Disclaimer : I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan nor its characters.

Note: Please read Author's note at the end; involves changes made to previous chapters.


The following day, the first thing Eren was greeted by early in the morning was the sound of the doors being loudly slammed open. "EREN!" It was Jean, and just the volume of his yell was enough to send the Prince shooting right up.

"Horseface…?" Eren grumbled out tiredly, a yawn escaping his lips. "Why the hell are you shouting so early in th—"

"IT'S THE ACKERMANS! THEY ATTACKED LAST NIGHT!"


Levi had honestly, genuinely thought he had awoken to one of those few peaceful mornings he rarely ever had in his life. It wasn't because of the soft, fluffy mattress that starkly contrasted his own bed back at the shit-hole to which was equivalent to that of a brick wall, and it wasn't because the air above was more breathable as compared to the underground.

It was the tea Hanji had given him yesterday night. It had soothed his nerves, calmed the hurricane and storm of his thoughts and reduced them to a quiet breeze. He was able to get a good night's rest. It was strange, how something as simple as tea had the power to relax a man like him. And if it weren't for the fact that he had woken up so soundly, in the same room he slept in, he might've thought it was a drug that she had served him.

Alas, long-lasting good things barely happened in his life. And this peacefulness shattered in an instant when one of Paradis's guards burst in his room (Which he shared with a few guards; it didn't bother him as much, given the personal space provided. However, sometimes their snores were absolutely intolerable.), informing them with panic that the Ackermans had strike.

That was the last goddamn thing he wanted to hear this early in the morning.

He was struck with bewilderment upon hearing that piece of information. He didn't think Kenny would be so careless to leave his mess uncleaned especially on the surface… unless he wanted to create trouble for them. But even that didn't make sense, he had seemed so serious before about them finishing this mission. It wouldn't make sense for him to make things more difficult for them, at least not to this extent. And then, he was struck with worry at the possible idea that it could be Mikasa.

She had nearly gone mad the other day. Her bloodlust nearly overtook her. So what if…

No. He didn't want to think about the mere possibility of that.

However, when he rushed out of the room to Mikasa's, he didn't see her. When he made his way worriedly to the hall, all he saw were the advisors scrambling to reassure the guests who were either fearful for their lives, fearing that they might be the next victim. Or, they were outraged and angered at Paradis's 'flimsy' security that had let this happen when they were supposed to be the nation that had the strongest military. He still didn't see Mikasa. But what he did see—or noticed—was that despite the chaos erupted and flooding the halls, the Prince wasn't around, some of the Princesses and aristocrat's daughters weren't either, two or three of the advisors weren't too. In the midst of the noise, he could hear the faint sound of horses galloping outside that gave him an inkling of where the missing people could be at.

As he forced his way outside, he quietly hoped that it wasn't Mikasa who caused all of this.


Making his way towards where the crowd gathered, his nose caught the sickening scent of blood. The scent was accompanied by the mourning sound of cries reverberating in the air and hushed, broken whispers of grief. Perhaps if this had been years ago, Levi might've found himself on the edge of losing his sanity and soul to the blood-lusting monster resting within him that waited for its release. But now, he had mastered control; for the most part at least. Having placed restraints all over that monster of his, the sight of the corpse that his eyes just caught sight of after he squeezed his way through the crowd sent him nothing but pure disgust running through his veins. Unlike the commoners, it didn't horrify nor stun him. Or trigger him.

The motionless, bloodied body laid inside what looked like a shoe-maker's workshop. The white blouse the corpse had on had patches of blood that were absorbed from his unforgiving wounds that were clearly too late and too severe to mend. The crimson spots accumulated around the torn parts of his shirt, the spots where many suspected that it was the cruel work of a knife being shoved right through. Killed, by the hand of an Ackerman— that was the most of the crowd's verdict.

Beside him, he saw a man with his knees on the ground, his hand wrapped tightly around the dead's as he cried out in a tone that was strangled while he fought through his sobs, "Brother…! How could they…? You…You can't be dead…" The crowd around him had begun to tear up too. Tears of sympathy. Tears of rage. Because how dare the Ackermans terrorize their peaceful lives again?

Levi didn't shed any tears, though. Was it heartless of him? He had grown so accustomed to see dead bodies of strangers that either died by his, Mikasa's or Kenny's hand that it practically numbed him.

He briefly tore his eyes away from the unsightly mess, scanning the crowd to see if Mikasa was around. He saw the Prince in the midst of his search, whose expression detailed the frustration and guilt he felt rushing in his veins. He didn't let his mind ponder so much on him when his eyes finally spotted his sister who stood a row or two behind the Prince. Relief washed over him. She wasn't behind this then. Levi concluded. If it was, she wouldn't be standing here, with the same clothes she wore the other day, clean from any shitty traces of blood…

Levi paused in his thoughts when he noticed her expression, similar to his, one that was filled with disgust suddenly shift to a look of uncertainty after she had squinted at the corpse slightly, analytically, prompting Levi to do the same. Why was she looking at the corpse—

And then it dawned upon him. Her look served as a confirmation of his earlier doubts. This couldn't be done by the other absent Ackerman; or an Ackerman at all. The poorly executed and messy kill couldn't have been done by any of the three remaining criminal clan members if their sanity was still intact, their bloodlust concealed. Kenny had constantly emphasised and trained them to kill with a single strike if and whenever possible. Because the mess would be easier to clean. Because it'd be easier to cover up their tracks. Because if it were prolonged, who's to say their bloodlust won't erupt and take over? The several holes all over the unfortunate victim contradicted the style of their usual killing. The culprit behind this didn't even go for the neck; just the body. So, Kenny couldn't have possibly be the one… right? He always went for the neck first, after all.

Hanji emerged from the crowd, with gloves on and a look of complete solemnness that Levi wouldn't have thought that somebody as bubbly and chatty as her could ever muster.

She knelt down, blocking out the man's sobs. Her hands meticulously and carefully went over the man's wounds briefly, "Did you see the killer?" She asked calmly.

"I…I…It was the damn Ackermans!" He screeched, and his grief soon morphed into an ugly rage. "You…You're an advisor aren't you…? WHERE WERE YOUR GUARDS?! ALWAYS DEPLOYING YOUR REGULAR GUARDS TO SURVEY THIS PLACE! THEY'RE CLEARLY INCOMPETENT! By the time they arrived, he was already DEAD! Are you so selfish to not spare and provide your civilians the elite guards?! The Prince—"

"Calm down sir." Hanji mumbled. "Did you see the killer or not?" Her nonchalance caught Levi by surprise, and he heard the crowd's whispers of grief switch to mocking whispers, picking on her heartlessness.

How can she be so calm?

She doesn't sound sympathetic at all!

Has she no heart?

Levi disagreed. He couldn't say for sure, but perhaps they shared similar values. Getting personal emotions involved in work was the last thing anyone needed. But he could see. He could see the ache in her eyes that reflected her anxiousness and distraught at the disturbing scene. She kept it buried underneath, trying to conceal it with professionalism. And perhaps that was where the two differed. While Levi might feel bits of pain during the slaughters, numbness never ceased to be the more powerful 'emotion'. Whereas for Hanji, there seemed to be less of that numbness. Just more hiding.

Everyone had their own mask, don't they?

"I did! Like I said it's those bastard Ackermans!" Hanji's eyes narrowed, and Levi's curiosity piqued. Why was this woman seeming to be unwilling to push the blame to the Ackermans? To his knowledge, it was practically a norm when a crime happened—pushing the blame onto the Ackermans, that is.

"Did you see their faces?" Hanji proceeded with the questions that only enraged the commoner even more.

"I-…I woke up to see his dead body! You think I saw?!"

Her chestnut coloured eyes averted its gaze away from the corpse, examining the crowd and seemed to consider something. To Levi, it looked like she was close to forming a conclusion on this case. A conclusion that most likely differed from Levi's who assumed that the murderer was probably from some loan shark. It wouldn't be a first.

Hanji stood up, removing her dirtied gloves. "I am sorry for your unfortunate loss. We'll do our best to capture them. For now—"

"You always say that! But you never!" Levi would disagree to that too. There were times when a few guards—sometimes disguised—were deployed to the shit-hole to find them, or traces that could act as a lead for them. But they never did, even after all the houses they practically ransacked, they never did find any traces or clues. Aside from the advantage they had of having their identities unknown, hidden behind a mask, there were also just some hidden places in the underground that only those who lived there could practically find. Albeit, their roaming sometimes gave them other sorts of troubles.

"Sir—"

"How—"

The rest of their conversation was drowned out by Levi when he realised he was heading off track with his intentions of going there in the first place. He had to talk to Mikasa privately, and ask if she had any knowledge about this incident. And then discuss what to anticipate next should Paradis decide to heighten up security, or worse, cancel this whole event. Because regardless of the change in direction or circumstance, Kenny expected no failure.

However, to his dismay, he no longer saw Mikasa gathered in the crowd. And he didn't see the Prince around either.


He decided to return back to the castle after a failed search, and after overhearing a conversation between one of the guards to another to gather the guests back as well as the advisors as a meeting would be held. Perhaps Mikasa went back. He thought.

Unfortunately for him, by the time he arrived back, he saw his sister just entering the meeting room. Again, he had lost his chance to converse with her privately. And even better, he wasn't allowed to be in the meeting—it was strictly for the noble guests. He could only hope Mikasa could hold her own in there, should they question her anything.

The only thing he could do now was wait, like the rest of the personal guards who either lingered or gathered into small groups to discuss about the incident.

He leaned against a wall, once again choosing to isolate himself from the crowd. He pinched the bridge of his nose before heaving a sigh. Why is today so fucking troublesome? He thought to himself, before his mind drifted off, thinking back to the argument he and Mikasa had the other day. Or is she purposely avoiding me?

Levi didn't think or at least hoped she wasn't purposely avoiding him. He liked to believe Mikasa had the maturity to understand during circumstances like this, they should set aside their quarrels and focus more on the mission that could cost them their lives.

But Mikasa was more sensitive than him, even if she didn't like to admit it. Underneath the monotonous look she wore, there was a girl who had to lock too many emotions away. And that's why Levi feared for her, an Ackerman driven by intense emotion was dangerous when it came to bloodlust. Perhaps all this sensitivity that sprouted in her was due to the massacre she caused. The innocent lives she took at such a young age. Something as traumatising like that doesn't go away easy for a young child.

Thinking back about that, his mind inevitably thought back to his own first outbreak. He was sixteen. And it happened so suddenly; but he couldn't say unexpected. Not when sixteen was supposed to be the age, not when it happened so soon after the death of Isabel and Farlan. Driven by grief, devastation and madness, he killed the entire household as opposed to only the target Kenny had assigned him.

Kenny managed to save him before he could start his own massacre. Screams seemed to travel around fast in the underground, and apparently his uncle had been expecting his breakout—sixteen was the age after all.

He recalled forcing his footsteps to be as light as a feather rather than dragging them even if for some reason, they felt heavier than usual. It wasn't something someone like him should be having trouble with, but with his mind full of dark clouds and hazy thoughts it was hard to maintain the stealth he trained so hard to perfect.

It was his first mission that outright involved murder right after the recent death of the two people he could call friends; family.

Fuck everything. He thought grimly. To his knowledge, they and a few others who attempted to escape the hell-hole were unfortunately met with guards who refused to let them pass through and enter the land of 'heaven'—not unless they received permission from the higher-ups. It's fucking stupid, Levi clenched his fist as his pace unintentionally quickened, so did his heart rate ever so slightly. They live on and grew up in this shitty island too, and they treated them like fucking pests or enemies.

What did they ever do to the surface? What had Farlan and Isabel ever done to them?

He didn't despise the surface entirely; because realistically, if one were to successfully forge a fake identity and live up there without getting caught for the rest of their lives, they would have successfully escaped hell. What he did despise to the core was the ignorance and illogical brutality that existed up there within the people that they would lash out on innocent people down here who just wanted a better life. He detested how their ignorance caused them to ostracise the people living in underground, even if technically, they were people of Paradis too; people who didn't choose to be born at the short end of the stick. People who didn't have a choice in choosing their lives.

Apparently, impatience and vengeance got the best of one of the escapees who were with them. A fight started. Vulgar words and then fists and knives were thrown and plunged. Death followed after, and as merciless as it was, no one escaped.

He already told both of them that it was a stupid idea to venture on the surface now—because after a murder Kenny had committed up there, security had been raised up higher than usual. With an increased chance of people getting caught, Levi couldn't risk them even nearing the exit of this hell-hole.

However, he couldn't tell them either. Not the full story. Them ever finding out he belonged to the Ackerman Clan would result in something that Levi could only assume was death or something worse. And Kenny made that clear to him when he first befriended them. All he could do was persuade them.

"But Levi, didn't you say you rather have you and your sister live on the surface too?! This is our chance! I'd have never guessed that Johnson would be able to come up with such a fool-proof scheme to carry a few up there!" Farlan reasoned. "We could lay low at the country side, forge new identities and live up there peacefully without crimes happening so often, without worry that there might be no food on the table." He paused. "…Without any worry that one day the future King or current council would raid and destroy this place if they decide that the illegal activities here no longer benefit Paradis's economy."

"Or do you not want to live there anymore because of your resentment of what those surface people have done to our kind?" Farlan asked, "Look, I hate what they do to us too, but it's undeniable that living up there is still better. We don't have much of a choice if we want a better life! So put aside your pride and—"

"You've never been on the shitty surface before." Levi said frustratedly. "For all you know, that fucking Johnson could be selling you out."

"You haven't been on the surface before too!" Isabel countered with a frown. "C'mon bro! Think about it. Fresh air and—"

"No means no!" Levi slammed his hand on the table, startling the both of them. They've never seen him so outraged and furious before. They never seen him so against something like a possible and plausible chance to escape. "It's true that living on the surface is better than this shit-hole, I agree. But not now." He paused, considered briefly before he parted his lips hesitantly to speak. "I… heard from someone recently that security has tightened up there."

"Huh?! From who? You told me beforehand you couldn't come by because you wanted to stay by Mikasa's side the whole week because she had gotten a high fever! Where could you have possibly got that information from?!" Farlan frowned. Levi wanted to respond, however with all the lies his Ackerman heritage made him tell them instead, and with all the lies he told them leading up to this moment, he couldn't produce a believable lie that'd make sense with the other lies.

So when he couldn't formulate a reply in time, Farlan continued, deciding not to dig too deeply into Levi's contradictions, "Johnson's gang checked last week! It's the same as ever." Kenny's murder was committed two days ago, so of course they wouldn't know. "I mean yeah, its strict. But because that corrupt council does some illegal biddings here and has some connections down here, there are some gaps that—"

"Don't." Levi warned them, his tone growing more forbidding than he intended for it to be. There was concern in there too, but Isabel and Farlan were too baffled by his strange behaviour to notice it. "Just… don't. Trust me…please." Suddenly, it sounded more a plea which puzzled them even more. "End of discussion."

After the killing, they had disposed their corpses back in the underground for it to rot and decompose; when Kenny first came across it, he wasn't surprised. If they wanted to hide their sins, they'd throw it back to hell. The only thing that amused him was that he saw the two friends he sometimes saw Levi and Mikasa meet stacked up along with the other fools who attempted to escape. He eventually told Levi who soon became a victim to grief.

He hadn't expected them to not listen to him, and now he wondered if it'd have been better if he had told them why. If he had revealed to them everything— that he was an Ackerman. If he had told them the truth of it all, maybe he could've found a way to not let Kenny know; to protect them. Would things be different? Would they still be alive? Would the consequence of finding out that I was an Ackerman be better than…?

In the first place, it was selfish of him to ever befriend them on that day when…

He had made a permanent choice that he now regretted, and there was no way of ever amending his decision.

In the end, it was a tragic friendship that ended with them never knowing who he actually was.

Guilt weighed heavy in his heart, and so did a disgust he directed at himself. Because how dare he let it happen?

He should've known they'd be stubborn and not head his words. He could've been there to save them.

And Mikasa. He hadn't even told her yet. He wasn't sure if he could.

"Do you know who killed them?" He didn't mean for it to sound more of a threat as it should as a demand. Anger was boiling within him, a thirst for revenge that exposed itself in his devastated eyes.

"What makes yer think I'd know?" Kenny scoffed at his gutsy nephew before lighting up his cigar. He was amused that he didn't even flinch when a puff of smoke left his lips; he was aware of how much of a clean-freak he was and how he detested the scent of cigar smoke because the air down there was polluted enough (something Kenny didn't really give much shits about.). "Because you always know things that we don't. You have connections as the Ripper and even more when you wear that shitty mask."

"So fucking pushy. Yer' know how I hate telling things I don't want to. Surprised that yer' so upfront with it today." Kenny breathed in another bout of nicotine and considered. Perhaps if he had been in a bad mood, Levi would have received a different answer then what left his lips along with the grey puff of smoke, "Blonde hair, blue eyes, typical short haircut for a man. He had an ugly and shitty nose and brows. One of 'em looked like that, the other ones I forgot. And for 'em names, I don't bother to remember." He shrugged. "But I already told ya. Do not interfere with those bastard royals and their guards if you can avoid it."

Levi remained silent, and that brought even more concern to Kenny because the last thing he wanted and dreaded was for him to cause chaos with the royals. "If ya want to beat up or kill some random scum down here for relief, I ain't stopping you. But do not get involved with those stuck-up shits. Step one foot in that ridiculous castle and trust me, the consequences from me and them are gonna haunt yer' forever." He warned, before his eyes fixed itself onto him, hardening into a threatening gaze. "Think about the possible trouble yer' might cause for your dearest, beloved old uncle," Maybe if Levi wasn't grieving, he would've cringed at his Uncle's statement. "…and that other brat." He added.

"You already lost two, yer' really want to lose your last company?"

Of course, Levi didn't. But it didn't mean the burning and aching urge in his heart to seek revenge disappeared. Not so easily.

He felt sweat coursing down his forehead while his body grew hot, and he couldn't tell if it was because of the mask he wore or if the underground weather decided to torture him. And while he never had trouble seeing through the little holes in his mask that granted him sight, the world was beginning to—not exactly blur—appear… unstable. That was the only fitting description he could think of in the heat of the moment.

Was this what loss and grief felt like? He didn't have time to ponder as he snuck into the home of the scum he was assigned to kill. He wondered if Kenny gave him this mission as a stress reliever; a considerate but sick thing to do.

I'll just… get this shit over with… He thought, as he creaked open the bedroom door where he saw his victim sleeping soundly.

And while Levi didn't have the best sleeping schedule in the whole of Paradis, his eyelids had never felt this heavy before, so did his knife when he unsheathed it. Everything felt heavy and strenuous and for some reason he felt all his five senses dulling, being obstructed by some force because that man's loud snore was softening and growing loud at odd, inconsistent times.

What the fuck is wrong with me? He found himself dragging his feet towards his bed, fortunately his victim seemed to be a deep sleeper who couldn't hear the loud elephant sounding stomps that Levi took while he approached him. Do I have a fever or some fucking shi—

His thoughts halted, eyes widened, horrified at the man before him.

Blonde hair. His eyes traced down. Weird, ugly looking uneven brows and a horrendously looking crooked nose.

No. No. It can't be him. He…

But what if it is? Something… someone echoed in his head, a deeper sounding and haunting voice that strengthened a particular urge in him. You never know.

Unaware, his hand began to tremble and shake as he found himself in a different battle when he started to hear raspy noises chanting him to—

The knife slipped from his loosening grip, plummeting itself down onto the man's chest. And unfortunately, it was enough for the deep sleeper to wake up, his eyes gradually opening, finding himself in a blur as his brain tried to process why a knife was on his chest and had disturbed his sleep.

A second passed, and Levi's own eyes found themselves fixated on the man's blue hues that couldn't escape his sight even in the petrifying dark.

Blonde hair. He felt his heart beginning to palpitate as another second went by, with the man finally taking notice of the masked man, squinting his eyes, possibly mistaking him for his son. Ugly brows and nose. He felt his whole body begin to shake as an animalistic sort of instinct began to settle in, and while his heart started to settle— the palpitations were replaced by a corrupted, wicked desire that tainted it. Blue eyes.

Kill, kill, kill, kill…

It's him. The voice tempted. Kill him.

Three seconds went by and the fully awake and frightened man finally realised who he was.

"A-ACKER—"

Swift, and messy, Levi's hand had reached for the knife before slicing his neck to silence him.

And it didn't stop there.

Stab. Stab. Stab him.

He drove the knife right at his neck, before using it to pry his disgustingly blue eyes right out his socket, tearing it and then crushing it with his bare hands. A maniacal laughter left his lips while a feeling of satisfaction of watching the red liquid leaking out from his—

Footsteps. He heard footsteps coming. It was most likely the innocent family he had, the one that was clueless to all his illegal doings that Kenny had informed him of. Ah, but information like that could no longer reason him, nor did it seem to exist in his mind any longer.

He was starved for more. More deaths, more blood to fill this emptiness and sickly cravings he had in his heart; that the man barely filled.

And while a part of him wanted to continue torturing the lifeless body, the bloodlust desired fresh, new prey.

So when his eldest son opened the door, eyes as blue and hair as blonde as the old man, Levi couldn't resist.

Before he knew it, three deaths followed; three deaths that he took his sweet and dearest time to take away their life starting with gouging out all their eyes because they were all cursed with a blue that he came to resent.

He didn't even care that their screams that they let out before their final moments could possibly attract unwanted attention—if people come, let them come. The more the better. The more kills, more corpses.

His appetite was growing, but his obsession with crushing and mincing the blue orbs kept him at bay. At least for now.

Albeit, it didn't seem like his bloodlust would have its chance to show the underworld its horror.

"What a fuckin' mess." A familiar voice rang in the hallway, but it didn't seem to catch Levi's attention that was still fixated with ruining the blue. "I should've known. You're sixteen after all. Tch." Kenny clicked his tongue as he watched his nephew, as if possessed, busying himself with bloody things. He walked past the corpses, ignoring the scent of blood.

He took notice the one thing they all had in common other than being dead. Their eyes were ripped right out. So, it's the eyes, eh? He thought, figuring what he must've have said before bothered his nephew. The man didn't have blue eyes, nor blue hair, though.

He had brown hair and eyes, so did the rest of his family.

Hallucination? He considered as he stood behind his nephew, who was yet to react to his presence. It ain't unusual to become delusional during their first breakout… or have some shit they're grossly obsessed with.

"Oi. Brat." Levi didn't turn nor acknowledged him, not until Kenny kicked him at his waist, clearly annoyed by this entire situation. "Oi. I'm talking to—"

The sounds of daggers clashing interrupted his speech, and Levi's enhanced aggression displayed by the way he moved his knife recklessly, aiming for his eyes first reminded Kenny how unstable and unpredictable Ackermans could be when their bloodlust had taken over them. How much stronger they tended to be than their usual self.

But Kenny wasn't so desperate or hopeless in the fight to let loose his own bloodlust, even if Levi had managed to wound him slightly more than he ever could during their trainings. A full-out fight between two men with bloodlust corrupting them was the last thing Kenny needed.

Their brawl continued until one dagger was knocked out of his grip; Kenny's grip. "Fuckin' troublesome—" He cut himself mid-way as he barely dodged Levi's next swing, swerving away and behind before kicking him down. "—bloody, brat." He held and forced his neck down, restraining himself from placing any more force for it to turn into a strangle. "Dammit Kuchel…" He murmured under his breath as he struggled to keep him on the ground, his body kicking and pushing while he debated if he should reach out for his spare dagger to weaken him. "You birthed a fuckin' curse. Why yer' gotta make my shitty life so hard?"

Kenny loosened his grip, and Levi broke free—to only find himself in another trap the moment Kenny unsheathed his spare dagger, striking his skin; making it bleed but not enough to kill. And while the monster in front of him was briefly distracted by his own blood trailing down, he took the chance to use his bare fists and knee to knock him out, but not without an arm twisted and sprained and other areas that Kenny almost crushed the bones of, bestowing him numerous new injuries before he was finally met with pitch black.

Trainings became more intense ever since then; there were times where he was so close to turning back to the monster he was, and there were a few times that he did. Control was something he never thought a man like Kenny could ever teach or drill into him, and yet he did.

"Levi…?" Mikasa peeked from the back door when she saw Kenny leave after he finished another session with him. Aside for a few moments of acknowledgement, Levi hadn't exactly spoken to her ever since he came back from his first outbreak, with what felt like crushed bones and an almost cracked skull that took a while to heal. Despite Kenny's statement that was meant to reassure him of the fact that he won't go mad again unless a few specific requirements were met, he still kept his distance away from her in fear of breaking out because at that time he didn't know if he exactly mastered control.

He looked at her with an empty stare. She was eleven and had already been undergoing a separate training with Kenny for a while now before he'd take her to deliver her first kill.

It was a cruel thing, an abnormal thing. Eleven-year olds shouldn't be desensitised to these sorts of things, humans shouldn't genetically be able to go batshit animalistic crazy and yet here they all were. "Are you… free?" She reminded him of Isabel, just a tiny bit. It ached him, and reminded him of how grief-stricken he was and how that grief morphed into something so warped that his very own eyes presented him with illusions to quench his thirst for revenge.

It sickened him more that supposedly, in five years' time, Mikasa would undergo something like that too.

While he was aware Mikasa knew some parts of the bloodlust, but like him, she was unaware of how frightening and traumatic it can actually be.

"…Maybe we can hang out with Isabel and Farlan." Mikasa innocently suggested, figuring that her brother needed to de-stress. While Kenny hadn't informed her of their passing, he did tell her about Levi's bloodlust when she asked why he was acting so differently. She didn't know how exactly to approach the topic to her brother who avoided her, and had decided to let it cool off for a while before she'd try to talk to him again. "We haven't seen them in a while." Levi flinched, and remembered that he hadn't told her about their passing yet.

"Maybe… with them, we can—"

"Mikasa." He called her name for the first time in a while, and if it weren't for the dread and utter gloom in his tone, she'd probably be a little happy about it. "There's… something I should've told you."


His thoughts were cut as he heard the doors creak and then burst open. His head snapped up as he watched the Princesses and aristocratic daughters exit the room, wearing looks of devastation. He noticed Mikasa, and immediately made his way towards her. She wore a dreary and drained look and he could only wonder why.

"Mikasa." He called out. "What happened in there?" He asked, his voice lowering as he stood in front of her, trying to get her attention.

Her head snapped up, as if noticing him for the first time. "Levi…" She acknowledged, and he could physically feel her forcing her guard back up. He watched a sort of uncomfortable and bothered look appear, and he assumed it was because of the fight they had the other day.

"I don't know who it was." She answered before Levi could ask, or think how to react to this more or less awkward situation, brought to them by their unresolved squabble the other day. "I haven't heard from Kenny. And it's unlikely it's him. We both know that." Her voice was a hush, and she ran a hand through her hair. She took a glimpse of the surrounding area before focusing back to Levi. No one was close enough to hear them, all the women were engaged in their own conversation with their own personal guards regarding the updates. "They say security will be tightened both in the castle and the town. They'll be deploying a few of their elite guards at the town too. The event will still continue. Except, some of the women chose to return home in fear of their lives. A few will remain. But while they tighten security, the remaining women have been instructed to rest, so I don't know when the whole marriage events will formally resume. That is all."

"…Noted." He was glad she didn't blatantly ignore and avoid him, and still informed him of the updates, but he knew she still wasn't over about what happened the other day. And while he still wanted her to admit her wrongdoings, he felt like he should say something even if he didn't know what exactly he should say. "Wait—"

"I'm tired." She replied so quickly and turned away even quicker. "I've been feeling unwell since… yesterday. And when I saw that corpse…" She paused, and Levi waited patiently for her to continue. "…I'm going to rest for a while longer… there won't be any activities to get closer to the Prince today anyway. You can… continue with your work. I won't be in your way."

The awkward tension was palpable; at least on Levi's part. And to be frank even if he and Mikasa had fought before in the past, how they came and eventually reconciled was beyond him, especially when he wasn't exactly great at mediating things. He wanted to ask and say a lot of things, but he didn't know how or where to start. Moreover, it wasn't like their current location was the best place to talk.

"…Alright." He tentatively said. "…And—"

She started to make her way back to her bedroom once Levi gave her an "Alright" without a word, and definitely without waiting for him to finish.

Levi watched and let her leave. She's tired. He reminded himself silently as he started to walk off in a separate direction. At least she's mature enough to not avoid me blatantly, her mind seems like it's on the mission but…

The awkwardness was torturous. And she still seemed unwilling to be the one to apologise for her recklessness the other day. Were all teenagers like this? Troublesome and horrifyingly stubborn like a damn pig? If so, Levi couldn't wait for next year when she'd finally turn twenty. (Levi didn't want to admit it now, but he knew he could be quite stubborn too when it came to some peculiar things.)

Anyway, He thought, I should probably take another quick look around before security tightens—

Levi had his thoughts cut off the moment he heard a yelp along the corridor he was currently walking in. He couldn't say he was surprised by who it was upon approaching the area where the sound came from.

There she was, Advisor Hanji Zoe, with papers scattered and dispersed all over the floor after her slipping and falling ungracefully. She found herself hurriedly grabbing the pieces of paper, not caring too much if her grip crumpled or crinkled them. It was hard to believe that this was the same woman who was almost devoid of all (chirpy) emotions and had worn a look of seriousness earlier when she had been examining the corpse. The woman in front of Levi appeared stressed more than anything, frazzled by everything. He couldn't blame her. And oddly to him, he pitied her a little… even if he did find her loud and too jolly for him at times.

Maybe it was because she didn't seem as corrupt and devious as the other council members, at least from what he observed. If anything, from their previous conversation, it was clear to Levi the only reason why she was selected and promoted to a council member was because of her seemingly motherly or sisterly relationship she had with the Prince. They needed someone to put the Prince in his place and decided she was the 'best' fit, even if she prevented some of their original plans from being executed.

A pawn. Levi thought as he walked over to her, unnoticed, picking up sheets of paper closer to him. She reminded him of the pawn pieces Farlan sacrificed and made full use up to the bitter end in his game of chess.

"A-Ah! Levi!" Hanji exclaimed, finally taking notice of the man who had the rest of her papers in his hand. She stood up, a little ashamed for him to see her in such a dishevelled state (at least, more than usual). "Thank you…" She mumbled when he passed her the rest of the papers to her once she stood up and adjusted herself.

"Don't worry about today, the Princesses and the rest of the Kingdom will be fine today after we make the appropriate adjustments. So we—" She began to pour out a series of explanations, which in no doubt she had already recited to a few of the other noble guests.

"I didn't ask anything." Levi didn't mean for it to sound rude, but Hanji's flinch when he had cut her off told him otherwise. And as if he just recalled his role to play, he continued, "Princess Mikasa already told me about it."

"Ah… I see. She…" Levi arched a brow, wondering what she had to say about Mikasa considering she had been in the same meeting room as her. The meeting seemed to drain all the energy out of her after all, and while Mikasa did tell him about the changes that were to be made, she didn't go into detail what was discussed. "…Where is she?" She asked instead, noticing her absence.

"She's still feeling unwell, especially when she was there to witness the bloody scene." Levi explained flatly, "So, she went to rest and dismissed me for the rest of the day."

"Ah, I see…she did…" She paused slightly, and it made Levi raise a lot of questions. She did… what? He wasn't going to get his answer though, "… anyway, send her my regards and best wishes." She changed the topic and forced a smile, and Levi took a mental note to later ask his sister for a detailed explanation of what happened during the meeting. But for now, as long as their covers weren't blown, he chose not to go bother her rest.

Levi's eyes darted towards the several papers she held, and an idea occurred to him. He had gotten a fair bit of information after hanging around her the last time, whose to say he wouldn't attain more vital information if he got closer to her? It was a manipulative move, but if Levi needed to make use of what remaining pawns he had left to avoid failing this mission, he would, right?

He could tell she was worn out after the meeting, after the body she had to examine more closely. And he knew for a fact that most people tended to say and vent out unnecessary things in the spur of the moment when they are exhausted and overwhelmed.

"Since I am relieved of my current duties…" He said, "I don't mind lending you a hand, again, Hanji."


.

.

.

The way Levi clasped onto her wrist was tighter than a pair of metal restraints and chains. He didn't mean to be rough, but when he spotted her wearing a dark cloak, face partially covered with an equally black cloth, he couldn't help but seethe with—not just fury—but grave concern and disappointment. He knew that if he had been gentler in his attempt to stop her, she'd have easily slipped away and escaped.

Had she not learnt her lesson? Where was she even going?

His eyes focused on hers sharply, but this time the girl in front of him didn't flinch or look away passively. She stared straight back at him stubbornly, and perhaps if Levi had seen it correctly, there was a little plead engraved in her orbs that beseeched him to let go.

Regardless of the look she gave him, his mind was far from even considering to let go. He didn't even know where she was going. He didn't even know why she was about to do something this risky; it wasn't in her nature to be this reckless. He could only wonder what prompted her to act out like this, and regardless of how reasonable her reason was, he'd still find it inexcusable because she should know better to on act her own in the predicament they found themselves in.

"Where do you think you're going, Mikasa?"


Author's Notes:

NEXT (ESTIMATE) UPDATE: END JULY – AUGUST

The changes I've made will be on my tumblr (I don't want author's notes to be longer than it probably already is haha) My tumblr is: rosaline-kei ; search the tag 'bloodlust' or 'my fanfic' under/in my account.

On a side note, if any characters seem quite out of character do inform me and I'll try my best to fix it. As for why Levi ever decide to befriend Isabel and farlan despite everything, it'll be shown eventually (hopefully; if it makes the final cut) if not, I'll write a side-chapter haha.

I hope the next chapter won't take too long. Originally, I was halfway done but then I suddenly had conflicting feelings with it because I didn't know if I portrayed Hanji properly and if the interactions between Levi and Hanji were like… good and made sense (haha). Let's hope I wont take too long to fix or rewrite that.

Next chapter will still be about Levi (mainly) and then after there most likely will be a focus on Mikasa and Eren.

Why did Mikasa not tell Levi about Kenny's visit? Why is she acting so recklessly(at the end; a peek of what's to come)? Will Hanji say anything to Levi vital to his mission? Will there be a LeviHan mOmENt—?

That aside, thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please Leave A Review ! Would love to hear your thoughts.