secrets and she had no time to care. This wasn't about Eren, that much she could guess, because Eren had not transformed (she considered that a good thing). If not Eren, then...
Levi, I swear. If you disobeyed my orders, I am going to...
The Titan began moving in their direction with big steps and they all rushed downstairs to meet her. The towering white figure deposited two bodies on the ground before returning to her human form and slumping to the ground. Willy quickly covered his sister's naked form with his jacket.
"I... I tried to save him," her voice was hoarse and shaking, her eyes full of despair as she looked up at her brother. "He appeared out of nowhere, probably managed to follow von Bergmann. Bindella was there too, he had a gun."
Willy cursed. "Idiot, I told him to be more careful!"
Ernst. One of the two bodies belonged to Ernst. What was left of his scorched shirt was soaked in a grim pool of crimson, the chest beneath a blood mess of flesh and bones. Ernst was dead. Shot. And the other...
"The Ackerman jumped at me, I couldn't do anything!"
"It's okay," Willy soothed his sister, though he sounded angry. "There's another one somewhere, right? One should be enough. Let's hope that's the case, dammit!"
The satisfaction Zoë felt when her fist connected with Willy Tybur's face gave her the necessary strength she needed to compose herself and cautiously approach the lifeless, disfigured Levi-shaped body on the ground. Funny that she felt nothing much. Not shock. Not sadness. It just felt like...
We knew this would happen, didn't we, Levi. We knew we would lose each other. We both knew and that's why we never talked about it.
"He's done that more than once already," she heard herself say. That. Looking dead, but not dying. Hysterics threatened to take over sanity. He'll be fine, won't he. He's Levi Ackerman.
"Maybe this is a national emergency after all," Zeke said somewhere behind her. "Should we give him the serum?"
"Do whatever you think is best," Willy hissed, holding his bleeding, broken nose. "At the very least, save the blood!"
Zeke's strong arms caught Zoë before she could throttle Tybur to death this time.
"Listen," he said, his face much too close, the stench of cigarettes, drugs, and decay making Zoë's stomach heave. "I think I can save him. Will you let me?"
Anything. I'd do anything.
They were entirely out of choices.
"Do what you can," she heard herself say. "Anything."
###
Levi's journey back to consciousness was a slow and bewildering one. It felt like floating up through the dark void, it felt like waking up from a dream, but only halfway. The memories of what had happened were fragmented, a blur of searing pain and the deafening roar of destruction. He did remember that he had been dead before... well, had thought he was. It amused him that this could happen to someone several times in one short lifetime.
It's time to retire after this. I'm really getting too old.
Someone was in the room and was talking. He immediately recognized Hanji's voice. Ah, she would be very angry with him, wouldn't she? Rightfully so, he had disobeyed her orders and had gotten himself killed. Almost. He deserved some punishment for his stupidity. Who rushed into a room before knowing exactly who was in it?
"It has been several weeks."
"I know that, be quiet."
He knew that voice... But where from... Wasn't he Hanji's doctor...? The one back in Trost. Oh, that's funny, Levi thought. Am I in Trost? I dreamt some really crazy shit then.
"Did he just move his eyelid?!"
"I said be quiet!"
"LEVI! LEVI, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Hanji shouted directly into his ear and he flinched and wanted to push her away, why was she so stupid sometimes? Only that he didn't move at all and suddenly felt very strange, like he had lost a big part of something important. That reminded him of a time in his life he did not want to remember. Only that Appius is dead, who told me that?
"Is he awake?" A door rammed against the wall, a new voice, squeaky with excitement. It belonged to Armin, alive solely because he had once owned a book about the ocean and Levi was a mushy idiot.
"I don't think so."
Hanji was still close, he could smell her. Clearly, she was in need of a bath, but even though he hated everything that was unclean, he had never minded a whiff of Hanji, even unwashed. Pfft, that's right, mushy idiot.
"Something is different about his face, look!"
"He might be waking up, give him some space! Mr. Ackerman, can you hear me?"
As his eyelids fluttered open, Levi was met with the soft, diffused light of a room he recognized. The gentle rustling of curtains hinted at the outside world beyond, a street on which cars occasionally passed by, the steps of pedestrians.
It was the Doctor's house in Liberio.
Also, he realized quickly that something was wrong with his eyes. The shapes were too blurry and his head immediately started pounding. Hanji made a strange sound, then threw herself on top of him. That fucking hurt.
"Get off me," he tried to say, then realized she was sobbing. His throat felt parched, as though he hadn't spoken in an eternity.
"Move her away from him," the Trost doctor snapped and Armin appeared in Levi's field of vision, his blurry face drawn and worried.
"Commander, will you give him some space, please?"
It was okay if Hanji stayed close, Levi wanted to say, but next, the Doctor began prodding him. He had been right, it was Hanji's doctor from Trost. Jetblack hair, very smooth skin and slightly almond-shaped eyes. Might be a relative of Mikasa's going by looks alone. Name... Grütter. They had met a few times, he had wanted to have a good look at the man who stuck needles into Hanji, but had not spoken much. Grütter had always eyed him with quite a bit of apprehension.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Levi managed to croak out a single word, his voice barely audible. "What?"
"No need to speak," the Doctor said, a small smile appearing on his stern lips. "Welcome back, Mr. Ackerman. This is a medical miracle. I... need a moment."
Beside him, Hanji's face appeared. "You're safe," she said, her voice gentle and reassuring, but there was something else there, an edge, something she wasn't saying. "You've been out for weeks, Levi."
Levi attempted to move, to push himself up, but his body felt like a fragile shell. Weeks? Weeks of immobility had left him weakened like a baby. Frustration welled up inside him as he struggled to regain control.
"Bergmann dead?" He managed. If he was alive, then Bergmann might be too.
Hanji nodded gravely. "Bindella too."
They gave him water, he barely managed to swallow it without making a big mess.
"Eren back?" He asked next, feeling a bit of surprise that the question was met with the affirmative.
"Trouble?"
"Not for now," Hanji assured him. Again, there was more there, much more. He waited, but she offered no further information.
Levi's gaze drifted around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. Memories of the Titan's searing heat and the collapsing building began to resurface, mingling with the haze of his unconsciousness. A medical miracle? He felt very dizzy. He looked for Hanji's face, found it in the semi-dark. Was she fucking crying?!
"I'm sorry," he croaked.
She only cried more. Well, something wasn't right. He tried to lift a hand.
"Don't move," the Doctor said. "You lost an eye and two fingers, the index and middle fingers on your right hand. Lots of bones were broken. It will take you a while to get well again."
"We match," Hanji touched her damaged eye and attempted a brave smile. "Your right, my left."
An eye and two fingers? That was not a big prize to pay, all things considered. But he wanted to assure her that he'd be up and ready again very soon, he would heal quickly and train hard to regain his old strength. The quicker, the faster they could return home.
"He's awake?" A new presence made himself known. Levi's blood froze. It couldn't be...?
"He just woke up!" Hanji hissed, "this is not the time!"
"Well, it is," Zeke Yeager sharply contradicted her. "We have lost enough time waiting for him to finally wake up."
He stepped closer. "Yo, Ackerman," he grinned down at Levi. "Ready for the final sacrifice?"