Raz4011: Sygma Chapter 2: Knock Knock
Summary
And so in a ringtone, the story takes a fresh start ...
Scene 1
'Knock Knock'
Five years.
It was the number of years that had passed since that famous night, and in time, just as Levi had wished, it had gradually turned into a distant memory. When he thought of it, his eyes lost in the vagueness, he told himself that he must have fantasized the majority of this adventure. For example, the whole part about the sensations and the impression that Eren had left on him. It was not because it was the first and only time, that he had felt this kind of feeling that it meant that his one night stand was more than it seemed.
Namely, just a great fuck.
Life had resumed its course, and it unfolded without any wrinkles. With ease, Levi became a Sentinel, a job that required tremendous personal investment. If only for combat training, multiple medical check-ups, reports ... He was a soldier of the Winged Battalion, one of Sina's most highly valued and difficult trades. He did not have time to get bored. Moreover, as he was a Level 5, he worked solo in the majority of the cases that fell to him, even though he was part of a squad, of which he was supposed to be the Corporal. However his powers were so great that if he fought with all his strength, as often happened, Levi risked not only affecting the enemy but also his allies.
He had a Chorus of Psyche. This was neither truly rare nor more spectacular than another power. His particuliarity? It was above all its power level and the abnormal extent of its possibilities of action. The basic Psyche Choruses were divided into three domains. The first Telekinesis: Levitate, bend or make heavier an object or a living being. The second was Telepathy: which consisted of reading or communicating thoughts. Finally the MindControlers: those who were directly able to take possession of the mind.
In general, an individual was only able to practice one or two domains of his element according to his level of power. And never with the same control.
We're talking about Dominance.
To understand well, it is necessary to know what actually determines the level of power. This can be summarized as a single sentence. The area of influence. A little later, it was added the duration of activity of the gift considered, as well as its force of impact.
A Level 1 could only activate his power by touching his target with his hands. Understanding the mysteries of the Chorus, it took years and years of study. Each element followed its own laws. It had taken centuries before the classification of the Levels and the various Capacities gave rise to general rules which could concern all the inhabitants of Terra Matera.
The first rule was that all Chorus were charged with only one type of elemental energy. An individual for an element.
The Mixes therefore had a particular name because they were the result of the conjugation of two elements, but in no case could they make use of both. They had, as it were, their own element.
The second rule was that the use of the energy of a Chorus depended on the personal reserve of its wearer. Everyone was subject to a certain limit, which they were not to exceed in any case if they did not wish to die of sudden cardiac arrest.
For the rest of the rules, Levi knew truly only the specificities of the Chorus of Psyche.
A Level 1 in Psyche was capable of only one Act in a specific field. For telekinetics, it was either levitation, or mental pressure, or to change the mass of a given object. For telepaths, communication or reading thoughts. For a Mindcontroler, taking control of only one member of his target.
A Level 2 had the control of a single Domain but the possibility of carrying out two Acts. For example levitation and pressure. Reading and communication. Or the control of two members simultaneously ...
But as of Level 3, inequalities began to widen. The powers covered two domains, one said Dominant and one Weak. All the Acts inherent in his Dominance were mastered, but only one Act of the weakest (and not with a strong impact force). The biggest change from one level to another was the fact that he no longer needed to touch his target to influence him. Even if its area of action was very small (a few meters sometimes one or two kilometers, no more).
Thus a Level 4 differed from Level 3 because it had two domains of predilections. A Dominant and a Natural he mastered in the same way as the Dominant but on a smaller scale. Its biggest advantage being that its area of influence was much wider than that of a lower level. To better visualize it was enough to know that if Level 3 and Level 4 were to compete, Level 3 could hit its target only 2km away while a Level 4 could reach it at 5km , Without ever being worried that his opponent could touch him.
Levi in comparison could hit them both from about 20 km away, as long as he can have his target in visual.
In addition, he had total control of the 3 Domains of his element, Telekinesis, Telepathy as well as MindControl, and it was as simple for him to use each of their Acts as to breathe. The difference between him and a Level 4 was as great as between day and night. That was the reason why everyone regarded him with deference...and fear.
Even if the fear he inspired in them took root elsewhere, what made him dangerous to them was the Task.
To understand what a Task was, or even Sentinel's job, we had to go back to the source of Evil.
The Degenerates and their Black Chorus.
The inhabitants of Terra Matera had all been offered the gift of magic, but it had a price. The Chorus were naturally of a beautiful pearly white. A soft opalescence that illuminated the colors of their elements when they made use of their powers. However, the stability of a Chorus was a much more fragile thing than one would believe, and when this stability was broken, it was definitive. The mental and physical state of the corrupt were deeply affected, and without remedy. They changed into monsters. Feeding only on the energy contained in pure Chorus.
A 'Degenerate' according to the educated, a 'Demon' according to the people, or a 'Dark' according to the inhabitants of KW (the kingdom of the Eastern Tyrant), they had many names but one and only way of life. They attacked the spinal cord of their victim and feasted on the energy substance until death followed.
A lot of things could affect the Chorus. Stress, strong negative emotion, traumatic shock, etc. The white crystal was synonymous with mental health. This is why Psychologists, Psychiatrists and other Public Health Controllers placed themselves at the top of the list of doctors most often consulted. Anti-depressants, sedatives and other wellness therapies were all the rage in the civilized world (KW could not be counted among this category of countries).
There were two types of Chorus Transformation: the slow and progressive (the most common) or the direct occurrence following a particularly violent shock to the system, such as the death of a loved one. An agression. The reasons were uncountable.
The slow transformation was noted in stages. This was called Tasks. The star formed by the five branches of the Chorus gradually tinged in black. Branch by Branch. There were thus five stages of degeneration. And if Levi was as feared as respected, it was because he already had a Task to his credit. But he refused to hide it and chose his undercut to prove to the whole world that he was not afraid of seeing the disease progress. He was the best soldier in the Winged Battalion, he tracked the Degenerates before they did too much harm. And the shock that had earned him this Task, he considered it a scar of war that deserved to be exposed rather than concealed. It made him proud.
Many admired his attitude in times when everyone preferred to conceal his Chorus well sheltered behind a layer of hair or the wearing of high collars. In case they did not know, the Degeneration struck them without warning from one minute to the next.
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Levi pushed the heavy door of the training room. This room had been designed to contain the most potent of Chorus powers. Few soldiers had the use of it. Although only the Alphas were allowed to become Winged Battalion soldiers, few people could boast Level 4 and even less Level 5. The majority of the population was actually between Levels 1 and 3 of power. The Levi Squad was entirely made up of Levels 4. Although they rarely act as a team, the Order came to mobilize them to repel terrorist attacks from KW, clean up an infected area of Degenerates, or intervene to stop an emergency.
Emergencies were determined by the Power Level of the Degenerate(s) reported. Because yes, they too, continued to be able to use their magic although their Choruses were corrupt. Two things determined the state of alert: The Degenerates consciousness and their level of power.
An A.1 is a degenerate out of control whose magic was level 2. The most dangerous things about this type of monster was their tendency to roam in packs, their long and sharp claws and fangs , and their speed and strength. The skin of the Degenerates became as black as their Chorus, and their pupils were tinged with red. It was almost impossible to miss them. They were creatures without intelligence. They were greedy, cruel, and acting only according to their most primary instincts of feeding and finding a place to settle.
There existed three types of A.1, a star was added with the level of magic power increased. A.1, power level 2, A.1 * level of power 3 and finally A.1 ** level of power 4 (much more frequent than one would have thought!). The Transformation had after all the merit of at least increasing a level of the magic of the corrupt. The A.1 were the most frequent cases faced by the members of the Winged Battalion. But they were far from being the most dangerous. As the Degenerates obeyed even more of the primal hierarchy than a normal citizen, the A.1 found themselves generally following the orders of other creatures who were much more frightening.
All the other levels, that were the most powerful, they clung as one searches for air to breathe. It was as if they had a vital need for a pack leader.
The A.2s for example were Degenerates, always as gluttonous and murderous as the A.1 but capable of reflection. They were conscious and had the faculty of concealing much of their Transformation from the eyes of others. A single detail betrayed them physically, it could be the blush of their eyes, their Chorus or the darkness of a patch of skin. An inquiry was needed to uncover them. One A.2 had only a level 2 magic power. They too were more common than they wished to admit. Some lived for weeks in freedom, obscured in the masses, before being apprehended.
A.3 and A.4 had the same characteristics but decided to increase their alert status because of their magic power level (Levels 3 and 4, respectively).
As far as A.5 was concerned, only one case had been seen for centuries. Their existence had almost become a myth. It was said that absolutely nothing, apart from the color of their Chorus, would make it possible to distinguish these Degenerates from a pure citizen.
According to this information base, several conclusions had been drawn: The Betas were the category of individuals with the highest percentage of chance of turning into Degenerate.
Reason why, even if they were protected and were aware that they were the muscles that were driving the nation, we could not help but look at them with an evil eye, and treat them like minions, even nuisances. They could only be grateful that the government would agree to defend their lives against those of them who suddenly swung to the predators.
The Betas of Level 1, so numerous, were among the whole Category, the home of population which was placed under the closest surveillance. They turned into A.1 faster than light. Poor people, in a world where magical power determines wage claims of everyone, persecuted for their propensity to tip on the wrong side, they were undoubtedly the highest risk factors of this society. It often happened that a whole shantytown was decontaminated with the help of several Squads to eradicate large packs of A.1.
The Level 3 Alpha also represented a certain risk factor but it was so minimal (about 5%) that they were unaware of it. As for the Level 4 Alphas, since the transformation generally allowed them to gain a level of magic power, they had less than a 2% chance of one day possessing a corrupt Chorus (reason why the A.5s had gone to stage Of myth). The Alphas of Level 5 and the Omegas had only 0.5% chance of transforming one day.
These statistics explained why they continued to admire Levi without ever fearing that one day a second Task would appear on his Chorus. In the eyes of the world, this Task was above all the proof that his soul had been harshly wounded by the tragedies that had marked his childhood. But now that his life was stable nothing could detract from his duty or affect his purity.
Levi was far from personally adhering to this latter statement.
After all, until now, no one had yet discovered his biggest secret. A secret so big that he was beginning to think he was able to swing the wrong way and still be able to continue living among the Pure without being worried.
Every day the first of all the general rules he violated was that of heaven itself. Because as far back as his memory, Levi Ackerman, Alpha Level 5, had a Chorus in which were stored two types of elemental energy.
That of Psyche and that of Earth.
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The room was deserted when he arrived.
Sometimes he could finish all his training without crossing a living soul. But as he knew that each of their sessions were recorded and analyzed by the Order, he generally endeavored to use only his powers of Psyche. As far as his powers of Earth were concerned, he worked only when he was at home or on vacation.
That morning, his Squad had finally arrived on the premises around 10 am. Levi did not know if he could say they got on well, nor, moreover, if he did more than appreciate them. After suffering the trauma that had earned him his Task, he had made the choice not to become emotionally involved with anyone. At least, not as he did at that time, not to the point of losing a piece of his heart or soul. He appreciated the members of his squad. He respected them. He could even call them his friends, but their disappearance would never affect him so much that he could lose his calm or his reason.
Erwin called it pragmatism and admired his Cartesian spirit, but Hanji was not fooled. She knew it was mostly indifference. She was his only childhood friend. She was one of the only ones to know what type of teenager he had really been before this tragic episode. So she was surely the only one who could see a real difference between his 'natural kindness' and the fact that he truly holds feelings someone else.
Apart from Hanji, Levi was known to keep the same crew for only a few months. Already a good number of his subordinates had succumbed to the combat before his eyes. Then these recruits had arisen from nowhere and had shown themselves more resistant than all the others. There were five of them. Experienced sailors, from various squads, had been chosen by Erwin to support Levi for the most perilous alerts.
Petra Ral, Chorus of Light, was capable of creating high intensity flashes by manipulating the magnetic and electrical fluxes that were in the atmosphere. From contact with its target, it was able to trigger electronic or nervous dysfunctions, or paralysis. Like all the Chorus of Light, from birth some of the five senses were exacerbated. Generally, Level 3 had 2 to 3 senses. A Natural prevalent sense that they were unable to reset to normal and about two that they could control at will. In the case of Petra, her natural gift was that of Touch. She could also multiply her Vision and Smell tenfold.
She smiled as soon as she noticed that he was in the room, sitting on the floor, levitating various weights in the air. Levi began to make these weights gravitate around his head imitating the rotations of the planets of the solar system. She whistled, "Corporal Levi, I see you doing this kind of stuff very often, but every time I'm still shocked ... do you at least have the faintest idea of the time and the training that it would take anybody else to do that?".
A tall blonde followed her closely. His long hair was tied in a low-pony tail that gave him a neglected look, and he was clean shaven. Erd sighed: "It's a frustrating limit frankly. He could be doing crossword puzzles and it would not change a thing. That's how you want me to be motivated to train? It's not like I suddenly became a Level 5!".
Erd Jinn, Wind Chorus. Like all Choruses of this elemental type, he was able to spend a long time without the need to breathe (their lungs self-instinctively provided themselves with oxygen for some time before they needed to expel carbon dioxide). His skin was capable of secreting various gases. Erd could secrete three of them. A laughing gas capable of giving you cutaneous eruptions of laughter, and a soporific gas that induced sleep instantly. He could also control the air flow in nature, the strength of his winds could reach 250 km/h.
The man who had just walked into the room behind Erd, frowned reproachfully. "Erd training may not make you a level 5 or even someone as talented as Levi, but you still have to remember that it is what keeps you alive. An untrained Sentinel is a dead Sentinel!" As Moblit finished the sentence, he raised his eyes in the air with emphasis.
"I know Moblit!", Erd groaned with exasperation.
Moblit Berner, Water Chorus. He could secrete at least three different substances through his skin. A poison, an aphrodisiac and one of the most corrosive acids that Levi has ever seen. Like all Water Choruses, his body temperature was much lower than the average. He was able to control atmospheric moisture and influence the temperature of his environment through a freezing Halo.
Just behind Moblit stood Gunther, an austere man whose facial expressions were completely frozen. Brown hair in a military cut, clean shaven, and with deep gray eyes, he was as stoic of a character as he appeared to be. He came from an old noble family with fairly rigid principles and most of the time Levi wondered if he was not a kind of android. His type of Elemental Chorus probably did not help any in making him look like a human being. He greeted Levi with a brief nod and walked steadily toward the equipment room.
Gunther Schultz, Earth Chorus. He was like rock. Although he shares with other members of the Vegetable type the robustness of their skin and their skeleton, at home, it was pushed to the extreme. One could probably not pierce his skin with a normal weapon or even a revolver bullet. Also his magic Halo was able to trigger localized earthquakes of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale, to form crevasses of several kilometers and manipulate the landforms. Suffice it to say that he was not the type of person with whom we wanted to exchange a few shots for fun.
The last member of their little group finally entered the room and the door closed behind him. He strove to display a harsh air which did not suit him perfectly. His hair, a Venetian blonde, was coiffed exactly in the same manner as Levi. He crossed his arms over his chest and clicked his tongue with theatrically. "Erd, I thought you would have finally understood that our Corporal was operating in a completely different sphere from the commoner of mortals. Although it is in your honor to always aim higher and I admire your thirst for greatness, I must stress how comparing you to him is meaningless. You know the myth of Icarus? It was a ...".
Erd interrupted looking completely blase. "Now Auruo,you know that being a kiss ass will not bring you any payday advance? You're a male and an Alpha, you also have no chance of reaching his stake."
Before Auruo could reply anything, Gunther had smacked the back ff Erd's skull. Levi might have sworn that he had heard his skull crack. "Watch your language, Jinn. You are a disgrace to our rank.", Gunther hissed.
Auruo Bozado, Chorus of Psyche. A Talented Telekinesist. If his character was not somewhat borderline , and his strange obsession for Levi and his talents ... he could have been a nice guy. In the present state of things, Levi preferred not to call him on it, and spent most of his time ignoring it without giving him the impression. A difficult art in which he became a master of over time.
Without anyone paying attention, Hanji had slipped into the room. "I heard the sound of a concussion! It had been at least two years since I have seen head trauma up close!" She rushed over to Erd and seized his face, her eyes shining, a certain amount of steam on her glasses. She trembled with excitement.
"Is your vision troubled? Nausea?",she queried as she bent her head down and dragged Erd down to see the bump in the back of his skull. Erd uttered a cry of pain, more because she must have wrenched a neck muscle than because he had a really bad headache. She leaned in to the spot where Gunther had struck, and this time Erd's cry was much louder. Hanji's breath was short and her cheeks rosy. "Did it hurt you?" There is not a bump yet, but ..."
Levi had calmly stood up and approached them with a firm gait. He was surely the only one capable of saving poor Erd. When the Hanji switch was activated, it was almost impossible to stop it, and pushing this button to the on mode was much too easy. He grabbed both of her hands and pulled her away from her victim. Erd walked away without losing a second and began rubbing his neck, wide-eyed. Hanji turned her head and looked down at Levi. "What are you doing Prince Nain? I'm a doctor! It is my role to look after the wounded!"
"You clearly do not have the same definition of the word 'heal' as the common mortal, Four eyes. You would surely be an excellent doctor if you were not so tiring.", Levi said. Hanji puffed her cheeks and mumbled, "What do you know about medicine? Sometimes it takes a little pain before healing ...".
Levi sighed, "I do not know how much your family paid for your right to practice, but I'm pretty sure that anyone in their normal mental state would quickly realize that they should not give the outcome of life and death to a potential sadist. Hanji, your love kills." Hanji just burst out laughing, as if Levi had just said a good joke. She tended to do that a lot. Especially when he was being serious.
Everyone was more or less accustomed to the fact that she definitely vibrated on another wavelength than the normal human lambda. She was the field doctor of their squad and her work was highly respected in the scientific community. In addition, many were willing to pay the price to be treated or operated on by her. Her success rate was almost 100%. The Levi Squad, however, were the only ones in the whole battalion who much preferred to die in battle, rather than having to spend a moment in the infirmary under her care. When she had the opportunity to treat totally unknown things, and Hanji began to feel the slightest affection for you, she usually could not help but treat you like a laboratory subject and shuddered with delight every time she managed to get you to react to the pain.
But for all her eccentricities, she was absolutely forgiven, because she was a precious Chorus Mix.
Hanji Zoé, Chorus 'Monsoon'. The incredible mix of a Water Chorus and a Wind Chorus. This type of Mix was able to secrete the same substances as the Water Chorus and the Wind Chorus. They may not be able to manipulate the material in their environment, but they were truly mobile pharmacies. The are most excellent doctors, able to synthesize a wide range of medical products with their bodies. This could take the form of a liquid serum, a powder or even a simple gas.
The weights which had gravitated around the head of Levi, and now that of Hanji, in large circles, began suddenly to rise and fall in rhythm. He was thinking of something else. "What are you even doing in the training room Hanji? I thought you were trying to find a new drug to synthesize. You even forgot to remove your glasses."
He took her glasses off her nose and gently wiped the misty lenses with one of the handkerchiefs he kept in his jacket pocket. He could feel the look of his colleagues weighing on them. It was not really to make them uncomfortable, but given Levi's usual attitude with anyone other than Hanji, the squd could not help but see the interactions of the two as a blatant proof of 'love'. Although he did not attach any importance to it, Levi knew what was said about them. But unlike the majority of the Alphas, he had absolutely no family pressure as far as the choice of his partner was concerned. He may have been 26 years old, but no one would impose a wife on him, or push him to start a family.
This was not the case with his colleagues. Auruo and Petra had been married for almost a year. Gunther had been married for two years and was the father of two children. Erd was engaged to an Alpha from another well-known squad. Moblit and Hanji were the only ones who were obviously not in a hurry to stay. In the case of Moblit, it was probably because he was the last sibling of five children, so the Berner's descendants were already far more than insured. But for Hanji, well let's say she was enjoying the fact that she was thought to be almost engaged to Levi and lived her life as she pleased. They used each other to procure royal peace. She could concentrate on her experiences and projects, and he could escape the not at all subtle advances of a slew of suitors. It was an implied and effective arrangement.
Hanji faced him and her amber look lit up with madness, and immediately Levi regretted having asked the question. "I am so glad that you ask me the question! Do you think ...", Hanji began.
"Forget what I said.", Levi interrupted. Suddenly a violet gleam passed through her eyes, then she stood there dazed, her mouth pulled into frown. It was only a second before she rose up with an irritated grunt. "Levi! You dared to do it again!"
Levi rested Hanji's glasses back on her nose and walked away with a leisurely step. Hanji continued to groan, "Stop doing that! You do not have the right to make me forget stuff! What if you left irreparable lesions on my memorial cortex, huh?"
"If only the fact that I tamper with your brain could cure you of your madness, my poor one.", Levi mumbled.
No need to mutter between your teeth! I heard you ! ", hollered Hanji.
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Another mundane day.
Training in the morning. Lunch with his squad and then patrol in the slum that had gradually formed near the town of Trost. As it often happened, the mere sight of the Winged Battalion uniform was enough to crack the most unstable betas, those who already had four of five tasks and whose stress level was enough to swing the other side. Levi had eliminated at least three, which were A.1 and A.1* Water that would have probably succeeded in paralyzing his entire right side if he had not possessed a chorus of Earth and the ability to make his skin impermeable to water.
In general, the role of a Sentinel was not to eliminate Degenerate while in custody. It was more complicated than that. The capture was favored and the Degenerate were detained until they died of starvation. Meanwhile, they could be used as kamikaze soldiers, and as subjects of experiments and a bunch of other handy features. They had absolutely no civil right, and the Order stroked the not so secret desire to one day find a miracle remedy that eradicated the possibility of Chorus corruption and finally put an end to the existence of these monsters.
Levi had gone home around 8p.m., called a restaurant for a takeaway and had every intention of doing absolutely nothing with his evening.
He really loved his work. He loved his routine, and his quiet life gave him a sense of security which he really was not about to give up. His childhood had been a succession of tragedies. Since he was now an adult and he was part of the Winged Battalion, he finally felt able to control his destiny, and to have the strength to live his life the way he wanted. For a time, the stiffness and the systematic aspect of their world had revolted him. He asked a lot of questions about the place of Alphas, their privileges, and their duties. The treatment reserved for Degenerate had also disturbed him a little at first.
He knew that it was KW who made the law. King Kenny was a Herr Dark. Whatever one may say, Levi was almost certain that he was an Alpha Level 5 and thus an A5, but all closed their eyes to this fact and spoke mostly of him as a tyrant. Meanwhile, across the ocean, there was a land where it was the Degenerate who hunted the Pure and treated them like sheep ready for a feast. Proof that monsters lived, in a certain sense, just as perfectly human. For those that gave such importance to the hierarchy and order, when had it been decided that everywhere other than KW, prey become the predator?
Levi let out a long sigh. It was always the same. As soon as he returned from a good day's work, he began to think of completely unnecessary things. It was because of that damn silence. He turned on the TV and began his dinner, throwing vague glances at the evening film. Few Alphas were allowed to do anything other than being a member of Battalion. There were only three. In the Battalion of the Rose, Investigators and police roles was mainly filled with betas. Then the Special Battalion, responsible for internal investigations, regulation and supervision of soldiers from other battalions and the protection of the noble families, were filled with a majority of Alphas and Betas level 3.
A tiny handful of Alphas were permitted to do something else with their lives. Including becoming an artist. As the actor on tv played the role of crazy in love with a Beta who worked as a maid in his large luxurious house, Levi thought how could people like to see this kind of tragic history be mocked in fiction? The reality could be far more cruel. Levi quietly chewed a mouthful of rice, when he thought that he would personally never want to live in such a palace. He felt he would very be out of place.
He was also one of the few Alphas who did not wish to settle in a mansion surrounded by a slew of servants and bodyguards. He had preferred to invest in a building in the center of Stohess. He lived on the top floor in a spectacular loft. A large living room with a whole section that consisted of a bay window and access to a broad balcony, a beautiful enclosed kitchen, a large desk, a bedroom, he had access to the roof where he had arranged a small greenhouse and a relaxation area where he could enjoy the weather in the summer. It was his humble abode. His lone wolf den. Apart from Hanji and Erwin (and Eren, but he did not like thinking about that), absolutely nobody had ever set foot in his den, and he liked it enough to preserve his personal space from any invasion. He finished his meal and had to head for the bathroom when the doorbell rang. He froze.
As he said, no one ever came to visit him. The building was very secure and had separate residents (all rich), so there was very little traffic in the hallways. He had no idea as to the identity of this impromptu guest. He walked to the door and looked at the screen of his intercom. She was a woman of about thirty years. He could not detail her face as well as he would have liked, because of the view plunged against the camera, but he could see by her attire that she was probably a lawyer or a secretary. She wore a black suit and her brown hair was in a tight bun. Her brown hair gave him a slight feeling of familiarity.
Was it a new neighbor? Levi left the task of hand picking the people allowed to rent an apartment in this building. to those who were responsible for looking after his property. He rubbed the back of the head, trying to remember if he had done something to motivate the visit of a neighbor. It rang again, this time leaving her fingers firmly pressed on the doorbell. Astonished by such behavior, Levi frowned. What did she want? Why was she putting her filthy paws on his doorbell. His Alpha aura inflated to the maximum to look intimidating and gave glimpse of how she came to get on his nerves, he opened the door with a sudden gesture and groaned. "What's the problem? You can't even fucking wait thirty fucking seconds?"
Levi stopped scolding when his eyes met the unknown.
There, in his eyes, a violet glow impossible to miss.
It startled him and he increased the strength of his skin reflexively to catch an attack. The woman did not move, she was content to slowly remove her finger from the bell. She had a perfectly neutral air, as if asleep. He was amazed when he realized that she was a target under the influence of a Mindcontroler, and judging by the complete lack of awareness of this woman, they were really good. As she still did not move, Levi looked down.
There, hanging from her hand, was a little girl.
He frowned, prohibitively. She had inky black hair, cut in an irregular square, wore a pale pink dress, a nice white coat and a wide crimson red scarf around her neck. The scarf was too large and half of her face was hidden. She had slightly hooded eyes and a deeply annoyed air plastered on her features. With fine lines, and whitish skin, she could have been lovely, especially with the way she clutched her stuffed bag, and a white rabbit, tight against her chest, were it not for her cantankerous air. She looked up at him. In her eyes of a steel blue danced a green glow, almost undetectable if one was not paying attention.
Levi stood in a perfectly frozen stupor.
The girl slowly turned her head to the woman that she was holding hands with, and separated herself. The poor neighbor hostage shivered and Levi clearly felt a vibration in the air. In a soft voice, the slender child suddenly declared, "Thank you ma'am. You can now go home and forget that you saw me." The woman shook under the impact of magic that attacked her mind and she nodded slowly and said, "Good evening Mr. and sorry for the inconvenience." Now that the control exercised by the child had lessened, she gradually found independent reflexes. The woman had to be very polite by nature, which is why she considered it important to greet Levi before she left them. From the corner of his eye he saw her call the elevator and enter it.
Levi turned all his attention to the girl in front of him. She was staring at him, her stuffed rabbit tight in both hands. Levi took at least five minutes before finding a word to pronounce, and in all that time, the child had only observed in silence, as if waiting for a reaction from him. Perhaps as dazed as the last poor victim of this chorus girl had been, he heard himself ask, "What is this mess?". She just opened her plush bag and pulled out a large book. Inside, there were pages that a few words were scribbled. Levi had no time to read them before she turns to the end, where a kind of flap played the role of pouch.
Some documents were carefully stored in this last part.
The small girl crouched and was squinting with the effort as she apparently tried to read the document in front of him. This whole situation made absolutely no sense. Levi was probably experiencing the strangest dream of his life. She seemed to suddenly turn her attention to the color of the small post-it that had been stuck in a corner of the page. She asked, in a tone a little embarrassed, "Is this yellow?". She visibly hesitated, as if she was ashamed of not having properly done her homework as she should. Despite himself, Levi found himself answering, "Yes ..."
She seemed quite surprised and satisfied. She grabbed the paper, closed the flap diligently then the notebook and put it away carefully in her bag.
Lastly, she handed the sheet to Levi.
He seized it, not quite sure what he would find there. But before he reads it, she explained, "Mom said it was an emergency and that I had to come. The villains are surely already searching the house." Levi parted lips and then incredulously asked, "why the hell did your mother ask you to come to me in an emergency?" She gave a theatrical sigh and shook her backpack against her leg. When she looked up at him, her eyes shone with a strange light, almost hopeful. Finally, she replied, "Because you're my dad, and you're strong. Here, I would be safe."
Levi felt a weight drop him in the stomach. The words she had uttered were repeated in a loop in his mind.
"Because you're my dad. "
