❝In this cruel world, only the strong survive. Experience's taught me to leave my emotions and petty, righteous thoughts aside if I want to stay alive; trust is what gets people killed. In the end, human instinct prevails over everything else, and you won't find a single person in this shithole who'd risk their life to save yours - thinking otherwise makes you a fool. When it comes to the push, we're all capable to do unspeakable things in order to keep breathing - we keep fighting. That's the reason I'm alive today.❞ ㅡ Galene Magnolia
CHAPTER ONE:
UNDERGROUND
The world underground surely was something else; there were no birds, the wind didn't blow, and the smell of junk and garbage prevailed in the dirty streets. But, most importantly, sunlight never seeped through; its rays remained blocked by the rocky ceiling above the poor people who had been forced to live inside that hole in the ground. Criminals of all kind dwelled within; violence, murder and depravation took place in every nook without compunction. Law never stopped by to keep them away; if anything, those with powerencouraged thugs to fight and found joy in the sight of blood and pain. And if that wasn't enough to pose a threat, famine and diseases from lack of sunlight or sanitation did.
Way too many roamed the streets without shelter, yet the only sound that could be heard inside that cave came from the men that wouldn't stop ordering around, as though they were the kings of the city.
Well, if they had such privilege, they definitely wouldn't be wasting their pathetic lives down here — surrounded by thrash.
Galene Magnolia clicked her tongue in aversion as another pair of men walked past the building on whose balcony she was resting, yelling at each other about — what undoubtedly were — pointless things. Her feet dangled over them as she distractedly swayed her legs and leaned her back against the window behind. The glass was so cold that the thin blouse she wore to cover her torso was useless against it, and Galene would occasionally shiver because of it. Sighing, she ran a hand through her long, red-velvet hair as an attempt to comb it and mentally cursed when her fingers got tangled with the locks.
She mumbled some more curses under her breath before pulling out a cigarette, only to soon realize she didn't have anything to light it. She groaned, "You've got to be kidding me."
Then, her brown gaze fell upon the two men who were still arguing at her feet, and an idea came to her mind. Swiftly jumping off the balcony, Galene approached them with determined steps.
"Got a lighter?" she asked in a flat voice while staring at them with a blank look.
They stopped arguing to look at her.
"Uh?! Look at that, Marco; this scum thinks she can talk to us," one of them snarled.
Her eye twitched in annoyance when his eyes wandered over her body, his expression turning into one of mid-interest as he did. A disgusted grin spread across Marco's face as he approached her.
"She ain't looking that bad, this one. Already got the body of a woman," he mocked.
"That's because I'm a woman, bastard," defended Galene, her lips curled into a sneer as repugnance contorted her pale features.
"And she's a feisty one, as well!" He threw an arm over her shoulders, clueless about the waves of irritation radiating from her. "How about we keep her? Think I'll have some fun wit—"
The words died in his throat as her elbow connected with his stomach, causing him to gasp for breath and bend down. As his body slouched, Galene hit him on the back of his neck with the side of her hand. With wide eyes, the man dropped on the ground; his face slammed against the dirty surface with a thud. Quickly stomping on his head, which elicited a pained grunt from her victim, she drifted her gaze towards the other man. He stood, mouth agape, staring at her with shocked yet fearful eyes.
"I don't like repeating myself, but I'm feeling generous today and am going to give you another chance. Do you have a damn lighter?" she spoke as if she were talking to a child, yet there was a hint of annoyance in her low voice. Her serious face gave away the impression she was running out of patience — something she had never really had.
Not daring to open his mouth, the man tossed the small item at her.
"Now, was it that hard?" Marco moaned in pain, which only earned him another kick that finally managed to knock him out. "Shut your mouth," she demanded as she lit her cigarette. "I'm going to keep this. You don't mind, do you?" Hearing the unspoken threat behind her calm words, he could only shake his head and watch as Galene turned on her heels and walked off.
Humming out of habit, Galene shoved the lighter inside the pocket of her trousers and held the cigarette between her slender fingers as she took a long drag. While wandering down the streets, her mind replayed the situation happening some minutes back. But she felt nothing; no guilt, no satisfaction — nothing. Truth be told, she had stopped feeling anything other than passivity years ago. Maybe that was the reason why she had started to work as a criminal and made a living out of it: the need to find something that could attempt to fulfil her dull life.
Well, that's not accurate, she thought while narrowing her eyes, knowing her life choices had never been hers to make; they had been forced on her a long time ago. Her present was a mirror of her past, her future yet another layer of thin glass which reflected a life full of torment and secrets.
As she walked by yet another sleeping woman, a shadow crossed her sight and put a stop to her train of thought. It flew over her like a bird, free and fast, catching her interest and attention. Of course, Galene knew who it was — who it worked for, at least. The man cut through the air, firing the grapple hooks and reeling himself forward. Something akin to admiration — more like envy — shone in her bored eyes as she watched him move swiftly above the ground. He suddenly manoeuvred, swirling in the air gracefully, before disappearing around a corner, leaving a trail of gas in his wake.
Not mulling things over for a second, Galene threw the cigarette to the ground and sprung after him. She had to get her hands on one of those gears; it would make her life easier in many ways.
Thus, as she ran after the man, Galene began to formulate a plan in order to steal one without getting caught. The task was difficult beyond question, as it implied robbing from one of the best gangs of thugs living underground. Yet, she wasn't going to let that fact bother her; she liked to believe she was an impressive criminal herself.
Leaning her back against a wall, she hid in the shade provided by a bridge and observed the situation. Her eyes followed the man as he walked up to a door and disappeared inside a small house. Then, she let her body slide down the wall to sit cross-legged on the cold ground.
Galene waited there for what seemed to be hours, yet her gaze remained focused on the only window the house seemed to own, until the light inside faded into darkness.
In the Underground City, there was no way to tell the time; with only one big hole above to prevent death by asfixiation, the only light they managed to see came from thousands of tiny lamps placed on both roofs and walls.
Figuring they would have decided to call it a day, she stood up. After sparing a glance to her surroundings to make sure no one was there, she tip-toed towards the back door. Jumping up the stairs that led to it without making a single noise, she stopped before it and quickly pulled out a pair of pins. Biting her lip out of habit, she focused on unlocking the door.
Soon enough, the satisfying click reached her ears, and Galene cracked the door open. Her heart skipped a beat for the second time that night when a complaining noise emerged from the rusty hinges, immediately driving her to stop dead in her tracks. Her breath hitched, and she waited for a fleeting moment until she was certain no one was in the room, before she stepped in. Her hand clutched the lighter she had been given some hours before, so her feet crossed the dark place without stepping on anything that could be lying around. From time to time, she'd point the wavering flame to the floor to see the way she needed to follow in order to get those—
The lighter fell to the ground the moment someone slammed her against a wall. Her back collided with it painfully, and she gritted her teeth. A groan escaped her lips, before she eventually came back to her senses and became aware of the situation she was suddenly in. The lights were on, and a man just an inch taller than her had trapped her between his body and the wall behind. Ignoring the arm that was preventing the air from filling her lungs, Galene looked up to meet a pair of cold, grey eyes.
"What do you think you're doing, brat?" His voice was smooth, and annoyance was dripping from it. "Do you have a death wish?"
The man was caught off guard when Galene attempted to knee him in his groin, causing him to step sideways to dodge her hit. Taking advantage of his shock, she was quick to free herself from his hold. A scowl crept up to his face, before his hand reached back for a knife, and he quickly pointed it towards her.
"You–"
"Gal?"
Said woman's attention was grabbed by someone she didn't expect to see in that surprisingly-clean place. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when they fell upon the shorter figure of her sister, who stood by the door with a confused yet excited expression spread on her features.
"Isabel, what the hell are you doing here?" Galene demanded to know, her hands placed on her hips as she completely ignored the presence of the annoyed man.
Isabel smiled widely and trotted over, only to pull her older sister into a crushing hug as soon as she was within reach. A hug that wasn't returned, as expected.
"I should ask you the same!" she exclaimed, suddenly eyeing the woman in suspicion. "Who's behind this?"
Galene merely shrugged. "No one; I came here on my own accord."
"How do you know each other? You'd better give me a good reason, or else she won't live for tomorrow," he threatened, but his eye twitched as he heard the sarcastic scoff coming from the unknown woman.
"Ah? She's my older sister, big bro," Isabel revealed to the short man, effectively shutting him up as he tried to relate both females. Sure enough, the only thing that the two didn't share was the colour of their eyes; while Isabel's were green as emeralds, the woman's were a dark shade of brown.
"That doesn't explain why she broke in."
As Isabel hummed in agreement, Galene frowned.
"Big bro? I don't recall having another sibling, Isabel," she argued, trying to elude the question thrown at her as she grew curious about the association between her little sister and the grumpy man.
"Oh, he's obviously not our brother," Isabel laughed, amused by the mere idea. "He just happened to save my life when some men tried to beat me to a pulp."
At that, Galene felt something she hadn't felt in longer than she remembered: pure rage. Her lips curved into an infuriated scowl, and her eyes narrowed into slits; something Isabel noticed, for she quickly waved her hands in front of her.
"He took them out before they could get a hold of me, Gal!" she explained, as an attempt to calm her down.
"That's right; she's in good hands," another man voiced as he stepped in, walking through the open door with an easy smile plastered on his face. When he was close enough, he stuck a hand towards her. "Name's Farlan, and the grumpy one's Levi. As you've probably noticed, he can be a bit difficult to deal with, but he's a decent guy."
Galene doubted decent was a word that should be used to describe a thug, but she bit back her sarcastic remark. For the first time since Levi had seen her, the corner of her mouth turned upwards to form a slight smirk. She, however, ignored his hand and pursed her lips in thought.
"Galene," she introduced herself before glancing over to Levi, who had moved to his usual spot at the table. "I guess I should thank you."
Levi simply sat back, doing nothing to acquaintance her words, while Farlan gave a shrug. "It wasn't a problem, really." He smiled. "She's ended up being a great asset to our gang."
"Yeah, it surely seems to be that way," agreed the woman, sending a small nod to her grinning sister before commenting, "No need to break anyone's ribs, then?"
Isabel looked downright terrified; she knew what her sister was capable of. "Of course not!"
"Shame," Galene hummed, before casually turning and rushing out without saying another word.
The three thugs stared after her, different expressions on their faces. Pursing her lips in thought, Isabel frowned.
"That's weird; she was uncharacteristically civil," she muttered. "As if..."
"Wait, a gear's gone," Farlan suddenly exclaimed, and his eyes widened as he tried to understand what had happened.
Isabel, on the other hand, merely let out a short laugh. "That's Gal for you."
While the two got absorbed into an argument about Galene's trick, Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked over to the open door. Scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, he came to the conclusion it'd be pointless to run after her, for she was nowhere to be seen. Probably, she was hiding somewhere she knew they wouldn't find her. As the thought crossed his mind, Levi felt something that almost caused him to smile in anticipation; yet, his lips curved upwards ever so slightly into a smirk instead. His eyes closed as he folded his arms over his toned chest.
"Tch, that brat."
დ
To say her work — and consequently her life — had become easier in so many ways would be an understatement. Ever since she had managed to steal her precious dimensional equipment, a feeling of freedom had spread within her. It had taken away the monotonous life she had been carrying for years; specifically, when she had used it for the first time. The speed of her movements as she crossed the space between the buildings of the city created gusts of wind that accompanied her everywhere. That was why she had soon started to try different things in the air: she swirled, flipped and stopped hastily before jumping gracefully once again.
Avoiding getting caught by the military police was never a problem; the underground was her territory, and she had been running from thugs and angry guards all her life. However, it did surprise her the fact that neither Levi nor his gang had attempted to get the gear back. She guessed Isabel had a lot to do with it; she was a stubborn girl who loved her to bits, having been under her care for years before—
Another shadow flew past her at admirable speed, grabbing her interest and putting a stop to her train of thought. Her eyes followed him as Levi increased his pace and swirled around. For a fleeting moment, their gazes met. As an smug smirk crept to her lips, she manoeuvred and turned to her left, instantly disappearing behind the buildings.
Not even a second later, he followed. There was a barely-noticeable glint of interest gleaming in his usually-cold eyes, the ones who now wouldn't leave her form as she attempted to make him lose track of her. Suddenly, Galene descended towards the ground, quickly took an apple from a fat man who was walking by and smoothly lifted her body to the ceiling (no sky watched over the Underground City)before he could try to catch her. Then, she flipped in the air calmly, as though she had been doing that her whole life. It was so natural, the way she moved. For a moment, Levi fell behind and stared at the woman in wonder.
Her eye caught his, and she threw a playful wink his way; as if she were daring him to follow her. His lips curved into an annoyed grimace, before Levi propelled his body forward, catching up with her in less than two seconds. Without sparing her a glance, he swirled and rounded a corner.
"Show off," she muttered as she rapidly rushed after him.
"Tch, look who's talking," the short man retorted, and his gaze fell upon her momentarily to notice the sketch of a smile drawn on her face.
Her feet touched the roof of a building and she stopped, causing the content feeling that had been boiling through her veins to fade almost immediately. Letting out a sigh, she sat down on the edge and took a deep breath. She startled when someone joined her and hastily looked at Levi in evident shock. But if the man noticed, he didn't even attempt to question it and merely lay back, using his arms as a pillow as he relaxed.
"What are you doing?" she demanded to know, surprised by the man's actions. Sure, she had had fun racing with him — not that she was ever going to admit it —, but that didn't mean she wanted to hang out with him.
However, if Levi noticed her discomfort, he once again did nothing to show it.
"What does it look like to you?" he snapped back, his eyes closed as he calmly breathed.
A frown crept to her face as she watched him, a mixture of annoyance and suspicion dancing on her features. Placing a possessive hand over the dimensional gear, she tossed him the apple she had stolen on the way there and was surprised when he caught it.
"I'm afraid I cannot return this to you, but you can keep that apple as compensation."
Levi opened his eyes to send her a blank stare, his expression crystal clear — are you fucking serious? But coming to the conclusion it'd be pointless to start an argument, he sighed in what seemed to be frustration and tossed the apple back at her. She wasn't expecting it, so the red fruit simply flew past her before plunging into the void. Within seconds — the time that took her to regain her composure —, she jumped after it. The man was left alone, watching in wonder and curiosity as Galene propelled herself towards the ground, only to shoot upwards moments later.
"I really shouldn't be wasting my time with this jerk," she mumbled before sitting back down on the roof, apple in hand.
"Where did you learn to use it like that?"
Levi snapped her out of her thoughts as he eyed the equipment attached to her hips, his hands still supporting the back of his head.
"Where did you?" Galene fired back while sending him a knowing look. After receiving nothing but a scowl, the woman shrugged carelessly. "I have good balance."
Whether it was to get revenge on her for her teasing from before, or just for his own satisfaction, Levi would never know. But as an expression of utter alarm crossed her features and the apple escaped from her grasp to smash into the ground, he didn't regret pushing her off the roof.
Good balance my ass.
"You're dead," he heard her growl, which only earned her one last emotionless glance, before the man flew off. However, if one looked closely at his face, the slightest of smiles would be seen on it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material used in the making of the anime/manga, Attack on Titan. All rights are reserved to Hajime Isayama. I do, however, have rights to Galene Magnolia, Jack, Johan, Everhart (characters) and any plot not directly following the anime/manga. This book will have its own "original" plot, but certain scenes might be pulled from the anime/manga to help the story along. It is an open fanfiction for that very same reason.
