Hi guys. Again sorry for the delay. I'll try to be more regular in my updates. Again sorry.

Hope you enjoy this anyways!

"There." I said, holding up Ymir's uniform vest, having just finished sewing the SpyBug in the lining just above the chest. "I'm finally done. All four vests are equipped."

Ymir grabbed her vest and put it on. I stood up and looked at my friends all geared up. It was about time. We were finally going to hear about the Commander's plan. All five of us were silent. I geared up, making sure my not yet healed wounds were protected. I attached my holster to my leg. Thanks to Jean and Nanaba I'd gotten used to holding it properly and I was not a terrible shot. The firearm would be my best weapon. My self-defense was better than before but still crappy, and no way good enough for me to hold my own against one of the 'lucid' titans. It might help to avoid the mindless monsters though. Once done, I turned to face my friends. All of them were giving me serious faces and I could almost see drops of sweat forming on their foreheads. I took a deep breath.

"Last chance to back down you guys." I offered.

None of them answered but all threw me a reproachful and determined look screaming 'no way in hell.'

I sighed, but I didn't know if it was out of disappointment or relief. "Remember. We can't fail. This mission of ours is just as important as the Scout's, but they go hand in hand. Marco, did you get everything you need?"

"Yep. I've gathered everything. I'm good."

"Do you need me to help you go over the tech work?"

"Nope. My brilliant mind's got everything memorized. And when have you ever had to explain things to me twice? I am genius too, remember?" His smile was goofy as usual, but the nervousness was visible as well.

I smiled awkwardly back. "Yeah you are."

Jean put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "You okay there?"

"I'm fine." He still smiled but looked at the ground. His shaking suddenly became visible. He grabbed his arm to try and settle himself. "I'll be sitting behind a computer. You guys are gonna be the ones on the battlefield facing monsters."

He was scared. For the first time in my life, I saw a scared Marco. All of them were scared and so was I. But Marco... he was the only one who was scared for someone else. He was going to be guiding us during the mission along with Erwin, Armin and a few other Scouts. If he gave one wrong direction or order, it could spell disaster for those on the battlefield. But no one was more qualified than this trio. They wouldn't let us down, I knew that much. But saying that to Marco was useless. He knew it very well and that didn't help relieve the pressure. So I did the only thing I thought was appropriate and hugged him as tight as I could, trying to choke the shaking away.

"I'll never regret having entrusted my life to you, Sherlock." I whispered so that only he would hear. His body seemed to relax and he hugged me back.

"Yeah, well... Don't go dying on me." He answered.

We separated and I faced everyone else. "I'll say it one more time you guys. Your priority is still survival. If everything goes out of hands... run for it."

They looked at each other with surprised faces before frowning at me. "As if, dummy!" Said Ymir.

"Yeah, who's gonna help you rescue Tim, Amanda, Mira and Alec if you're the only one left, stupid?" Added Jean.

"Put yourself in our place a little!" Reproached Krista. "You've never backed down on us, why would we? Besides, now we have a chance to pay you back?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Pay me back? For what? Dragging you guys in my problems?"

"Pff. Please, as if we need you to get in trouble." Snickered Jean.

"You saved us Petra. Without you, we'd never be where we are today."

"Thousands of feet underground, working for a secret organization set on annihilating monsters?" I said, still not getting her point.

"Woah. And here I thought you were a genius." Said Jean. "She means you're the one that brought us together."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Declared Ymir. "Without you, I'd never have gotten cleaned and I'd probably be dead of an overdose by now. Or in jail."

"I'd still be stuck in the Castle, taking my step-mom's abuse quietly." Said Krista.

Jean rubbed the back of his head. "I'd still be a bully picking on weirdoes at school."

"I'd never have met my best friend." Said Marco, throwing his arm around Jean's shoulders. "And I'd probably still be a shut in. So yeah, we definitely owe you."

"No debts between friends you guys." I said. "I'm glad I can count on you."

Honestly, what would I do without these guys. Krista looked at her watch. "We should go."

We all nodded before exiting our small stone house for the last time and headed towards the meeting point, near the Sanctuary's entrance. Almost all the Scouts were gathered aside from the wounded ones and the three in charge. All of them were quiet, but their bloodlust was so thick you could almost taste it in the air. It sort of made me feel sick. It was hard to believe that teens could feel as much angst as soldiers about to engage their enemies in a decisive battle. But that's exactly what was going to happen. Their revenge was close, very close and they were restless. But not in the same way we were. They were out to kill. We were out to save. While we waited I thought of my family. Where were they right now? Were they even together? Alec and Myra must be terrified. What was Amanda's reaction when she saw 'Levi' kidnap her and her kids? My train of thought was interrupted when the Commander, the Captain and the Head of the Science Branch of the Scouts approached. Erwin put a bunch of papers on the wooden table and looked at us.

"Everyone listen up. The day we've waited for is finally here." I felt a chill travelling down my spine as all the angels around me tensed up, and from my friends' faces, I knew they felt it too. "When our next mission ends, everything will be over. So I need all your focus on us for now."

Everyone looked at the Commander without blinking. No way were they missing a word of what he was about to say. Hanji took a step forward and spoke. "Here is what we know so far : Dok and Woerman as well as their science project are hiding in the undergrounds of the Castle near the Garage. And now, thanks to Krista and Erwin, we know that they've been posing as merchants and are frequently inside the Castle. This is what they look like now."

My eyebrows shot up at the knowledge of that fact. Krista gave us an apologetic smile, probably feeling bad about having forgotten to tell us. Hanji pulled up two large format pictures of two man. One with brown hair, a beard and an expression that would make anyone think he was out of a zombie movie. The other, shorter, black hair and the eyes of a snake. I clenched my fist as I tried to remember the sound of their voices. But my meditating suddenly got interrupted by a suddenly unsettling atmosphere that made goosebumps appear all over my body. I barely dared to turn around. It reeked of bloodlust and murder intent. The expression on the angels faces was full of hate. It screamed vengeance. Some of them even had their claws and fangs out. For the first time, these guys were scaring the hell out of me. Almost like Levi did at first. My chest tightened and every muscle in my body flexed to the point that it was painful and my teeth started chattering. It was like being surrounded by a pack of starving animals...

CRASH!

The tensed atmosphere suddenly disappeared and everyone turned to where the sound of shattering earth had come from. Levi had been leaning, arms crossed, against the wall of the one of the stone houses since the beginning. The only thing that had moved was his arm, now extended, with is fist stuck to the wall. He'd punched it. And huge cracks were more than visible on it now. My mouth hung open. I knew angels were strong, but not that strong. Levi looked up. His eyes were throwing lightening and daggers at the group of young angels who now looked terrified as well as frozen. Even Erwin and Hanji seemed petrified. A deadly aura filled the room, a thousand times stronger than the bloodlust emitting from the Scouts a few seconds ago. This one was a pure pressure born from a deep anger. But there was no hate in there. Only that anger.

"You damn brats..." He said with his deep and threatening voice that could make any beast back down. "What. The fuck. Did we say. Three seconds ago. About focus! What the hell are you? Animals? I didn't waste three years of my life raising savage beasts. You disgust me! Every single one of you! More than science freaks, my ass. I feel like I'm dealing with Titans right now."

That was a first. I never thought Levi would ever put them down like this after everything they'd been through together. But there he was. Angry and disappointed. But I knew why. No way in hell was he going to let them loose on the field with nothing in the head aside from the crippling thought of revenge. And it was working. All of the younger angels had retracted claws and fangs, and were looking in every direction expect in their Captain's eyes. He took a couple of irritated breaths before speaking again.

"There are only two of them, so don't think you'll get dibs. The bastards are mine. You take care of your share of the mission. If any of you so much as think to act independently, I will personally send you to hell. Is that clear enough?"

All remained silent, which only served to irritate the Captain more. "I asked a question."

"Yes, sir." They all replied instantly.

"Why should it be you?" Muttered Eren, but loud enough so that everyone could hear.

"You said something Jeager?"

The Titan frowned at the angel. "We're just as much victims as you are? Why do you arbitrarily decide that you'll be the one to do it?"

"Eren." Said Mikasa with a worried voice, clearly warning him.

"Shut up Mikasa! I want an explanation. If you're not willing to give us even that, then you're just as selfish as he is."

The angel Captain threw him a murderous look, but replied calmly. "You want a clear answer? Those sons of bitches are going to be hiding behind Lucifer. None of you are strong enough to take him on. You feel like you can take him on, brat?"

Eren was taken aback and didn't reply seeing the shorter man's point. "Thought so. Now unless someone else wants to waste our time, all of you focus and keep that bloodlust in check. I meant what I said about breaking your legs."

A long silence fell in the cave, and Erwin waited for all of that to sink in before continuing. "Let's move on. We also know that at least part of the military force is involved. That means that when we get on the ground, any soldier wearing a standard uniform could be an enemy. Our objectives are simple. Destroy the labs, and get rid of the Titans. Most of you will be dispatched in groups to deal with the Titans. Do what you must to protect yourselves. However... killing humans is absolutely forbidden unless there is no other way for you to survive. But if the Black Ops Squad intervenes, don't resist arrest."

Connie raised his hand. "Excuse me, Commander. Isn't there a risk that the soldier's of the Castle's protective Force pretend to be Black Ops?"

"I can answer that." Said Jean. "Black Ops have different uniforms, black with red stripes on the left sleeve. They only intervene when called in. Also their weapons are inaccessible to regular forces."

"Thank you Jean. We'll have a team of Navigators, guiding everyone else throughout the entire mission. That team will be composed of Armin, Nicolas, Marco and Myself. All of us will be working from a truck parked outside the Castle. Petra." He called out.

"Yes?"

"Would you be able to hack into the Castle's security system and give us access?"

"No. I'd need to know it's exact set up and equipment, as well as their protective programs."

Erwin grabbed a sheet of paper offered it to me. "Will this help?"

I left the group and to go grab the sheet and looked through it quickly. My eyes widened. This thing was complete recap of the entire security system. "Holy hell, Krista." I said to my friend looking at her. "Who's boots did you have to lick to get these? This is national security issue!"

Again she smiled awkwardly. "Let's just say I have a really clever big sister. Freida and I left the original there. This is just a copy."

"Well, the security can't really be accessed unless those virtuel shields are taken down. I'll have to do that from the inside, by getting to the control room that watches over the Garage and underground floors." I looked at the sheet and squeezed in my hands. "Is everything alright, Petra?" Asked Hanji.

"Yeah. It's just... this probably came from Tim's office."

Erwin fake coughed and continued. "The rest of you are divided as usual. Team leaders are the Lieutenants : Eld, Gunther, Oluo and Hanji. Hanji's squad, you'll find the labs and take care of recovering every valuable information from them."

"Any ongoing project will be neutralized." Clarified the Head of the Science Branch. No more Titans. That was clear.

Samuel raised his hand. "What about the three like Eren? What do we do about them?"

Levi answered this time. "If they get in the way, don't hesitate. They're Lucifer's dogs."

"Eld and Gunther's teams will be in charge of dealing with the Titans." Continued Erwin. "Oluo's squad will be in charge of lookout for any exterior threat we might have not anticipated. Eren will be with Hanji's team"

"And finally, the last team in charge of finding Dok and Woerman, will be composed of Captain Levi, Petra, Connie, Thomas, Sasha and Mike."

Hanji took some small leather cases and placed them on the table. "Petra, Krista, Jean and Ymir. These are for you. Each contains six syringes. If you get bitten by a positive, be sure to inject it right away where the wound is. It'll neutralize the Spider-virus."

"We leave here in twenty-four hours. Until then, I suggest you get some rest. We've managed to get our hands on some blood bags, all of you will get a dose before leaving."

Erwin paused and observed the young angels in front of him. Ever since Levi's recall to order, none of them had let their personal feelings show and were listening intently. But the Commander was not stupid. He knew those feelings were there, buried deep inside every heart, and that they would not leave until that final mission was completed. The death of their tormentors will bring them peace and without dirtying their hands. Levi had made that clear : he would take all the darkness and disappear with it. And that is what I was going to prevent. Erwin spoke again.

"Those past three years have been difficult for all of us. And I want to say that, I admire all of you for sticking with us even though so much has been taken from you already. Tomorrow, we put an end to your struggles. So keep fighting until the very end, soldiers. Your story deserves a good ending."

In a single movement and without any warning, all the angels in the room banged their fists on their hearts. Us five normals didn't move, a little dumbfounded. Now that I thought about it, Erwin really was the perfect men for the job. Unlike Levi, he knew how to talk to people. Levi was good at giving orders and reacting fast depending on the situation, but I was sure it would have been much harder without the Commander around to help. And with this, he dismissed us.

External POV

"Are you sure there's no other way?" Asked Timothy Kiler.

"I don't see why you're hesitating, Mr Kiler." Replied the copy-cat. "You want to unite your family again don't you? Do what you're told and I'll bring your lovely wife and children back to you. It's also the best way to get Petra back without having her confront our Titans, or myself." He chuckled. "Well, she already has."

Timothy felt his shoulders stiffen. He knew Petra was still alive and that she'd gone back with the Scouts. But while she'd been their captive, who knows what could've happened? "What did you do to her?"

"Don't look so worried. I only had a talk with her... and a little drink." Said the clone licking his lips. "She's delicious."

"You bastard..." Muttered the older man, clenching his fists.

"In any case, do those little favors for me, and I will free you and your family from Dok, Woerman and any ties you have to this unfortunate affair. You'll be able to go back to your old life as if nothing happened."

"You really think I'm stupid enough to believe that?" Coldly snapped Timothy.

"First, I'm not interested in Woerman and Dok's revolution. It's a silly concept, from childish minds. It will bring nothing but disaster. Second, you don't really have a choice in the matter, so I suggest you save your breath and do what I tell you. Remember I can still change my mind."

Petra's POV

POW! POW! POW!

Each of the bullets I fired hit the target near the center. Turned out I wasn't bad at that, maybe because my aim was well trained because of archery and knife throwing. In any case, Levi was right as usual (unfortunately). It was much easier and faster to learn how to shoot straight than become a expert in combat in a week. But it was probably going to get much harder with moving targets. I charged my gun again and fired some more. I had gotten used to the weight of the guns we had as well as the kickback of the shot. I hit myself in the chin the first time because of it. Jean spent a lot of time explaining things to me and he was the best so, I definitely had a good teacher.

"You mind saving some bullets for the actual mission?" Said a voice behind me. Although, at this point I was done with people sneaking up on me. I lowered my gun and turned around.

"Yeah, I should." I replied. "Can I help you, Captain?"

Levi walked closer. "That's unusual."

"What is?"

"You calling me Captain when we're alone."

The remark made my cheeks heat up a little. It was not intentional at all. Why did I call him Captain? "Is it weird?"

"Coming from you, a little."

He extended a hand and I gave him the gun. He emptied it of the four remaining bullets in the target next to mind. All hit the center. He handed it back to me. "I thought you said 'save bullets. Must be something wrong with my ears."

"That wouldn't be the first time."

"Quit being a jerk. Did you come here to show off or did you want something?"

"We have to talk. And I need a favor."

My eyes widened. "You need a favor from me? Now that is weird."

He ignored my reaction and continued. "There's something we didn't tell you. The morphochlorine in your system has a purpose. If you get bitten by a positive, you'll become one of us. No not even one of us. A titan."

I froze for a second. I felt the anger rise from the bottom of my stomach. Why the hell didn't they tell me sooner? What was wrong with them holding back information as important as this? But the anger vanished as quickly as it had a appeared. I sighed. "You held back the information on purpose so I'd get cold feet for the mission didn't you? If you don't want me to go that badly, wouldn't it be easier to just knock me out?"

I mentally slapped myself. Why the hell did I just suggest that? But once again the angel Captain seemed to ignore my comment. He just stared at me, as if he was really focused. It was unsettling. I felt like he could see right through me. Did he suspect something about our betrayal, if it was the case I was doomed.

"Hum, didn't you say you wanted a favor?" I asked, looking for a distraction.

"Yeah, I need your blood."

Again I froze and tensed up. "Why? I-I thought Erwin said he managed to obtain blood bags..." I unconsciously took a step back. What was going on?

"One for everyone who's participating in the raid. But Jeager and Sasha need extra just in case, so I gave mine to the Titan brat."

"What will you do if I say no?"

"I'll ask someone from your weirdo crew."

"What if they say no?"

"If I can't get it here, I'll go outside." He replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

My eyes widened in shock. "You're gonna bite some random person walking in the street? Like a stray?! Are you crazy?"

He sighed. "Look kid. Wether you like it or not, I'm a key player in this raid. I need energy. There are over fifty brats who have waited thirteen years to get their lives back. I'm not gonna risk victory for a pint of blood. Should I take that as a no?"

Damn this guy for playing the guilt card with me. And damn that side of me that supported him because he was right about needing energy. 'I guess being self-supplied for three years has it's secondary effects on personality as well.'

"I didn't say I wasn't going to give it to you." 'Wow Petra. Couldn't have found a more indirect way to say okay.' I thought, finding myself pathetic.

Levi took a step closer and pulled my sleeve up. I still had the bite mark from the last time he bit me. I rubbed it with my thumb. That one time, I was the one who offered, so why was I feeling reluctant now. It was so awkward to have him ask. The angel pulled me out of my contemplation by grabbing my wrist. I looked at the ground and clenched my teeth for the pain.

"Don't you want to sit?" Asked the angel.

"Hum, no. It's fine really. Just hurry up."

He brought his face closer and sunk his fangs in my flesh. Again I tensed up and every muscle in my body stiffened. The cold sensation traveled down my spine and made goosebumps appear all over.. But this was the first time I was being bitten while standing up and I quickly understood why he had asked me to sit. My legs were shaking so much that I quickly lost balance. One clumsy step made my knees give in. But instead of hitting the ground, Levi's free arm snaked around my waist keeping me from falling down.

"I warned you." He said, blood still dripping from his mouth.

"Shut up." I muttered. "How did you know I was gonna fall?"

"Last time I drank from you, you were shaking like a leaf. I doubt you had the time to get used to having a monster sink his fangs in your skin."

"Don't blame me if I never do." I muttered.

He knelt down on one knee and set me on the ground, before biting me again. Attempting to forget the stabbing pain in my veins, I glanced at the angel. This time his eyes were closed and he was drinking quickly. In a couple of hours, I'd become his enemy and he'd probably try to kill me. The thought made me sigh. I didn't like it, but I'd brainstormed on it over and over again. It was the only option. And I was not getting cold feet now.

"Hey Levi?"

He pulled away and wiped the blood off his mouth. "What is it?"

"There's something I didn't think about before. And I don't know if it's really useful... but when I was kidnapped by Lucifer, I was blindfolded but Dok and Woerman were there. And they didn't get along at all with him. It felt like they were threatening him..."

The angel Captain stayed quiet for a little while. "These bastard wanted to clone me because they couldn't get me to work for them. If Lucifer refused their offer as well, then they're probably blackmailing him somehow."

"Is that info of any use to us?"

"Depends. He could turn on Dok and Woerman at some point. But we can't count on it." He stood up and offered me a hand which I took. He pulled me to my feet and looked at me. "Please tell me you weren't hoping to get him on our side?"

"You're joking right? That guy kidnapped my family and is blackmailing my father into working for these guys. No, I was just thinking it might be good for us if there was bad blood between them."

"You're not as stupid as you look kid."

"Gee thanks." I growled, annoyed.

Levi brought my hand up to his face and licked the bite mark. Again, my cheeks heat up. 'I'm never getting used to that either.' I told myself. He then let go.

"Thanks for the meal kid. And no more wasting bullets and energy. Go get some sleep." He started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside."

"Wait a minute, didn't I give you enough..."

"I'm not hunting dummy. I'm going to see someone."

See people from the outside? That could only mean one thing. "You're going to the Three Roses." He didn't reply and kept walking. I suppose it was only natural to want to see your friends one last time before participating in a raid that could get you killed. Like saying goodbye to your family. I went to the showers to wash my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. 24 hours? I wouldn't be able to sleep before some time. And I wasn't aloud to train anymore. If I could have it my way. I'd probably go walk in a park or get a warm drink somewhere. Winter was definitely here. There was one thing I did know, I didn't want to be alone. I'd think too much about everything and I didn't want that. Without really knowing what I was doing, I put my jacket back on and ran full speed towards the exit of the Sanctuary, that the angel Captain was about to leave.

"LEVI! Wait!" He stopped and turned around. "Can I come with you? I want to see the sun. It's been a while...Please?" I added before he could refuse.

"Stay close."

I held back a victory cry and followed the Captain outside. It was almost five o'clock, so the sun wasn't up yet. Both of us walked through almost empty streets, quietly. We weren't lacking oxygen in the Sanctuary, but the fresh winter air was great. Levi didn't say a word. He wasn't the one to start casual conversations, but this silence was different. I didn't want to interrupt it. So we stayed quiet, walking side by side. As we approached the bar, light snow started falling. I looked up at the sky. It was hard to believe that all hell was going to break loose in less than a day. We finally reached the Three Roses and Levi pushed the door open. I stopped.

"If you want to be alone with them, I can wait outside." I offered, suddenly feeling like a crasher.

"You wanna freeze your ass off? Don't be stupid, get in." It was empty, expect for a blond man who seemed to be sleeping on the counter.

"Hannes!" Snapped Levi, which made me jump a little.

"I'M AWAKE HONEY! Oh, Levi? Well isn't that a surprise. Having you here in the short space of three weeks is something."

"You forgot to lock the door again, old man."

The man with red cheeks (probably du to alcohol) rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Lucky it was you who caught me. Oh, well if it isn't the little miss from last time. I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes, thank you." I replied.

"This lazy drunk is Hannes. He helped out the night I brought you here. He's the bar co-owner with Farlan. Speaking of which, can you wake them up for me?"

"Sure thing." Said the man standing up. "Make yourself at home, but you don't need me telling you that."

Levi took off his jacket and reached under the counter to grab a glass and a bottle. He poured himself a drink. "Don't just stand there, kid. Have a seat."

I did as I was told. I hadn't really taken the time to notice the last time I was here but... this place was very hospitable. Maybe that was the vibe I got from Farlan and Isabel. I was happy that Levi was drawn to this place. It made his darkness vanish for a little while. I stared at him downing his third shot.

"Are you sure you should be drinking at this hour?"

"Mind your own business."

"It is my business. I'm not dragging you back drunk to HQ."

"I can't get drunk." He replied. "Haven't been able to in three years."

"Then why do you drink?" I asked. He made no sense at all.

"It keeps me from thinking."

I sighed. "Then I need a glass of that."

To my big surprise, Levi poured another glass and handed it to me. I looked at him raising an eyebrow but he didn't move. So I grabbed the shot. Looked like I was about to commit my second crime. First hacking, now underaged drinking. What could go wrong? I poured half the glass in my mouth and swallowed... only to spit out most off it. The liquid was burning my throat horribly. I coughed so loudly I was practically choking, and tears escaped my eyes.

"Oh my god, that's disgusting..." I said with a choked voice.

A half smile appeared at the corner of the angel's lips. "Hmpf, idiot." He said grabbing the glass from my hand and finishing it. I suddenly forgot about the burn in my throat.

"Did you just laugh?" I asked.

"Quit staring. It's creepy."

BAM! The back door flew open and Isabelle, with messy bed hair and wearing sports pants and a sweatshirt. She looked ultra happy, just like last time but multiplied by a hundred. "Big brother Levi!" She ran towards us and hugged the angel as hard as she could. "I didn't know you'd drop by again so soon! You even brought Petra again. How are you sweetie?"

"Good. Thank you."

She made a face. "What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick?"

"I drank a little."

The short woman frowned and hit Levi behind the head. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Levi." She went in the behind the counter and came back with a glass of water for me, which I drank right away. It soothed my burning throat.

"I swear, even if it's cold now, it's not good to teach kids to drink to warm up." Ranted the red head, glaring at her 'big brother.' "I'm not even sure I should let you drink. I was really worried about you two. Last time you left completely panicked. And you never panic Levi. I hope whatever was troubling you ended well."

Neither of us replied and the number nineteen came to invade my mind again. I looked at the ground, unable to verbalize what I was thinking. Levi wasn't looking at his friend either. It didn't take long for the short woman to understand. She threw one arm around my neck and the other around Levi's and hugged us tightly.

"At least you two are fine. And don't you dare doubt that's a good thing."

She held us for a little while without either of us complaining, which was surprising considering Levi's personality. She let us go when Farlan entered the room carrying a plate full of waffles in one hand, and a tray full of little things to eat on the other. "You being here twice in the space of a couple weeks, that's cause for celebration." Said the man smiling, as he set the food down on the counter.

Hannes then entered the room carrying a bunch of bottles. "Well December's here, we might as well get warm the old fashion way! Well, at least for those of us who are old enough."

The angel rolled his eyes. "Tch. Damn old man, you just want an excuse to keep drinking."

I looked up. "We're already in December?" I'd completely lost interest in the calendar due to everything that's been going on. I suppose the Scouts didn't really care either.

"Yep. December 11th to be exact." Said Isabelle.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, I completely lost track of the date... I turned eighteen five days ago."

"Well, that's even more cause for celebration." Said Isabelle.

We stayed an hour and a half with them, drinking and eating while all of them talked about the old days with Levi. I was mostly there as a spectator, except when Isabelle would ask me question about my relationship with the Captain. It was nice to see Levi in this kind of crowd. So different from the Scouts, that could chase his darkness for a little while. Levi then said we had to go if we wanted to get any sleep before the mission. The sun was about to rise as well. Hannes was dead drunk on the counter, and Isabelle and Farlan walked us to the door. They looked serious compared to a few minutes ago. I could tell they knew why Levi was here.

"Well, be sure to drop by next month." Said the man, forcing himself to smile. "I'll have a bottle ready for you."

"And bring Petra too. I won't let you in if you don't." Threatened Isabelle who was fighting to keep the tears in.

Levi threw them one last look before turning around. "Sure." Was his only reply. He started walking and I followed him, taking the way back to HQ. When we crossed the bridge over the river that cut the city in two, Levi stopped in the middle and looked at the horizon.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to see the sun?"

Indeed, the clear light of the horizon showed that the sun was soon going to appear. When it did, I forced myself to stare at the bright burning light. It felt amazing. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw the sunrise or the sun itself at all actually, what with living like a bat in the dark with unnatural light. The cold wind of the morning played with our hair and tickled my nose. I sneezed at the combination, but kept admiring the sunrise.

"Now's your last chance kid." Said Levi.

I turned to face him completely. The one standing in front of me now was not the Levi that was friends with Farlan and Isabelle. It was the Captain of the Scouts, with his piercing glare that meant business. The one that showed the darkness again.

"Do you still want to fight?"

Right, the nightmare. The nightmare he thought so atrocious, so horrible that even death was better. He kept offering what he thought was the better option. That's just how kind hearted and mistaken he was. I took a deep breath and looked at him in the eyes without blinking. This was the last time I was giving him an answer to that question.

"No, I want to live, Levi. And I want you to live too." 'I know you're capable of smiling and laughing. So you should allow yourself to live for real and be happy.' I thought to myself.

He looked at me for a long time before speaking again. "You're really one in a million, aren't you?"

He started walking again and I followed him without adding a word.

24 hours later

"Navigators to all squads, do you copy?" Asked Marco's voice in the earpieces.

"Squad Michael, ready." Replied Eld.

"Squad Gabriel, ready." Said Oluo.

"Squad Raphael, ready." Continued Gunther.

"Squad Seraphim, ready." Said Hanji.

"Squad Judgement, ready." Finished Levi.

Erwin took a deep breath before giving the order. "Alright, angels. Forward!"

"Let's get this party started." Said Hanji before pressing the detonator.

Finally the final raid begins! Hang on to your whiskers!

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