It was like when he had first joined and had been on his first mission against the beasts. He had felt the same anger, frustration, and sadness as he did now. He couldn't help the anger he felt towards his own self as he punched the tree beside him. He had been ordered to rest by the doctor because of his ankle, but he was determined to keep going on with his training. It was almost as if he were punishing himself for his squad's deaths and to an extent he was, but mostly it was his determination to get back up on his feet again so that he could go back to killing the horrid creatures. He suddenly heard a soft cry from a bit deeper within the forest. He headed for the sound thinking that it was one of the cadets that had gotten lost in the forest as it was a strangely confusing place. As he moved towards the sound he stopped momentarily in remembrance. Once a long time ago Hanji had told him about a story about the woods, about a certain time in these woods that a strange cry could be heard. She said that the cry sounded of a mad woman screeching, but this sounded of sad crying. Though it seemed feminine in nature he was wary as Hanji had, in all seriousness, showed him the files of the many people that had disappeared into the woods and came out raving about things like 'air planes', 'war ships', 'nuclear weapons', etc. They had all been written off as crazies and the part of the forest in which they had disappeared had been marked off and it was against the rules to go into the area.
Levi stopped when he reached the marked zone. The trees that surrounded the 'Marked Zone' had been cut down and planks with red painted tops had been stuck into the ground. Levi frowned when he found that the sound came from the small forest beyond the planks. It was creepy even to him, the trees held no leaves and there was a constant fog surrounding the area. The air around the strange place smelled of sweet nectar, much unlike its haunting look. Levi wasn't superstitious, but even he knew when to turn around and ignore his curiosity.
'Help me…' Levi paused as the sound seemed to float through the air and shiver up his spine. Levi spun around only to find the same scene he had just turned from, but now there was a soft yet fast breeze seeming to wrap around him and pull him towards the 'Marked Zone'. He waited a moment, his darkened eyes scanning the obscure tree line. When his skilled eyes saw nothing and he heard no more Levi turned ready to head back to the castle. Levi's eyes widened as he felt a sudden surge of sadness and longing over take him. It was as if all the sadness he had gone through up until now was resurfacing in a crippling force. Levi was down on one knee clutching his heart in a matter of moments, but then suddenly as it came it was gone and replaced by a deep sense of longing.
'Help me please…someone…anyone…help!' the voice sounded again making Levi turn back towards the 'Marked Zone'. The longing he felt in his chest heightened at the sound and pulled him towards the forest. The wind picked up in strength and felt as though it were wrapping around his form in a comforting embrace. He neared ever so slightly; his movement seemed to excite the woods as it opened a path in the fog for him to follow. Even the trees began to entice him as their bare limbs swayed in the wind as a hand would in beckoning someone closer. It was as if nature itself were saying that it was okay for him to head into the woods to sedate his sudden urge to go into the strange place. Levi stopped in his advance and the wind picked up and howled in protest. Levi turned slightly, now truly worried of his health as he was surely delusional from lack of sleep, but he stopped again as the sound of a low weeping floated in and floated through the wind. 'Please help me! Anyone! I don't want to die alone!'
That was all it took, Levi was flying through the woods with military efficiency. The wind flew with him and even tried to make his way easier as it went ahead and cleared a way through the fog and any webs or such. The trees bended to an unseen will as they moved their limbs out of the way and seemed to bend at odd angles for easier maneuvering access. The longing, having seeped into his very bone, was edging him on faster and faster as if he were being timed, almost as if whatever awaited him in this place was running out of time. That thought alone made him go faster using much more gas than usual.