Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in Shingeki no Kyojin.

Warning: This is yaoi fanfiction so there will be boy x boy pairings. There will also be use of explicit language, violence and abuse in this story. If these things bother you, you should not continue reading.

A/N: I just had this really great idea of a fantasy story involving the characters in SNK so I took to typing so I would not forget. I want to write about dragons, fairies, wars and supernatural powers. All these ideas just keep swirling in my mind. I hope I do it justice. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy!

~Chapter I – 'Amildegira'~

A soft singular sniffle was the only sound that filled the sparsely furnished bedroom of a brunette teenager. It was the only audible indication of his actions for the past thirty minutes. This act of weakness was something that Eren had promised himself never to indulge in despite of his circumstances. However, the emotions that he sealed and hoarded within him built like a crescendo and spilt forth after the events of this afternoon. By no means was he a stranger to his father's harsh words and even harsher hand, however, for some unimaginable reason, he thought today would have been different. His dad had long stopped giving a shit about him since the day his mother had passed away at the age of six.

The male adjusted his limbs a bit, still searching for a position that would bring the least aggravation to the new trophies of varying colors that littered his chest and legs. He told himself that somehow, he deserved a little of his dad's fury as he had taken away his only happiness, after all. He had years to adjust to his father's temperament which was often exacerbated by alcohol. Eren was accustomed to making excuses, hiding, covering and avoiding the problems – so much so that it ate away his friendships and other relationships at school. No longer did he speak to his best friends, Mikasa and Armin, who, up to this day, still attempted to strike up a conversation with him.

Even if he repeated to himself like a mantra that he did not care, he still felt like a grade A asshole whenever their faces of abject sadness assaulted him even in his sleep. Despite his life of solitude and depression, he felt that there was one day in the year that was still somewhat special because his dad never confronted him in anyway. That must have meant that despite his disgust and hatred for him, he still recognized him as his own blood… right? Really, that was the only thing that kept him sane, living in a never-ending cycle of torment, hurtful words and pain.

That had changed today, his seventeenth birthday. He was gifted with a closely missed beer bottle to his head, a few kicks to his chest and a litany of phrases that ensured that he knew how worthless and unwanted he was. The special day was no longer so because it was a day that his father no longer reluctantly recognized. The loss was not that big compared to the physical burden on his body but it hurt the most for some odd reason. He could no longer fool himself thinking that deep -way deep down- that his father at least acknowledged a connection between the both of them. All the words screamed at him was true and he could not pretend them away. An ache resounded in his chest that had nothing to do with his injuries and beckoned hot tears from the recesses of eyes he thought had dried up long ago.

The brunette fruitlessly tried to stem his leaky tear ducts, willing himself to sleep. At least there, he was happy. He got to dream of the one friend who made him forget; no dealing with the guilt, agony and despair of his unfortunate circumstances. It was a time all for himself. Many times, he thought about just going to sleep and never waking back up. However, his recent fight with insomnia took even that away from him. Sleep eluded him two, sometimes three days in a row and when it did bless him, it was only for a few hours. His time in his blissful fantasies was cruelly cut short due to his consistent fear of not being safe in his own home.

Fate was a heartless bastard. With a sigh falling silently from his lips, he allowed the utter weariness of sleep depravity and emotional-tiredness to lure him to his ideal place.

Emerald eyes snapped open to enjoy the rich landscape of luscious pastures, full trees and blooming flowers which littered the land just before a cliff overlooking a breath-taking view of sparkling cerulean waters. A wind carrying the scent of the sea, nature and a tang of sweetness rushed past him, almost knocking him over in its force. The sky was painted is warm colors of orange, yellow and pink as dusk settled. The three luminous planets in the sky no longer alarmed him as it did when he had first discovered it. It was explained to him that these orbs acted much like the moon he knew of but were inhabited by non-human beings that rarely interacted with the humans there. They were beautifully ethereal and sometimes created an entwining array of sapphire, viridian and lilac light across the darkened sky at night. A peaceful smile plastered itself unto his face as he enjoyed the alternate world – a place that made him forget everything else.

He had discovered it at the age of seven when he had been so lost and confused as to why his fathered did not love him. Discovered was more akin to imagined it- like how one made an imaginary friend, he supposed. At times though, he asked himself how he ever possessed the creativity to create something so astronomically beautiful. As time passed, he stopped wondering about its origins because it did not matter. It was the place that provided him a stable comfort that eluded him in reality.

A sudden whoosh of air from above, successfully threw him to the ground. However, it was nothing natural like wind. Eren's smile softened as awe, affection and familiarity shone through his facial features upon spotting an enormous obsidian creature of magnificent beauty slowly descending to join him. Its vast wings folded as the earth trembled slightly at its landing. Smokey silver inverted irises observed him for a few moments. Its tail covered in black spikes curled restlessly behind its body. The teenager ran towards the creature, clutching unto its underbelly covered in shiny scales that he had gotten accustomed to. A snort of apparent annoyance left its nostrils which sat above a mouth of wickedly sharp-looking teeth and an elegantly long neck. Yes, he had befriended an elder dragon which referred to their relationship as troublesome-but-unavoidable. Again, he doubted the skill of his imagination to create this wondrous being in such fine detail.

"You're here early, little shit." A voice echoed in his mind, the only way it communicated with him.

The dragon neatly tucked its legs beneath him as he settled on the cool grass. Eren eagerly lodged himself between its side and the warm curve of its stately wing on the right to guard himself against the rapidly declining temperature. It was a habit developed from young.

"You know you're pleased to see me. Otherwise, you wouldn't come to meet me every time I venture here." The male snuggled against the warmth, admiring the way light reflected of the undulating scales to add to the creature's exoticism.

A low growl sounded from its throat, more playful than threatening. The teenager chuckled in amusement, his mood lifting threefold.

The high schooler could still remember the first time he had stumbled into this place, too emotionally wound up to appreciate the strange foreign landscape he had dreamed up. He did not think it even mattered as he was too young to recognize what was odd or not. He had entered a clearing that did not look a bit natural and looking past the thick tears escaping his eyes, spotted a dragon seemingly dozing in the middle. Not once did he stop to think about the fact this was all strange and maybe the dragon posed a threat to his well-being. Well, what seven year-old actually contemplated something so serious? The brunette had run to the creature and threw his tiny arms around it, sobbing inconsolably. It was the first time his father had raised a hand against him and struck him quite viciously in the face.

He remembered the painful prickle of rough scales that painful bit into his skin. It was not enough to deter him from keeping his firm grip. Up to this day, he still chuckled when he recalled the dragon's mystified and perturbed reaction. It had been startled to full awareness and Eren reckoned that it probably, for the first time in a lifetime of eternity, was at a loss for what to do. That day he had cried a marathon of two hours – starting, stopping then resuming. He had ended up falling asleep against a thick leg, desperately clutching unto a gleamingly white claw. That was the start of their relationship which held him together during the long years.

The dragon had been his confidant in all aspects of his life. Below the age of fourteen, he was a chatterbox, speaking anything and nothing which popped into his head until he was forcefully stopped with a sleeping spell. He supposed that that was the time he had earned the crude nickname of 'little shit'. In the dream, it was nice to not see the vast array of discolorations that decorated his skin permanently or the accompanying agony. At the age of fourteen, he had realized that this was his haven and ceased sharing his less than ideal circumstances to his companion. Why should the pain accompany his here as well? This was his time to pretend that life was mysterious and enjoyable as it should be.

The brunette had not seen much of this world; only the forest behind him in which the two first met and the dragon itself. He saw phoenixes, wild plants –beautiful as they were dangerous- flying serpents, carnivorous unicorns and little fairies who were shy but mischievous. He realized that the dragon limited the area in which he came in contact with, may be out of protection. Not that Eren minded. He was content with what he experienced on a daily basis and much preferred his conversations with the gentle beast which in recent times, stretched more into companionable silence than actual words.

This comfortable silence swirled between them, wrapping them in a blanket of familiarity. What was he to do now? He still had one year and some months of high school left. All his coping mechanisms seemed useless now that he realized that there was no pot of gold at the end of his rainbow of a messed up life. He was still a minor in the eyes of the law so running away from his father was sure to create more problems than solve them. And yet, if he did nothing, he would end up visiting the hospital more often than actually attending school. Life really had a way of dealing him the shittiest hand.

He ruffled a hand through his shaggy locks. Damn it, he wished he could stay here forever and never have to return to his reality and the things that reminded him of his father. He saw his father everywhere: his school, in his friends, in teachers and even strangers. It sickened him and churned his stomach in a way that almost sent him careening to the toilet to vomit. The years had not been kind to him. He had lost more weight than was healthy for someone his age, his skin had lost its youthful glow – more pale than tan- and he could no longer count the amount of grey strands that tainted his chocolate hair.

He was lost and every move he made to create a life in society seemed pointless. He doubted that he was capable of functioning properly even if he escaped from his childhood home with his life. Change was what he needed. A life completely different to the hell he opened his eyes to every morning. A wry smile tugged at his lips. A man could dream, right? He glanced up at the picturesque night sky. Indeed, he could.

A nudge to his head brought his attention back to the dragon. Its nose next to his face puffed out warm air that ruffled his bangs.

"Eww, Levi. Don't get your snot on me," Eren mocked complained as he playfully pushed its great head away.

"Care to share your thoughts?"

"Nah, they'll only bore you."

"It shan't be the first time,"the melodiously deep voice drawled.

The brunette absently ran his fingers through the soft dark hairs that ran along the junction between its wing and its body. It was the only part of him that was not sharp angles, thorns or solid scales. "I wish I could stay here forever. I know this is a dream but I want it to be my reality," he whispered so softly that he thought for a minute the other would not hear him.

A knowing look entered its intelligent eyes. It was aware of his years of abuse even if he never worded such events now. He was grateful that pity never filled those eyes. It knew that it was a subject he avidly avoided and thus, never brought up. Levi brought its grand wings closer to its body, wrapping Eren in further warmth.

"Go to sleep."

The teenager turned his head away, hurriedly wiping at a stray tear that escaped without his permission. He closed his eyes and willed himself to oblivion. Even in his dreams, the weariness of it all occasionally overwhelmed him. Before he completely drifted off, he thought he heard Levi say, "If you truly wish it, you need only to call."

All too soon, he was back in his hell called life. Glancing to his right, he read the digital numbers: 2:23 AM. Getting almost five hours of sleep was near miraculous. He dragged himself off this bed, wincing but ignoring the twangs and jolts of pain. He was not going to get anymore sleep for the rest of the night so he might as well make himself useful in completing his assignments. Funny how isolating himself from his friends and the world in general had made him more studious. But he knew it was his way of keeping his thoughts busy, away from the dangerous path of self-destruction. He flinched when he heard a creak. Slowly, he relaxed when he realized it was only the wooden structure of his house settling.

His father was a physician at Shiganshina Memorial hospital. He was a respectable doctor who saved lives in public but a miserable drunk who took out his uncontrollable rage on his son behind closed doors. At one point, Eren had confided in Mikasa and Armin about his abuse. However, Grisha wore a believably friendly mask and somehow always had the foresight and luck to hide his heavy handedness at the most crucial of times. So it was with great hurt and disappointment when his best friends did not believe his words that he suffered from constant abuse. 'No, not the kind doc who always gave them sweets and cake along with a sickeningly fake smile whenever they visited. Or the man who was an ever present help to everyone in need.' It did not help that the man, at that time, had hit him in places he was too embarrassed to put on display as proof.

To Eren, that was the breaking point of their friendship. How could they call themselves his best friends when they could not believe his words in his most vulnerable moment? If his best friends could not get it, certainly, his other friends were a lost cause. It hurt to watch his friends laugh and joke around every day when his world had crashed and burned; the little pieces of himself that remained being chipped away every time he closed his house's white door behind him at evenings. His pretense at normalcy had become too much and he chose to huddle in on himself to hold himself together. Maybe, it was a lost cause.

He polished off the last of his Algebra assignment that was due the day after, Wednesday. Without another thought, he pulled out his sketch book and charcoal set which he bought secretly and dived into his private world. He had drawn many aspects of the wildlife in his dreams. It brought a sense of pride that he held such talent. However, the one thing he could not bring justice to was his depiction of Levi. Nothing could adequately illustrate the terrifyingly dangerous yet mystifying creature. Yet, it did not stop him from turning to a blank page and attempting the impossible feat. Maybe this time, he be able to put on paper the beauty he saw in his dragon. The one and only thing he knew he could call his in that universe, Amildegira.