Eren was staying by my side. I would never tell him, but that's where I wanted him to be. I tried to fight like my wounded shoulder didn't mean anything, but I couldn't keep it up. I only had a few blades left, and there were still so many titans. I chanced a quick glance at Eren. He was slower than before, but he was definitely alive and well. I hoped that he wouldn't exhaust himself to the point where he would lose control.
I could feel my own muscles screaming every time I jumped now, but I had to keep going. Eight of the king-type titans were down now. Mikasa was fighting with the same determined look on her face. I had seen her replacing the gas for her 3D maneuvering gear only a short while ago, and she was strong. I was sure Mikasa would pull through. The other titan-shifters were also looking worse for the wear. Bertholdt and Reiner were back to back, and Annie was not too far away from them.
Every so often, I caught a glimpse of Ymir weaving between the taller titan's legs and taking them down. Everyone was nearing their limits. We had to finish this soon. Hanji had as much energy as ever, or so it seemed, but even she couldn't last forever. Erwin was slowing down, too. Nine king-type titans killed. And then there were only two left.
Erwin was lunging at one of them. A nearby deviant titan who was still standing made a grab for him. In dodging the deviant, Erwin was caught by the king-type titan. No. It couldn't be. I could try to make it, but I wouldn't be there in time. I watched in horror as I saw Commander Erwin's body split in half, his face contorted with unfathomable pain. It couldn't be.
I was frozen. Usually, a soldier's death was a soldier's death. But this was the death of our commander that had lead us so far. He had guided us strongly, and been there with us in the toughest of times.
I was still screaming "No!" when I was shaken awake.
"Levi? Levi?" It was nurse Erwin.
I flinched away when I saw his face. I was expecting blood and gore, but he was fine.
"Erwin?" I asked. I was still trying to make sense of everything: the dream, the world, the memories.
"I'm here, Levi. It's alright."
His voice was soothing, and I settled down again. Everything's alright. I echoed to myself. Everyone's going to be okay. Even as I closed my eyes, I had an intense longing to run through the hospital and find Eren to make sure he was okay. But I remembered that I had sworn to myself to distance myself from him. He's fine. He has Mikasa. I reminded myself. But, hadn't I thought that before? Before? But when?
Erwin left me after a couple minutes. He told me to call him if I needed anything. But I just ignored him and pretended to be going back to sleep as he shut the door. But I couldn't sleep. Not just yet, anyhow. Memories of Erwin's bloody end were fresh in my mind, and I had a huge sense of foreboding for what would happen next in my dreams. I couldn't place it, though, and it was annoying the shit out of me.
I was frozen still when I heard the titan's howl behind me. I turned just in time to jump out of the way. Eren was fighting hand-to-hand with a deviant-type titan. This deviant had six arms, and Eren didn't really stand a chance, not when the titan was refreshed and Eren was worn out from endless hours of battle. I jumped forward. I had just seen the commander die. I wouldn't watch Eren die as well, not if I could help it.
The deviant nearly grabbed me with one of his four free arms, but I was too quick. A sharp spike of pain shot through my shoulder, it didn't bode well for me. I leapt forward anyway. If I were to die now, at least I would go down fighting. I chanced a brief glance back at the green-eyed titan. I would go down with Eren near me. With a small smile on my face, I hurtled towards the deviant titan's neck. The blood splattered everywhere.
I fell off of the titan's neck. I was falling too fast to reattach with my 3D maneuvering gear. It didn't work to desperately grasp at the titan as I fell. Air rushed in my ears. So this is how I'm going to die. I thought. And then I felt a hand close around me. It was a titan. Surely, I couldn't survive now. I closed my eyes as if to welcome death.
"Good bye, Eren." I murmured.
But the hand around me didn't squeeze. I was carried for a while. I didn't know how long, but I could feel the heavy footsteps of the titan carrying me. After a bit, I was set down. I was near enough to the main fight to see what was going on, but there were no alive titans anywhere close to me. I looked up to see my savior. It was Eren, who was now walking heavily back towards the mess.
I tried to get up to walk after him, but my shoulder complained strongly. I fell to my knees. When had I grown so weak? The one thing I wanted to protect was walking away from me right into danger's outstretched arms. I tried to shout after him.
"Eren! Eren!"
But he didn't turn back. He was determined, after all. He would be okay. He had to be okay. I lifted myself slowly to my feet. I wanted to get closer. I had to watch over him, and I was too far away. My progress was painfully slow and I stumbled often. I saw a small shape soar over to him to land on his shoulder. It was Mikasa. I breathed the smallest sigh of relief. He would be okay.
But he wasn't. The fatigue was evident even from the distance I was away. His movements were sluggish. Even Mikasa was looking beaten down. Her usually perfectly graceful movements were more halting and inaccurate. I still believed in them. There was only one king-type titan left. I turned my head to the left slightly. Reiner had lost Bertholdt to the second to last king-type titan, and I couldn't see Annie anywhere either.
I tried to quicken my pace. I wanted to be by Eren. I could at least provide some distraction to a titan if Eren was being targeted. I looked up again. The last king-type titan was swaying, a small shape I knew to be Mikasa was soaring around him. And it happened too fast for me to see. But there was a fountain of blood that reddened the air, and the king-type fell. And Mikasa landed somewhere off to the side, but it didn't matter.
No. It couldn't be. No. Not after all this. No. No. No! My mind was screaming. I rushed forward. The pain in my shoulder and everywhere else had disappeared because I had to run forward. It took too long to get to his side. No. It wasn't true. No. I stumbled forward. No. I was slipping in blood.
"Eren!" I called out.
"Eren!" And my voice was cracking.
"Eren!"
And the nape of the neck was open. Oh god. It was ripped open. Fuck. Where was he? Blood was everywhere. Where was he? The panic in my chest was hardly being contained. Where could he have gone? And then I saw him. He was in the outstretched hand of the king-type titan. And I understood what had happened. At the last moment, the king-type titan had ripped Eren from his titan's body and Mikasa had cut the king down.
Eren was lying still, but he couldn't be… No. He was alive. He had to be alive. But as I got closer, the whole in my chest seemed to be expanding. No. I found myself screaming his name. He didn't move. Oh god. He wasn't moving. But his eyes flickered open, the most beautiful eyes on the planet. He stared at me.
"Levi." He said my name. He said it so quietly that I almost couldn't hear him, but I did.
"Eren." I responded as I rushed over to his side.
The titan's fingers were gripped around his waist and his legs. And then I saw the blood oozing out from between the gaps in the titan's fingers. And I saw the pain in Eren's face. And I saw, oh god, that it was hopeless. Even he couldn't regenerate that fast.
"Eren." I knelt down and put my good hand to his face.
His pained face relaxed the slightest bit into a smile. He moved his own hand to cover mine.
"Stay with me." His voice was low and rough, and I could tell it was hard for him to talk. "Stay with me until I die."
He implored me with his eyes. I couldn't have turned him down even if I wanted to, but I didn't want to.
"You can't die." I said it, though I knew I couldn't stop it from happening. But he couldn't die. He just couldn't, because that would mean the world would end, wouldn't it? And I was scared to hear how fractured my own voice sounded.
And the physical pain from my own injuries was coming back to me now. How had I even made it all this way over to his side? But it didn't matter, because he was here.
"You can't die." I repeated. My voice was weaker.
"I'm sorry, Levi." He breathed. The sound was dangerously quiet, but his face looked relaxed.
His smile had the emotion of sadness so beautifully worked in. And my heart was breaking. Because this couldn't happen.
And I could hear myself screaming, but it didn't matter. Because nothing mattered anymore. Because Eren was gone.
