Note: Hello, fellow readers. This isn't my first fanfiction, but it is on here. I've been a big fan of Attack On Titan/ Levi lately and wanted to create an AU that's been in my head for weeks. Before we get started, I'd like you all to know that this is during season three but will not go along with the AOT storyline. And Petra is still alive!
Chapter 1
"Is there a particular reason we're here, sir?" Eren said, his voice cautious. It was the question everyone in the Scout Regiment wanted an answer to, yet hadn't found the courage to ask until now.
Levi turned to Eren, holding in an exasperated sigh.
"Stop asking me stupid questions and go to sleep. We head out by dawn," he said curtly.
He could feel the disappointment in the air at his response.
"But, sir-" Eren started.
"Are you volunteering to take first watch, Jaeger?"
"No, sir. It's just-"
"Then it's settled. Go to sleep before I use force," Levi threatened.
The boy's face formed lines of evident frustration. He spoke no more and gave in to Mikasa, who'd been pestering him to be quiet from her spot on the floor.
The captain waited until everyone's breathing became even and rhythmic. He knew what was concerning Eren and the others. They no longer found purpose in their recent endeavors and training like before.
Ever since the disappearance of Titans and Eren's abilities, the Scout Regiment seemed like a complete waste of time. It'd now been half a year since a Titan was spotted, and the celebrations inside the walls were still going strong.
It was all a bunch of bull shit.
Levi found a disliking to the new turn of events. The Scout Regiment had as few as fifteen members now. The ones who stayed did it out of respect for Levi and Erwin, or in a simple search for excitement. When they did go outside the walls in another vain search for danger, he could tell that the hearts of his comrades weren't in it.
They wanted to go home and celebrate like the others. Humanity had won, after all. The Titan's were gone!
Levi knew this. He could recount the memories of Titan bodies littering the outside, reeking of death. Many carcasses had turned into food for scavengers, only to be gone weeks later.
He knew why Eren was questioning their recent expedition.
If the Titan's were gone, then what was the point of the Scout Regiment?
The Captain knew, deep down, that the Titan's were essentially extinct. Nevertheless, that familiar gut feeling stayed with him.
The one that told him trouble was coming.
It only got worse by the day.
Who would he be to ignore it?
"What's got you so troubled?"
The female voice snatched him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a charming redhead to his left.
It was Petra.
"What are you doing up?" Levi questioned, avoiding her inquisition.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm an adult who makes my own decisions. Don't treat me like a child."
The retort was very typical of her. He wondered why he even asked the question when he already knew her response.
"Please, answer my question," Petra reiterated.
"What makes you think I'm troubled?" Levi asked, deflecting once again.
"You're resting bitch face is more intense."
He almost gave a bitter laugh.
"How typical. She's mad at me for avoiding her question and using it to crack an insult," he thought.
"You're pretty observant for a brat," Levi shot back. "And I'm not in a bind. I'm just thinking about things."
"What things?"
The captain couldn't help but stare at her. Where was this coming from? Who cared what he was thinking about?
"The Titans were humanity's greatest enemy for centuries, and suddenly they've been wiped out. I didn't think it would take much brains to realize something else was going on behind the scenes, but these idiots proved me wrong…"
He stopped. Had he said too much?
Petra's face upturned into a smile. "I knew it!"
She went over to Levi, excited and giddy. Through her exterior, Levi could detect a sense of seriousness and… relief?
"I believe you!"
"Petra, you're going to wake up every-"
"I thought I was the only one! I dismissed it as paranoia at first, but something else is out there. I talked to Hange about it and she knew you'd come around."
"Jesus, Hange is in on this now. And they talked about me?"
"I never pegged you as the smart one, but maybe there's still hope for you," Levi said nonchalantly.
He had known Petra for years now, their conversations always falling away from formalities. Although he would never admit it, Levi liked talking with her. There was something about the woman that never failed to give him a positive feeling.
Petra blushed at his words. She covered her face with her hands and leaned against the stone wall, a couple feet from the captain.
"You're sending us on another search party because it's getting worse, isn't it? There's something out there, and it frustrates you that not many realize that. The feeling has been eating away at you and you're doubting yourself because of it."
Was it that obvious, or did Petra just know him that well?
Levi covered up his surprised expression. He didn't like her knowing that he was in conflicted state of mind. Even if it was true, no one needed to see how vulnerable he could really be. It was his job as captain to push his emotions down and be a constant for others. Being the one in a bad place not only affected his leadership but his role.
The moon came out of hiding from behind a cloud, the light pouring through the window and onto Petra's face. She didn't wait for Levi to say anything.
"Why did you choose this place to camp?" She asked. Her fingers traced the wall, causing dust to fall. "And don't tell me there isn't one."
Levi sighed and gave in.
"It's structure gives us a tactical advantage against our enemies. Anyone who tries to break in will be known because of these thin walls. There's also a trapdoor in case we need to make a quick escape. It felt like we were being followed, but I knew the others couldn't sense it. If it became known that a village wasn't far from here, I'm sure it would've been a pain trying to get them to understand why we were stopping here."
Petra still seemed confused about something.
"Why can't you just tell them?"
Levi didn't reply. The truth was, he didn't know why he couldn't tell them. He should've conveyed his suspicions in the first place, but something else had been stopping him.
"You want them to stay the way they are. You want them to be happy," Petra said.
The words disgusted him, but a certain truth rang through.
She was right.
Before he could say anything more, his stomach dropped. The air changed temperature, becoming heavy and still. It was like the atmosphere had become inefficient. Levi's heart began racing with his quick breathes, suddenly needing extra oxygen.
There was someone here. Or rather, multiple presences.
Levi gritted his teeth, reaching for one of his he could react further, the door flew open with a crash.
How come he hadn't heard them sooner?
Cloaked figures with slanted eyes silently charged at Levi. They moved with lightning speed, striking attacks at the captain effortlessly.
"Petra, lead them out of here!" Levi shouted, pushing the enemy back.
The band of scouts had awoken from the commotion and were already ready to fight. He could hear their shouts and detect confusion. No one was making a move on them. They had all been ignored by the enemy, who's sole focus was on Levi.
Their silent, gracious movements made it impossible to predict their attempts.
Levi pushed off the wall and swirled his knives around in a deadly counter measure. The move managed to hit one and sent it to the ground.
There were about twenty of them.
His arm burned when a sword sliced through it.
Shit.
If he kept going like this, he would be overwhelmed in no time. The hooded figures held emotionless expressions as they took advantage of his moment of weakness.
Levi parried a blow to his neck, barely managing to survive the grunted involuntarily upon using the strength from his injured arm. This fight was putting him on the defensive, outmatched and outmanned.
From what he could see, most of the scouts had made their escape. The only ones left were Petra, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They were trying to join in and fight, but the hooded people paid them no attention.
All of their focus was on Levi.
"There must be a reason you're called humanity's strongest," One of the cloaked figures said. "I have to say I'm disappointed."
Levi dodged blow after blow, leaping through the enemy and jumping off wall after wall. His attacks were strong and held perfect form. By now, these people would no longer be alive.
But these were no ordinary humans.
The world became a blurry mess of images and shapes. Levi saw red in the corners of his eyes as power surged through his veins.
The enemy was much slower now. Almost at a regular, mortal speed.
Levi didn't know what had triggered such a reaction, nonetheless using it to his advantage.
He sliced off the head of the nearest one, before stabbing another in the eye.
Had there attacks gotten slower, or was he going faster?
Despite his new advantage, these people were strangely resilient. He blocked another set of incoming blows. His blades sliced through someone's neck.
A warm liquid hit his forehead and trickled down Levi's cheek.
The fight wasn't in his favor. It didn't matter how many times he stabbed and slashed. The ones he hurt kept joining back into the fro, like nothing even happened to them.
The only one he killed had been decapitated, he realized.
Out of all of his attacks, it was the hardest to pull off.
Petra met Levi's eyes, both realizing it at the same time. It might've been a split seconds time, except it was enough to convey her plans of disobedience.
She wasn't a coward.
But she had to leave.
They all had to.
The attack had caught the Scout Regiment by surprise, even after Levi's precautions.
Even now, as Levi managed to behead another enemy, he could feel the starting signs of fatigue.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Levi yelled. "THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Eren looked ready to protest. So did Petra. Mikasa and Armin were the only ones abiding by his wishes. They pulled at Eren and Petra, arguing with them.
"You can't keep going like this. You will surely die," One of the figures said. He had a gaunt face and a crooked smile.
Levi growled at him, escaping from his grip.
Why did he have to be right?
His motions were slowing significantly and his vision had become blurry. Leaping from wall to wall in order to stay out of the enemies grasp had become tiresome and strenuous.
Levi forced himself to move, albeit the burning sensation. Blades were still dodgeable, which meant that the fight wasn't over. He needed to make time so his squad could escape.
"Don't tell me you're already tired?" The same man from before mocked.
He lunged at Levi, faster than all of the other attacks so far, and sunk his teeth into his jugular.
Before Levi could register what was happening, he felt swords come down on him in all directions. One on his legs, and the rest on his arms and shoulders.
His shirt fell from him, the fabric torn into multiple pieces. He tried to make an escape, but his muscles refused to obey.
His injuries had temporarily paralyzed his limbs, causing him to be defenseless. The pain was prevalent in many places, but none could compare to what he felt in his neck.
The man bit him multiple times, his fangs dripping with blood.
Levi's blood.
Even though his vision was weak, the captain felt a pang when he saw the face of Petra. She was the only one left. Her eyes betrayed the fear and anger she felt. They were so intense that he almost looked away.
Were those tears escaping them? Was she really crying over him?
"Go!" He croaked, motioning weakly. "I will never forgive you if you don't!"
The words were insensitive and rude. That was the only way he could talk some sense into her. He had to keep them safe, whether they respected his means of doing so or not.
If she ended up escaping, he would never know. The man stopped biting him and forced his eyes away from Petra's.
Every part of his body stung, as if thousands of bees decided to kill him. He felt the warmness of his blood slithering down his abdomen. It was almost soothing against the temperature dropping in his body.
"It's been awhile since I had a tough fight against a runt," The man, or whatever he was, said.
His accent and choice of words reminded him of Kenny. It flared up more anger inside of Levi, remembering his uncle and his captain gritted his teeth. His brown hair covered the intensity of his eyes, which showed his emotions on the matter.
"I was told you were a smartass, Ackerman."
He said it like the name was poison.
Levi blinked his eyes in order to stay focused. If he gave in now, then they'd go after his squad and Petra.
"Who told you that?" He said, his voice cracking from exertion.
"Now, why would I tell you?" The man said. His mouth curved back into that crooked smile.
Levi couldn't help but grimace. He was failing to keep himself conscious as his body weight tripled. Darkness etched into the corners of his eyes, fighting for control over him.
"I don't care, one way or the other," He said, keeping his expression neutral.
"You killed three of my men, so you obviously care about something. Was it that blonde bitch? If it weren't for my orders, I would've sliced her in half just to see the look on your-"
He coughed, tugging at the knife Levi plunged into his voicebox. Blood poured from his wound and sprayed onto the captain's face. He couldn't close his open mouth, which tasted the horrible metallic instantly.
The man pulled the blade from his throat and gave a sinister laugh.
"You don't fail to impress me. You're already proving to be a suitable reward!"
What was he talking about?
Levi knew that if he asked, he still wouldn't get an answer. Even so, that attack had been the last ounce of strength he had. Anything else and he would lose his battle against his consciousness.
"Still fighting to stay awake?" He said coolly. "My venom will overtake you soon enough."
Levi grimaced at the new wave of pain. His bottoms were soaked with blood now, a horribly unpleasant feeling.
Was Levi Ackerman going to die here, of all places? Was this the end?
"Now, that's it. Go to sleep like a good little boy…"