I haven't had a good night's sleep ever since the last expedition and because of it, my heart still aches to this day. At the Survey Corps Headquarters within Wall Rose, the hallways were empty and that's because everyone was working outside. Viktor and Zaiya were out feeding and grooming the horses, while I sat with Abel inside a room to write some papers. While Abel was telling me a story about Viktor as a child, I was losing to the laziness and distractions of birds chirping outside the window.
I was sitting there... letting these feelings from the past sink in and slowly took a moment to unplug the world to rest my eyes. Abel's words were getting softer as my vision was blurry and my body began to tilt to the side.
Before Abel could react, an arm was hugging my shoulders to break my fall. Opening my eyes again, a weight lifted from my shoulders when it appeared to be Levi.
"A-Are you okay, Sina?" Abel was concerned about me, but he was also surprised that Levi showed up out of nowhere. Perhaps he came looking for us.
Levi noticed how tired I looked, but he was exhausted himself as well. "You two, come with me."
We both blinked at our captain, not sure what he wanted from us. Without asking why, we followed him into a room where Erwin, Hange, Viktor, and Zaiya were standing around a wooden table. Abel and I didn't know what to expect, so we joined them in silence.
Hange decided to pick on Levi when he finally joined us. "Looks like you had a long night, Levi. Not to mention your uniform—"
"You don't want to piss me off." Levi clenches his teeth at her. "Let's just start."
"Start what?" Abel asked and I was confused as well. Why are we all summoned here?
"We have a mission." Erwin finally answered us, "A very serious one."
Despite how tired I was, I wanted to learn more about this mission and so did Levi's squad.
"Does this have anything to do with titans invading Wall Maria?" Viktor asked Erwin and we all felt our stomachs turn, hoping that's not the case.
"No," Erwin answered with a straightforwardly. "According to other military branches, our soldiers have been unexpectedly murdered within the walls."
From that moment, my heart nearly dropped at the news and everyone else around the table was in great shock. Levi seemed mostly concerned here, but I didn't want to assume anything.
"Who would do such a thing?" Viktor clenched his fists on his sides. "Our job is to slay titans and now we also have to worry about some murderers within the walls?"
"We're literally sandwiched between the titans invading Wall Maria and murderers inside the walls. Humanity is over..." Abel sighed, hoping there would be a solution to this. Levi and Hange already knew about the mission, and Erwin continued. "From the capital, I was given a mission to arrest a cult that emerged some time ago. The scouts are requested to participate in the mission."
"A cult?" Zaiya's eyes grew with anticipation and we all stared at Erwin until Hange added to his sentence.
"The Titan cult." she specified. "According to my research, they are an organization that employed terrorist tactics to kill innocent civilians... including soldiers like us. They are somewhat suicidal people who worship the titans."
"What an awful side of humanity..." Viktor shakes his head in disgust. "I can't believe there are people who worship those naked bastards..."
"I thought the titan cult vanished many years ago." Abel brought up, assuming he might know something. "Why are they suddenly showing up again?"
"Who knows." Levi shrugged. "Ever since the titans invaded Wall Maria, they are finally taking advantage of the situation."
"Their loyalty to the titans remains a mystery," Hange added. "There is no specific reason as to why they show loyalty to the titans."
Deep down, Erwin did not expect any of this to happen to humanity and we all didn't see it coming either. From what I know, humanity was never once safe within the walls. "Even though I am the head of this mission and I have a higher position than others, the capital is still beyond my power. If you have a problem, you have the freedom to leave."
At this moment, we are just numb to everything. Levi had nothing else to say since he only wanted this mission to be over and I felt the same way. Perhaps, we all want this to be over, so we must fight.
"I think the only option is to take action and uncover the truth," I speak firmly, drawing their attention towards me. "This mission seems very delicate. One wrong move and then it all leads to catastrophe."
"You're right, Sina." Erwin nodded in agreement with me. "I've been analyzing where this cult usually acts according to the provided information. As I concluded, a straightforward plan is what we need to complete the mission successfully. The cult may be a large number of people, but if my calculations are correct, we will always be in greater numbers regardless of the situation."
"Does anyone know about this besides us?" Zaiya asked and Erwin simply answered her.
"Only the capital, but this secret will eventually get to everyone within the Survey Corps and the Garrisons since we are the biggest threat to the cult."
"The biggest threat?" Viktor scoffed at his words. "What did we ever do to them?"
"They're just upset because we're slaying their precious titans." Zaiya simply added and at this point, the titan cult is just a bunch of psychopaths.
Now I think about it, are they aware of me?
"So, will you all participate in this mission with me?" Erwin interrupted my thoughts and we all came to a peaceful conclusion by saying yes. After the meeting, I gently excuse myself with a horrified look on my face. This same feeling from the mansion is crawling back inside me.
⚔︎
Abel and I were assigned to feed the rest of the horses in the evening. Abel was a friendly yet talkative friend, and while he was chatting away, I felt a presence coming up close from behind and turned around to find Viktor. Suddenly, he put a finger over his lips as a sign to be silent and took my hand to drag me out of the horse stable.
"Sina?" Abel turned to the side to find me missing, which started to worry him. "Hey, stop messing around with me and come out!"
Outside the stable, Viktor had me in his arms, pulling me even closer to his chest behind a bunch of barrels beside the entrance. His hand was over my mouth and I shoved it away from my face to a whisper. "What the hell, Viktor? Why are we hiding?"
"Shh!" Viktor hushed at me, then followed with a giggle. "I just wanted to see Abel's reaction."
I rolled my eyes, trying to sit up beside him but his arms were still embracing me. "Can I leave now?"
"Not yet." Viktor is stubborn as usual and we saw Abel running out of the stable with a shovel in his hand. "Sina! Where did you go!?"
At this point, I wanted to run up to Abel since I didn't want to make him worry anymore, but Viktor likes to tease his friend. He is still keeping me as a hostage and I want to flee. When Abel ran off into the distance, I began to panic a little.
"How much longer are we going to wait?" I said, already getting impatient with his childish act. Viktor noticed how annoyed I looked, so he chuckled even more. Ever since Abel disappeared, I gazed at Viktor and in such tight quarters, his mischievous smirk had nowhere to hide.
So it finally dawned on me. "You tricked me!"
"Shh! Quiet!" Viktor playfully puts a finger over my lips and at this moment, I realized he was trying to steal me away from Abel.
When the area was finally clear, I quickly crawled out from behind the barrels and patted the dirt away from my body. "Why did you suddenly pull me away from Abel? We were just having a nice conversation." I pouted, wondering why Viktor was always acting like this around me.
Viktor let out a sloppy half-grin, scratching the back of his head. "It's not fair. Abel knows more about you than I do."
I raised my brows at him, thinking about why he was so concerned about my life. "Are you upset because you feel left out?"
"Kind of." Viktor shrugged in embarrassment and I found myself giggling at his innocent reaction. Next, we sit beside each other inside the stable where we can see the sun setting on the horizon. Abel is probably still outside searching for me as we have a conversation together.
"What's on your mind right now?" Viktor asked, noticing how quiet I was and my mind shifted back to reality.
"Oh... just thinking about that mission," I answered softly, which worried him a little.
"You mean that titan cult?"
I nodded, and slowly brought my knees up to my chest to hug them. "Viktor, have you ever heard of a titan's child?"
"A titan's child?" Viktor was surprised at first, then finally relaxed. "I have, but I thought it was just a myth. Why you ask?"
I was hesitant to answer him, but since he wanted to know more about my personal life, he has the right to know because he is my friend.
"That child... is me."
There was a dramatic pause in the cool air and I didn't know what else to say afterward. My title has become a horror to all those who heard about me, but as for Viktor, he was completely calm about it. Besides Levi, Viktor was the first to act comfortably around me despite my title.
"Is it true?" Viktor's eyes met mine and I nearly glanced away, but they were so curious. "Are you really born from a titan?"
I didn't know what the right answer was, but will I conquer his trust?
"It's complicated." I first tell him. Next, I simply tell him my past starting from how I was born to the point where I joined the military. I didn't expect him to believe me so easily and it made me feel safe around him. Deep down, he sympathized with me after bringing up my past.
"So why did you join the military?" Viktor wanted to ask me this for the longest and I stared down on my knees.
"I never had an interest in joining the military, but since Levi was determined to join the Survey Corps, I decided to follow his footsteps, hoping everyone started to see me as a hero rather than the titan's child. A selfish reason that changed with time..."
I appreciated Viktor for having the willingness to listen to me and because of that, he made me feel fortunate. I remember Viktor telling me about his past where he grew up in Shiganshina District with Abel and lived a peaceful life together, but now, everything has changed for the two of them. Recently, they found out their families had been caught up in the titan invasion and were never seen or heard from again, which shattered their hearts, but they are trying to grow stronger from it.
Despite all of the heartbreaking events, Viktor has an optimistic aura, even in the worst moments. Easy and friendly, however very hostile when something troubles him. Not assuring people of what he really wants and letting the emotions take care of the situation, either frustrates or hurts people around him.
"Sina..."
My heart raced for a short moment when we heard footsteps coming from the entrance of the stable and it appeared to be Levi standing there at the front. "What are you two doing? Have you finished grooming the horses, Sina?"
"I..." To be honest, no. But I hated to confront him until Viktor stood up in front of me.
"It's not Sina's fault. Abel was supposed to finish grooming the horses, but he hasn't returned yet." Wow, he literally just threw his most trusted friend under a wagon.
"But why are you here?" Levi emphasized in a harsher tone. He is now crossing his arms at Viktor and they both seem hostile to each other, making me even more nervous.
"That's none of your business, captain." Viktor fired back. "Now I think about it, you always want Sina by your side, but that's starting to piss me off. Give this lady some personal space now would ya?"
I quickly get back up on my feet to tug on Viktor's sleeve to calm him down. "Viktor, don't tempt him..." I then stand in front of him so I can finally explain to Levi. "Levi, that's not how I feel, so please, don't listen—"
I yelped when I found myself getting slung over Viktor's shoulder and his right arm was securing my legs to get ahold of me tightly. I was facing the opposite direction behind Viktor and I realized Viktor was going to carry me away from Levi. "Let's continue our conversation elsewhere, Sina."
From here, I could sense Levi's anger. "What the hell are you doing? Put her down this instance."
"Why? She's not refusing now, is she?" Viktor decided to test both of us and I was struggling to get off, but he wouldn't let me since his grip was surprisingly strong.
"If you don't put her down, I will do it myself."
"Try me, captain!" Viktor challenged his dominance. "Also, this is a perfect time for a rematch from our last spar together!"
"Cut it out, Viktor!" I finally call out to him, hoping he will listen to me this time. "Please, put me down..."
There was an awkward silence until Levi scoffed. "You heard the lady. Put her down."
Sighing in defeat, Viktor gently put me back down on my feet and before I could say anything, I was completely unaware of Viktor's going up to my face until his soft lips crashed into mine. My heart skipped a beat, startling me when he passionately gave me a long kiss and my eyes widened at his bold action.
I can feel Levi staring at us with his darkened eyes and he was awfully silent when Viktor pulled away from the kiss to playfully smirk at my surprised expression. "See you later, Sina."
Behind us, we heard footsteps running into the horse stable.
"Sina! Where have you been!? I was so worried!" Abel finally found me, but he was also surprised when he found Viktor and his squad captain. Before he could say anything, Viktor sprinted toward his best friend to sling an arm around his neck. "Let's go grab dinner, Abel!"
"H-Hey! Let go of me! What's gotten into you all of a sudden!?"
Viktor forced Abel to exit the stable so that Levi and I were alone together in this awkward situation. At this point, I wanted to escape because of how embarrassed I felt and Levi didn't seem too happy about what just happened either.
"D-Did you want to speak with me?" I randomly asked in dismay, but his eyes refused to even glance at me.
"Never mind." Levi then dismissed himself from the stable and silently walked off, leaving me all alone with the horses. I thought it would be safer for me not to chase after him after all of that just now. My concern for him is growing, but why is he visibly upset with me?