Jean and I were both put in a small tent away from everyone else while we recovered. News had not gotten out to the public about what happened during our mission. Jean told us he could barely remember anything and I didn't tell him I accidentally broke his finger.
After Jean and I were taken off from the building, I started to feel dizzy and went unconscious. Hange told me I started to mumble words she didn't understand but it had sounded like I was trying to connect with someone. Levi said that I puked while being unconscious and Hange took a small sample, for some reason.
"The first time I saw Eren in titan form, I couldn't believe it," Jean said sitting on his side of the bed. "Now we have another unbelievable person but you didn't change."
"Have you ever done that before, Aurora?" Hange asked.
"Never." I replied, "I don't know how this happened."
"Commander Hange, is Aurora in any danger of getting in trouble?" Jean's face looked worried. "I mean, she saved my life."
"Not exactly," Hange answered looking puzzled. "I am still unsure of what this power could be but Aurora has been our secret for a while."
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"I shouldn't say secret," Hange said. "You're more like a hidden identity."
"That still doesn't make sense." Jean shook his head.
"None of us know Aurora," Hange explained. "I have a theory that some of Auroras' memories have been wiped and we can find more information in her old house."
"That place is titan central, we could never get in." Jean retorted. "We would be crazy to try and go there now."
"With what Aurora did to you, it might not be so crazy," Hange said.
Hange noted that the small sample of my vomit had evaporated when it was exposed to air. She said the vomit was mixed with what seemed like bits of dark blood clots. She compared it to how titan blood or titan bodies dissolved. Hange questioned me for hours until Luther came in and dragged Hange away.
><
"No way." Connie's jaw dropped.
"That's so cool!" Ember squealed. "Aurora, that's amazing!"
"I'm glad you think so." I gave her a tired smile.
I walked into one of the main quarters with Jean blabbering about the mission. One of his legs was on the top of a table while the other was kneeling on the seat. Connie, Ember, and Armin sat around listening to his extravagant story which sounded like a lot of bragging.
"I-I should've shared this before," Armin said. "I read a book a long time ago that told a story of some clan members who could heal people."
"But that's a fantasy book?" Connie raised an eyebrow, "Unless, it has something to do with Aurora."
"It was a certain group of people," Armin told Connie. "I don't want to sound mean but, Aurora is in a certain group."
"Armin, did that story say anything else?" I asked.
"The healing power was passed down by the oldest person of that generation and that if the healing power was used on someone else outside of the clan, the healer would get ill to the point where they could die if they didn't regenerate," Armin explained.
"Well, why didn't you say anything sooner?" Jean furrowed his brow at Armin. "That would've saved Hange from talking Aurora's ear off."
"I didn't find out until now!" Armin exclaimed. "Your story just reminded me of the book!"
Deep in my thoughts, I had a memory hit me and made me gasp in real life. Slamming both hands onto the table, I spilled out bits and pieces of the memory I had with my parents when I was young.
I had once gotten a cut on my hand from grabbing onto a rose bush without seeing the thorns. I cried for both my parents and they came rushing out of the house. My mom gave me her sweet glowing smile and told me to close my hand. She wrapped her hands around my closed fist and suddenly the pain was gone.
"Someday you'll be strong enough to make your own injuries go away, don't be scared," I spoke out loud. "That's what my father said to me."
"So, your mom also had this power," Armin said. "Do you know if she was the oldest?"
"Both my parents were the oldest in their generation," I answered. "I am the oldest in mine."
"Did your dad ever use this power?" Armin asked.
"He was gone a lot," I replied. "I don't know if he did have it."
"Absent fathers." Jean spat.
"The book has to be in the library." Armin stood up. "I need to inform Hange and do my own research. Aurora, will you come by later so I can talk with you?"
"Of course Armin." I grinned. "Anything that helps with this situation."
Armin opened his mouth to reply but was shut down by the sound of a door being slammed open.
"Aurora Villin!" The girl from another section yelled, pushing her left fist over the front of her right shoulder. "You have been summoned by Commander Hange to the prison cells."
"Excuse me?" I asked wide-eyed.
"Immediately." The girl narrowed her gaze at me. "This is a life or death situation."
><
Walking down the stone staircase, I heard Hange give out a scream that made my heart drop. There were more unfamiliar voices and I watched two guards with blood on their hands move out of my way.
"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Hange shrieked grabbing a guard by their uniform.
"Aurora-" Levi's concerned look made me feel queazy. "Remember, I told you to listen to your gut feeling."
"Why is Hange screaming?" I asked.
Levi turned to look at Hange and then turned back to me. He moved out of my way and there in the jail cell laid a motionless body, just like Jeans. Except for this body had no life left. The same body that I had tried to save from Levis torture.
"Luciel.." I gasped.
"Lorelei!" Hanges cheeks were covered with tears. "Please save him!"
"Commander I don't-" I struggled to say.
"Just try!" Hange aggressively grabbed me and pushed me into the cell with Luciel. "Is there a heartbeat?"
I placed my head on Luciel's cold chest and heard the smallest beat. Hange urged me to try and use the power I had discovered but I had no idea how to. Luciel's lips had turned blue and his eyes rolled back. I was losing time and couldn't find an injury.
"How did he get hurt!" Hange yelled at a guard.
"We don't know, Commander. He was fine and then collapsed." A guard said.
"Any injury point?" Levi asked me from outside the bars.
"I- I can't find one," I said frantically as I search all over Luciels body for something. His heartbeat had started to get quieter.
"Aurora, please!" Hange snapped. "Find something!"
"Commander, you need to calm down." Levi crossed his arms.
"Calm down?!" Hange wailed. "Luciel is dying and he had so much information!"
I lightly placed my fingers over his exposed skin near his head. Slowly, I slide my fingers around with my eyes closed feeling for something. When I reached the back of Luciel's neck, I felt a tiny wound.
"Alright, Aurora." I started talking to myself. "You gotta use these powers now."
All I could see and feel was darkness. Nothing happened. I held Luciel's icy hand while my other hand was propped behind his neck. I squeezed his hand but nothing changed. I couldn't break a bone. I wasn't able to heal him and by the time I opened my eyes, Luciel had left us.
"I don't understand." I stared at my hands in disbelief. "Why didn't it work."
"A-Aurora?" Hange had her face in between two bars. "He's gone?"
"I- I'm so sorry." I watched Hange go back into a rage with my words.
The guards tried to calm Hange down but she kept going. I felt like crying but was stopped when Levi surprised me by opening the cell bars, lending me a hand to escape.
"Hange, let it go," Levi said looking at Hange while pulling me out of the cell. "You can't expect Aurora to use this power without knowing how it started."
"Oh no." Hange sighed. Her face started to turn red. "I'm sorry I lost my composure."
"Luciel was not the only person who has information," Levi said. "Everyone from the kidnapping has information."
"You are correct," Hange adjusted her glasses. "But what information did Luciel have that they wanted him dead?"
"Poison dart." I blurted out.
"Poison dart?" Levi raised his eyebrow at me.
"Y-yes, sir." I stuttered catching Levis's gaze. "The wound behind his neck was so small and even if I could've healed it, poison is hard to take out."
"He was dead before you even got here," Levi admitted. "Even with a soft heartbeat, he was gone."
"Where is the dart?" Hange asked. "Did you find one?"
"It was just an idea," I said. "The dart could've been so tiny, it went into his skin."
"What if it wasn't a dart-" Hange said. "But a needle?"
"You two are just throwing around theories." Levi's voice echoed within the room. "But there's still a dead boys body in the middle of the room, he's gonna start decomposing if you two keep talking."
"Can I ask if he can have a proper burial?" I asked. "Sorry captain, I forgot about your cleaning methods."
"Alright-" Hange cleared her throat. "Guards, take Luciels body to the burial grounds, Luther and I will be there to examine before he is buried. He served us well."
><
Levi grabbed both of my shoulders and started to shake me back and forth until I pushed him off.
"What was that for!" I yelled.
"You've got the look of someone who just saw a dead body," Levi said calmly. "We don't need anyone else to be more worried, I'm worried enough and it's affecting me."
"Worried about?" I asked.
"You," Levi answered. "You're such a handful and Eren was an even bigger pain in my ass."
"Don't worry about me, Eren is the priority," I insisted. "I'm not that worried."
"Tch, you are terrible at hiding your emotions." Levi rolled his eyes. "I see it in your eyes, you're terrified and weak."
"Weak?!" I gulped.
"Did I stutter?" Levi
"No, sir," I answered.
"My duty is to make sure Eren doesn't die or go insane," Levi said. "But you, you are my private duty."
"I promised you, I would be okay." I looked at Levi with sad eyes. "I wish you would stop giving me special treatment."
"Is it that special if no one has noticed?" Levi put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer in. "There is no special treatment, I treat you like the others."
"Oh, so you do this to everyone?" I frowned.
"No, this is only when we are alone," Levi smirked. "I would kiss you right now but, we have other matters to attend."
"We might not be alone together after this if Armin has something shocking to tell us," I said.
"No, after hearing that another man had his hands on you," Levi looked straight into my eyes. "I will never let you out of my sight."
We entered the library together to see Armin, Mikasa, Eren, and Jean having a casual conversation. After we shared common greetings, Levi told them what happened with Luciel. None of them seemed shocked or upset, unlike me. I maintained my concentration on staring at the ground. This was to give the impression that I was listening and that I was stable but inside, I thought I might fall over.
"Hange thought Aurora could bring someone back from the dead?" Jean ridiculed. "You can't be serious."
"I can't even do that." Eren folded his arms.
"Since Aurora and Mikasa share the same bloodline, does Mikasa have this ability?" Levi asked Armin.
"No, she got the Ackerman traits, I think Aurora can explain this better than I can." Armin made everyone turn their heads towards me.
"Ackermans are born to serve and have an awakened ability," I explained. "There's no coincidence that Levi and Mikasa are the most powerful fighters we have."
"The awakened ability.." Eren muttered. "Like when Mikasa's parents got killed."
"My dad looked like all of you, my mom was the one who looked like Aurora. She stood out." Mikasa said. "She didn't have any sort of healing power, I never saw that from her."
"But why are Ackermans and the Asian clan somehow connected?" Jean asked.
"Memories can't be wiped clean from their minds." Armin grabbed a huge book and let it hit the table. "There are more stories in here about the Asian clan, all of it seems to be written more childishly."
"What did you find?" Levi pulled his chair closer to Armin and then grabbed my chair to pull me so I could see the book.
"All of the stories start out like a fairytale, something to do with a princess or prince who comes to save the entire village but, they used the power so much, they eventually started to vanish." Armin pointed to a drawing of one girl in a puffy dress. "Out of all characters, this one sounded like Aurora."
Armin proceeded to share the story of this girl who had long black hair and red eyes. She was an only child and both of her parents were doctors or healers. They kept the daughter away from everyone because of the daughter's gift, she had the healing power they didn't. They were only able to heal wounds while the daughter could take care of multiple people and heal even the most injured. The daughter had a hidden ability, she could take away live with her touch.
The townspeople heard of the special daughter and captured her. They used her to heal their soldiers until the little girl was so worn out, she didn't wake up one day. Her spirit then returned to the new family members and she communicated with the generations.
"She communicates with the family members when they use the power." Armin said reading from the book. "She decides who deserves to be saved by how ill the holder gets."
"So, it's revenge." Jean's eyes skimmed the pages. "She can't control who lives but she can punish the user."
"Why does any of this matter?" Eren blurted out. "What does this have to do with-"
"Keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you," Levi warned.
"I think this was written like a storybook but it's history," Armin said. "The writer knew it would get thrown out if it contained any information that went against the king."
"Aurora, does this sound familiar?" Mikasa asked from across the table.
"I'm sorry, it doesn't." I sighed.
Armin then explained his theories if this story was related to me. It explained why Hange thought I was talking to someone when I passed out. When I healed Jean and got sick, it could've been because of Jean's ancestors were not worthy and why Luciel didn't make it.
"Are you trying to make Aurora seem like a monster?" Levi growled. "She is the farthest out of all of us to purposely not save someone."
"N-no sir" Armin stuttered. "I wasn't trying to imply-"
"Okay good cause if you were, I would not hesitate to make you stick your head in this book, permanently." Levis cold stare made Armin go stiff.
"Y-yes, sir." Armin gulped.
"Someones got a soft spot," Jean muttered.
I placed my hand on Levi's thigh under the table before he could respond. Levi tensed up and acted like he was shifting in his chair. He pretended to cough, clear his throat, and then kept a straight face. I wondered if he was used to any physical contact that didn't involve restraint or pain.
"Eren, did your dad have any sort of powers when he was a doctor?" Armin was frantically flipping through the book.
"No, he used modern medicine," Eren replied.
"Did he ever make a house visit to Aurora's family?" Armin asked.
"No, the farthest he went was to my house," Mikasa answered.
"Aurora, do you have any idea why you were so isolated from everyone?" Armin surprised me with his question.
I shook my head in response and that seemed to satisfy Armin for the time being. Armin asked to see me and Mikasas inherited tattoos and then compared the two, finding no difference. Armin was silent for a bit until Eren asked me if I knew how to control my power.
"If she did, she would've saved Luciel." Armin eyebrows furrowed. "Luciel was practically dead but what if-"
"If what?" Levi leaned forward, moving his hand to cover mine.
"Captain, he is not trying to attack Aurora," Mikasa stated. "We are all confused."
"Armin is the brains of this team, I want to hear his thoughts," I said.
"Make it quick," Levi demanded. "We will be here all night if we don't come up with a conclusion."
"It's not that simple but," Armin pointed to another drawing of the girl, she was taking care of a man while a stack of bodies laid next to them. "if we take this story and apply it to the Luciel situation, what if Aurora was too damaged from healing Jean or if her power decided Luciel was not worth saving."
"Not worth saving?" I asked.
"He was better off being let go than wasting your energy," Armin looked at me with a sad gaze. "Aurora, I think you know deep down why Luciel died and you will need to tell us eventually, to help everyone."